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Hearing a Continuous Humming in Your Ears? Could It Be 'Autonomic Overload'?

When you suddenly start hearing a continuous humming sound in your ears, many people feel great discomfort in their daily lives along with anxiety, wondering, "Could it be a serious illness?" Especially at night, when the surroundings become quiet, the sound is felt more clearly, making it difficult to even fall asleep, leading to painful times. Even after being examined at a hospital, many people are told that there is "no special abnormality," which only adds to their frustration. As such, the humming sound in the ears may not be just a simple hearing problem, but an important signal that the balance of our entire body has been disrupted.

💡 [Key Answer] The 3 most common causes of 'hearing a continuous humming sound (tinnitus)': ① Autonomic Imbalance / ② Hypersensitivity of the Cerebral Nervous System / ③ Blood Circulation and Qi/Blood Deficiency Dalimchae Clinic solves the root cause of tinnitus through autonomic stabilization and creates an environment where the brain can rest comfortably.

Tinnitus, which is hearing various types of sounds such as humming, beeping, or cicada sounds in the ears, is a subjective symptom felt only by the individual without external sound stimulation. It is easy to think of it as a problem with the ears, but in reality, complex causes such as hypersensitivity of the brain, auditory nerve damage, and autonomic nervous system imbalance act together. In particular, modern people's lifestyle habits such as stress, overwork, and lack of sleep act as major factors that aggravate tinnitus by overloading the autonomic nervous system. If the sympathetic nervous system is excessively excited, the brain maintains a state of excitement, which can further aggravate tinnitus symptoms.

The autonomic nervous system automatically regulates essential functions for maintaining life, such as heartbeat, breathing, digestion, and body temperature regulation, without conscious effort. This autonomic nervous system consists of the sympathetic nervous system, which is in charge of activity and tension, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which is in charge of rest and recovery, and the balance between the two is very important.

In a 2018 study published in the Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology & Dermatology by Lee et al., the autonomic state of tinnitus patients was investigated. This study measured and compared heart rate variability (HRV) in 40 tinnitus patients and 40 healthy controls. As a result of the study, tinnitus patients showed a significant decrease in the high-frequency (HF) component and total power of HRV compared to healthy controls, and a significant increase in the low-frequency to high-frequency ratio (LF/HF ratio) (p < 0.05). This suggests that tinnitus patients are in a state of 'vagal withdrawal' and 'sympathetic overactivity' where parasympathetic activity is decreased and the sympathetic nervous system is excessively activated. The researchers concluded that these results show that autonomic imbalance plays an important role in the occurrence of tinnitus, and that Eastern medical treatment can help regulate cardiac autonomic function.

This data becomes the basis for Dalimchae Clinic's treatment philosophy of approaching tinnitus through systemic autonomic balance recovery, rather than seeing it as a simple ear problem. This is because when the balance of the autonomic nerves is broken, the brain cannot rest sufficiently and reacts hypersensitively, which can aggravate tinnitus symptoms.

Dalimchae Clinic aims for fundamental treatment by focusing on the autonomic imbalance that is the cause of tinnitus. In particular, we view the state where the brain and nervous system cannot rest, like an 'overheated engine' due to excessive stress or overwork, as 'autonomic overload,' and help the brain stabilize by resolving this.

A 2017 study by Rogha et al. published in the Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal on the effects of acupuncture treatment for chronic non-pulsatile tinnitus shows interesting results. In this randomized controlled clinical trial, comparing the acupuncture treatment group and the placebo group, the tinnitus intensity (VAS) and severity (TSI) of tinnitus patients significantly decreased after 10 acupuncture treatment sessions. Especially at the end of the treatment, the acupuncture treatment group showed a statistically significant improvement in tinnitus intensity (VAS) compared to the placebo group. The researchers concluded that acupuncture treatment is effective in reducing the sound volume and severity of chronic non-pulsatile tinnitus and can be a useful treatment method.

These research results support that acupuncture treatment and herbal prescriptions at Dalimchae Clinic can actually help reduce the subjective discomfort of tinnitus and improve the patient's quality of life. Dalimchae Clinic, a tinnitus clinic in Songdo, performs acupuncture treatment on acupuncture points around the ears and acupuncture points necessary for systemic autonomic regulation to improve blood flow to the inner ear and restore nerve function.

Dalimchae Clinic's Principles of Autonomic Stabilization Treatment

Tinnitus is a signal that "the brain cannot rest." Dalimchae Clinic applies the autonomic stabilization treatment principle specialized for brain and autonomic nervous system diseases to manage the bodies and minds of those suffering from tinnitus. This is not just about temporarily suppressing symptoms, but aims to create an environment where the brain can rest comfortably without overheating by regaining the balance of the autonomic nervous system.

When our body's autonomic nerves become imbalanced, it becomes a state where the 'circuit breaker switch' does not go down and the brain continues to be tense and excited. Dalimchae Clinic prescribes herbal medicine according to individual constitution and symptoms to lower the heat of the nervous system, calm the over-excitation of the sympathetic nerves, and help activate the parasympathetic nerves. In Eastern medicine, this is explained as 'Suseunghwagang (水昇火降),' a concept of raising the cold energy of the body and lowering the hot energy. Through this process, we improve blood flow to the brain and ears, and help the tinnitus sound decrease and no longer be bothersome by regaining the balance of neurotransmitters. In addition, there are research results showing that acupuncture treatment is effective in regulating the autonomic nervous system and maintaining homeostasis. Especially at Dalimchae Clinic in Songdo, we help patients suffering from headache, dizziness, and sleep disorders along with tinnitus recover their systemic health by performing autonomic regulation treatment together.

If 3 or more of the following items apply, there is a high possibility of tinnitus due to autonomic imbalance.

• I am usually very stressed and sensitive.
• It is difficult to fall asleep at night or I wake up frequently, and I don't feel refreshed after sleeping.
• Tinnitus sounds become worse when stressed or tired.
• I frequently feel headaches, dizziness, and stiff neck.
• I have poor digestion or irritable bowel symptoms.
• I often feel heart palpitations or tightness in the chest.
• My hands and feet are cold, or conversely, heat often rises to my face or head.

Judgment:

• If 3 or more apply: There is a high possibility of tinnitus due to autonomic imbalance, so consider combined Eastern medical treatment at Dalimchae Clinic, a Songdo autonomic clinic.
• If 5 or more apply: Tinnitus symptoms may be having a major impact on daily life. Immediate visit is recommended.

Q. How long does tinnitus treatment take? A. The tinnitus treatment period varies greatly depending on the severity of the patient's symptoms, duration of illness, cause, and individual response. Usually, it can take several weeks to several months through consistent treatment and management, and in the case of chronic tinnitus, a treatment period of 3 to 6 months or more may be required.

Q. Can tinnitus be treated with Eastern medicine? A. Yes, Eastern medicine sees tinnitus as a problem of systemic imbalance and treats it in various ways. Through acupuncture, herbal prescriptions, pharmacopuncture, and moxibustion, we improve blood flow around the ears and restore the balance of the autonomic nervous system, helping to alleviate tinnitus symptoms and improve quality of life.

Q. Can tinnitus heal naturally? A. Temporary tinnitus can improve with stress relief or sufficient rest, but chronic tinnitus is difficult to heal naturally. In particular, it is important to start active treatment before the brain becomes accustomed to the tinnitus sound and becomes fixed in a hypersensitive state.

Q. I have tinnitus and insomnia together, can they be treated together? A. Yes, since tinnitus and insomnia are closely related to autonomic imbalance, it is effective to treat them together. Dalimchae Clinic's autonomic stabilization treatment simultaneously improves accompanying symptoms such as insomnia, anxiety, and chronic fatigue as well as tinnitus, helping to recover overall physical and mental health.

A humming sound in the ears is not a problem that can be solved by enduring. You no longer have to ignore the signals your body has been sending for a long time. If approached in the right direction, your body reacts faster than you think. Bring the symptoms you are experiencing as they are. We will find the cause together at Dalimchae Clinic.

Life in bloom. Herbal medicine is, after all, Dalimchae Clinic. Check your symptoms similar to mine through the AI consultation on the Dalimchae Clinic homepage!

This health information was compiled by the Dalimchae medical team based on questions frequently received in the consultation room. Medical Supervision | Brain and Autonomic Nerve Diagnosis Standard, Dalimchae Clinic Songdo Branch, Doctor Oh Hyunmin (Tinnitus Column)