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Hearing Ringing in Ears? Don't Just Take Medication - Solve the Root Cause

Does a high-pitched "bee-" sound suddenly or quietly start in your ears when night falls? Or are uninvited guests like a "wing-" mechanical sound, cicada chirping, or wind sound hovering around your ears, causing distress? For many, a quiet night is actually painful, and they cannot sleep because of the sound that becomes clearer when they lie down to sleep. Even when you go to the hospital, do you only hear "nothing special," "it's nervous," and vaguely hold on while continuing to take tinnitus medication? Tinnitus may not be a simple ear problem, but a signal that an important balance in our body has been broken.

💡 [Key Answer] The 3 most common causes of "ringing in my ears" (tinnitus): ① Autonomic nervous system imbalance ② Decreased brain function ③ Systemic circulation disorder Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic treats the root cause of tinnitus by restoring brain function and systemic recovery through autonomic nerve stabilization.

Tinnitus is a phenomenon of perceiving sound in the ears or head without external stimulus. Many people think of tinnitus as a simple ear problem, but in fact, tinnitus is deeply related to the imbalance of our body's complex systems, especially the autonomic nervous system. Daily problems of modern people such as stress, overwork, and lack of sleep overactivate the autonomic nervous system, which affects the auditory cortex of the brain and makes the brain perceive it as sound even though it is not an actual sound.

When examining patients who have suffered from tinnitus for a long time, they often complain of systemic symptoms beyond simple ear problems. Insomnia, headache, dizziness, indigestion, and anxiety are common accompanying symptoms with tinnitus, all of which are closely related to the disturbance of the autonomic nervous system. It is a warning light that our body's nervous system is reacting hypersensitively.

Patients visiting the hospital for tinnitus are mainly prescribed blood circulation improvers and nerve stabilizers. However, these medications mostly focus on symptom relief, so in many cases, symptoms reappear when you stop taking them or the root cause is not solved. Even Japanese ENT specialists often explain tinnitus as "not curable and due to age," and many studies report that "various drug treatments for tinnitus have been tried, but no drug has been clearly proven effective." In fact, it is suggested that about 25% of patients whose tinnitus does not improve despite various treatments can consider Korean medicine treatment.

This is because tinnitus is not just a sound heard due to a problem in the ear, but a complex problem caused by the breakdown of the entire body's balance and overactivation of brain function. Many patients looking for a Songdo Tinnitus Clinic also complain of frustration and anxiety about recurrence despite taking tinnitus medication. It is important not to suppress the symptom itself, but to find and solve the root cause of why my body is making such sounds.

In Korean medicine, tinnitus is viewed as a result of 'systemic imbalance' rather than just 'sound in the ear.' It is believed that heat accumulates in the heart and liver due to stress and overwork, or circulation to the brain and ears is not smooth due to lack of Qi and blood, or even tension in the muscles around the neck and jaw stimulates the auditory nerve, causing tinnitus. In particular, it is emphasized that the contribution of the autonomic nervous system and the limbic system of the brain increases as tinnitus becomes chronic and severe.

From this perspective, Dalimchae Korean Medicine Clinic interprets tinnitus as a brain function problem due to autonomic nervous system regulation abnormality and aims for fundamental treatment. Our body's autonomic nerves consist of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, and when the balance between the two is broken, the body is placed in a state of excessive tension. The brain cannot rest and becomes sensitive, continuously sending signals of tinnitus.

Dalimchae treats the root cause of tinnitus through autonomic stabilization by viewing tinnitus as an autonomic nervous system imbalance problem. When the balance of the autonomic nerves is broken, the brain cannot rest and becomes overactivated, inducing tinnitus, which is also explained in Korean medicine as the disharmony of 'Suseunghwagang (Water rises, fire falls).' Heat rises to the head and the lower abdomen becomes cold, and the brain and nervous system overheat. Dalimchae helps the body regain its balance by cooling down the heat of the nervous system and creating an environment where the brain can rest.

[Effectiveness of Korean Medicine Tinnitus Treatment through Latest Clinical Research]

A 2016 study published in PubMed Central (PMC), "Autonomic Conditions in Tinnitus and Implications for Korean Medicine," compared and analyzed Heart Rate Variability (HRV) parameters of 40 tinnitus patients (19 acute, 21 chronic) and 40 healthy controls. As a result of the study, it was confirmed that the high-frequency (HF) component and total power of HRV significantly decreased, and the low-frequency/high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio significantly increased in the tinnitus patient group (P < 0.05). This suggests that tinnitus patients are experiencing decreased parasympathetic activity and overactivation of the sympathetic nerve, and this autonomic nervous system change was particularly evident in chronic tinnitus patients. The researchers concluded that these results are evidence supporting that Korean medicine treatments such as acupuncture and Qi cultivation can positively affect tinnitus by regulating cardiac autonomic function.

In addition, a study by Koh Hye-yeon et al. (Gangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital) published in the Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology & Otolaryngology & Dermatology in 2023, "A Literature Review on Acupuncture and Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Tinnitus Treatment - Focusing on the Autonomic Nervous System -," analyzed the effects and mechanisms of acupuncture and TENS in tinnitus treatment. As a result of the literature review, it was found that tinnitus-related distress has a positive correlation with sympathetic activity and a negative correlation with parasympathetic activity, and tinnitus suppression is related to parasympathetic activation. The study emphasized that acupuncture treatment can effectively relieve symptoms related to autonomic imbalance by regulating the autonomic nervous system and maintaining homeostasis, and mentioned that autonomic regulation through vagus nerve stimulation has already been proven.

Based on these data, Dalimchae approaches tinnitus as a way to recover brain function and systemic health by regaining the balance of the autonomic nervous system, not just simple symptom relief. When our body's autonomic nerves are stabilized, the brain does not hypersensitively accept unnecessary signals, and as a result, we can expect not only improvement in tinnitus symptoms but also enhancement of overall quality of life. As a Songdo Autonomic Nerve Clinic, Dalimchae provides such evidence-based Korean medicine treatment.

Tinnitus rarely comes alone. Many patients complain of insomnia, headache, dizziness, anxiety, and depression along with tinnitus. 80% of tinnitus patients accompany hearing loss, which suggests that hearing loss is often the cause of tinnitus. When stress and fatigue accumulate, the autonomic nervous system becomes even more disturbed, and these symptoms can intensify. Dalimchae Songdo branch views various symptoms accompanying tinnitus as a connected problem and treats them from an integrated perspective, helping to break the vicious cycle of symptoms and regain a healthy daily life.

▶ Is mine also autonomic imbalance tinnitus? Symptom Checklist

If 3 or more items apply, you may suspect tinnitus due to autonomic imbalance. If 5 or more, immediate visit is recommended.

• A bee- or wing- sound is heard at any time in the ears.
• Tinnitus sound becomes particularly loud on quiet nights or at dawn, making it difficult to fall asleep.
• You often feel anxious or restless for no special reason.
• The head is not clear and feels heavy or dull frequently.
• You don't feel like you've slept even after sleeping and suffer from chronic fatigue.
• The neck or shoulders are often stiff and sore.
• You react hypersensitively to sound or get startled easily.
• There are gastrointestinal disorders such as feeling bloated or having poor digestion.
• You are experiencing headache or dizziness together.
• Concentration has dropped and memory seems to have declined.

Q. How long should I take tinnitus medication? A. Tinnitus medication is mostly symptomatic therapy focused on symptom relief, and symptoms often recur when you stop taking it. If you don't solve the autonomic imbalance, the root cause of tinnitus, long-term medication may be necessary.

Q. Can tinnitus heal naturally? A. Some mild tinnitus can improve with just stress relief or sufficient rest. However, if symptoms persist for more than 3 months or interfere with daily life, they are likely to become chronic, so it is good to consider professional treatment.

Q. I also have insomnia with tinnitus, can they be treated together? A. Yes, tinnitus and insomnia often have a common cause: autonomic nervous system imbalance. Dalimchae conducts integrated treatment to improve both tinnitus and insomnia by creating an environment where the brain can rest comfortably through autonomic stabilization.

Q. What kind of treatment is provided at the Songdo Tinnitus Clinic? A. Dalimchae Songdo branch accurately diagnoses the patient's body state through autonomic nerve testing and provides complex Korean medicine treatments such as personalized herbal prescriptions, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, moxibustion, and cupping to solve the root cause of tinnitus and restore autonomic function.

Tinnitus is not a problem that is solved by holding on. You no longer have to ignore the signals your body has been sending for a long time. If you approach it in the right direction, your body reacts faster than you think. Bring the symptoms you are experiencing as they are. Dalimchae will find the cause together.

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This post was prepared by Dalimchae medical staff based on questions frequently received in the consultation room. Medical Supervision | Dalimchae Songdo Branch, Dr. Oh Hyunmin (Tinnitus Column) based on Brain & Autonomic Nerve treatment standards.