Frequently Asked Questions - Ebian Korean Medicine Clinic

Tinnitus has no single cause and may come with reduced hearing, dizziness, or ear fullness, so it is more accurate to have it checked with tests. In particular, if it started suddenly or is heard in only one ear, please do not delay.

If your hearing has suddenly dropped, please get a hearing test and initial medication at an ENT clinic right away, first or at the same time. The timing right after onset can affect the later course of this condition.

First, it must be determined whether there is a central cause such as stroke. If you have not been evaluated, please see a neurologist or ENT specialist first; we recommend adding Korean medicine treatment after the evaluation is complete and initial medication has started.

If you also have a severe headache, double vision, difficulty walking, paralysis of an arm and leg on one side, slurred speech, persistent vomiting, or a change in consciousness, please go to the emergency room or see a neurologist first. Even without these symptoms, recurring dizziness needs its cause checked.

If the fullness comes with reduced hearing, tinnitus, or dizziness, it is better to have it checked without delay. There are also cases where hearing is normal and only fullness is felt, so we distinguish the two during the examination.

If you have blisters on the ear or face or severe pain, a detailed examination is needed. Ramsay Hunt syndrome follows a different course from typical facial palsy and must be checked separately.

The treatments do not exclude each other. As in the acute stage of sudden hearing loss, they can be combined depending on the patient's condition, and the order is decided by considering the evaluation results and the treatment you are currently receiving.

No. As a rule, we advise you to finish the initial medication as scheduled by the clinic that prescribed it. Later treatment plans are decided together during your visit.

Yes. When emergency tests or immediate treatment take priority, when a structural disease or tumor is suspected as the cause, or when acute infection or injury requires conventional treatment, we do not recommend Korean medicine treatment alone first. If regular visits and lifestyle management are difficult, we will not push treatment on you.

Yes. When something is outside our area, we consider quickly guiding you to other care to be an important role of a doctor.

Larger hospitals have the testing equipment to distinguish central from peripheral causes and to give initial medication. Examining the remaining symptoms step by step after the cause has been identified is a different area.

If you have them, please bring them. We can explain by comparing your previous results with what we find now.

Acupuncture-only treatment is possible. However, when the body's recovery capacity is low, we may recommend herbal medicine as well; if you prefer not to take it, we plan treatment with acupuncture only.

Common medications (cold medicine, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes medication, painkillers, etc.) can be taken about 1 hour apart, regardless of order. However, while you are taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) or antibiotics, we advise pausing the herbal medicine. Please tell us about any medication you are taking during your visit.

Common vitamins and health supplements can be taken regardless of herbal medicine.

For tinnitus and hearing loss, examination, consultation, and same-day treatment take about 3 hours. For facial palsy, it takes about 2 hours until diagnosis and about 3 hours including treatment; for rhinitis or ear fullness, about 2 hours. Please allow plenty of time.

It depends on the condition, how long it has been since onset, severity, underlying conditions, and treatment frequency. For acute conditions, we evaluate progress after 3 months of intensive initial treatment; for long-standing tinnitus, hearing loss, or facial palsy sequelae, we suggest 6 months to 1 year or more as the basic treatment period. For tinnitus and hearing loss, we suggest 3 to 6 months or more, based on the time it takes for the auditory nerve network to rebuild.

We check not only subjective changes in symptoms but also through regular tests and examinations. Treatment is planned around 3 days, 1 week, 15 days, and 1 month in the acute stage, and 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year in chronic cases; a full re-test to see changes is usually done monthly.

We explain what we change and why during your visit, based on test results. We do not apply every treatment uniformly but plan the treatments you need according to the condition, time of onset, test results, severity, and response to treatment.

Even with long-standing sequelae, we evaluate the remaining facial muscle function, degree of nerve damage, contracture and stiffness, synkinesis, pain, and twitching to find what can be treated. However, the speed and range of recovery may be more limited than in the acute stage, so after the examination we explain realistic goals and limits individually.

Even after symptoms improve, stress, overwork, and lack of sleep can affect them, so we also guide you on lifestyle management. Once symptoms are stable, we lengthen the interval between visits and then decide on maintenance care or ending treatment.

Even if you use a hearing aid, treatment can proceed after evaluating your current state. However, the treatment plan differs from before you began wearing the hearing aid.

We do not limit care by age. For age-related hearing loss, we take a mid- to long-term approach aimed at slowing the decline in hearing and restoring the remaining hearing function and sound perception.

We first ask when your symptoms get worse. Identifying aggravating and triggering factors is important for narrowing down the cause.

The treatment you receive depends on your condition. After reviewing your test results and making a treatment plan, we explain it during the consultation.

Appointments can be made one at a time. Your next appointment is booked on the day of your visit.

Our clinic does not divide care into departments; we have a collaborative care system centered on your primary doctor, in which all doctors, including the Founder & Medical Director, take part. We do not assign specific conditions to individual doctors.

In facial palsy care, we take photos of six facial expressions to check how the facial muscles are used. They are used to compare progress and to explain directly to the patient during visits, and they are never posted in content or advertising.