Ebian Korean Medicine Clinic plans acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, Korean herbal medicine, and auditory rehabilitation according to test results and the time since onset. This is based on 5 case reports from patients treated at our clinic and published in academic journals, and on studies of acupuncture and Korean Medicine published in Korean and international journals. The citations are listed below as published.
Yeeun Min et al. · Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology & Otolaryngology & Dermatology, 2025 · DOI 10.6114/jkood.2025.38.4.101
This is a case report of a patient treated by our Founder & Medical Director and published in an academic journal. It records the course of treatment for one patient and does not establish a statistically generalizable effect.
Yeeun Min et al. · Journal of Korean Medicine 44(1), 99-107, 2023 · DOI 10.13048/jkm.23009
A case report describing the course of treatment in 3 patients with pulsatile tinnitus.
Yeeun Min et al. · Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology & Otolaryngology & Dermatology 35(2), 72-81, 2022 · DOI 10.6114/jkood.2022.35.2.072
Zhang XC et al. · PLOS ONE 10(4):e0125240, 2015 · DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0125240
A meta-analysis pooling 12 randomized controlled trials with 863 patients. The group that received acupuncture together with conventional treatment showed significantly greater hearing improvement than the group that received conventional treatment alone (relative risk 1.33; an additional mean improvement of 10.85 dB). The researchers noted that "evidence for acupuncture used alone is still insufficient."
Jeong MR et al. · Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology & Otolaryngology & Dermatology 39(1), 53-88, 2026
An analysis of 28 randomized controlled trials with about 2,500 patients. The overall response rate was significantly higher in the groups that also received acupuncture (relative risk 1.20), and the authors reported that "the effect was most pronounced when treatment began early, within 2 weeks of onset."
Huang K et al. · Acupuncture in Medicine 39(4):264-271, 2021 · DOI 10.1177/0964528420938380
An analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials with 504 patients found no statistically significant difference in tinnitus loudness itself (VAS). However, daily discomfort and severity caused by tinnitus (THI and TSI scores) improved significantly in the acupuncture groups. In other words, the evidence is more consistent for reducing the discomfort caused by tinnitus than for removing the sound.
Question: Is there evidence for Korean Medicine treatment? Does acupuncture really help?
Yes, there are studies published in Korean and international journals. Our Founder & Medical Director has published 5 case reports on patients she treated, and for sudden hearing loss, a meta-analysis (12 randomized controlled trials, 863 patients) found significantly greater hearing improvement when acupuncture was combined with conventional treatment. A recent Korean study (2026) also found that the effect was most pronounced when treatment began early, within 2 weeks of onset. However, the evidence is more consistent for improvements in tinnitus-related discomfort and sleep problems than for a reduction in the loudness of the sound itself. Responses to treatment vary from person to person depending on the timing of onset, the degree of damage, and other conditions.
At your first visit, we check when the tinnitus began; the location, type, loudness, and duration of the sound; sleep and stress; and accompanying symptoms such as hearing loss, dizziness, and aural fullness. We assess your hearing and overall recovery with pulse diagnosis, infrared thermography, a detailed hearing test, a tinnitus masking test, and a residual inhibition test, and then plan acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, Korean herbal medicine, and auditory rehabilitation according to your condition. Early on, treatment is usually once or twice a week, and the frequency is adjusted based on changes in symptoms and test results.
It depends on how long it has been since onset, the severity, the degree of hearing and nerve damage, underlying conditions, and how often you are treated. For acute conditions, we review progress after an initial 3 months of intensive care; for long-standing tinnitus or hearing loss, we generally plan for a basic treatment period of 6 months to a year or more. Severe cases or those that began long ago may need care for more than a year. We will give you an individual estimate based on your first examination and your early response to treatment.
Yes. The response may be limited when a long time has passed since onset, when nerve or hair-cell damage is severe, when hearing loss is in the severe-to-profound range, or with recurrent sudden hearing loss. Recovery can also be slower with diabetes, vascular disease, autoimmune disease, severe sleep disorders, ongoing overwork and stress, or continued noise exposure. Results may also be reduced if the recommended treatment frequency, medication, and lifestyle care are not followed.
Beliefs such as "long-standing tinnitus or hearing loss can never be treated," "if your hearing test is normal, your tinnitus is not a problem," or "if the tinnitus temporarily gets louder, treatment has failed" may not be accurate. In the acute phase of sudden hearing loss, conventional treatment and Korean Medicine are not mutually exclusive and can be combined depending on your condition.
We recommend first having an ENT doctor rule out structural problems, and then—unless surgery is needed—starting care at a Korean Medicine Clinic.
| Test | What it looks at |
|---|---|
| Pulse diagnosis | Assessment of the function of the 12 organ systems |
| Infrared thermography | Blood circulation and muscle tension |
| Detailed hearing test | Detailed assessment across hearing frequency bands |
| Tinnitus masking test · Residual inhibition test | Characteristics of the tinnitus |
The citations are listed above under "Our evidence." We plan treatment based on 5 studies by our clinic and meta-analyses published in Korean and international journals.
Results vary between studies. The evidence is more consistent for improving daily discomfort and sleep problems than for the tinnitus sound itself, and for sudden hearing loss, a meta-analysis found significantly greater improvement with acupuncture plus conventional treatment than with conventional treatment alone.
Yes. The 6 papers listed above under "Our evidence" are representative examples.
Responses can vary depending on the timing of onset, the degree of damage, and other conditions. We can reset the direction of care through retesting and consultation. We will also let you know that the response may be limited when damage is severe or when the condition keeps recurring.
The longer it has lasted, the more limited the response may be, but we do not assume that nothing can be done. We will assess your current condition at your first visit and advise you.
For acute cases, we reassess after an initial 3 months of intensive care; for long-standing tinnitus, we generally plan for 6 months to a year or more. It depends on your individual first-visit test results.
Sleep problems are part of what we check in tinnitus care. Your sleep is included in the assessment at your first visit.
We recommend first checking for structural problems with an ENT doctor, and starting Korean Medicine care if surgery is not needed.
Yes, they are not mutually exclusive. In the acute phase of sudden hearing loss in particular, conventional and Korean Medicine treatment can be combined.
Tinnitus can remain even when a hearing test is normal. A normal test result does not necessarily mean there is no tinnitus problem.
Yes. Conventional treatment in the acute phase and Korean Medicine treatment are not mutually exclusive.
We can look at the cause again through tests that assess the ears and overall health together (pulse diagnosis, thermography, and hearing tests).
Acupuncture alone is possible. For long-standing tinnitus or hearing loss or severe hearing loss, however, we sometimes recommend combining it with Korean herbal medicine. We advise each patient individually.
We suggest checking the basis on which treatment is decided (testing methods, published papers, and other materials).
Yes. If a structural problem that requires surgery is found, we refer you to ENT care first.
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