Acupuncture treatment of chronic unilateral tinnitus. A double-blind cross-over investigation

In a double-blind controlled investigation, the effect of traditional Chinese acupuncture was compared with placebo acupuncture in 17 patients (eight women and nine men) (average age 45.7 years) with chronic unilateral tinnitus (average duration of symptoms 5.3 years) which had been resistant to previous otological treatment. For each of the patients, treatment lasted for 15 weeks. Each patient was treated with traditional Chinese acupuncture and placebo acupuncture in a randomized cross-over investigation. Each therapeutic period comprised six treatments. Throughout the entire investigation, a period effect was registered: insignificant in acupuncture/placebo group but significant in placebo/acupuncture group (Friedman's variance analysis). No significant difference between traditional Chinese acupuncture and the placebo was found (Wilcoxon test, p=0.22, >0.05, unilaterally). No relationship was found between the patients' subjective assessment of the tinnitus and the results of sound-balance measurements which are an objective measurement of tinnitus.