Acupuncture for Tinnitus (2025)

Stuart-T said:

I noticed posts asking if Acupuncture works so I decided to read through this thread.

My conclusions:

- Approximately 7 in 8 who tried Acupuncture reported no success.
- 1 in 8 claimed anything from huge improvement to some improvement.
- Studies published have not established that Acupuncture is successful in the treatment of tinnitus.

I think it is reasonable to say that for those who reported improvement - either placebo is the reason or it is purely coincidental. If Acupuncture works at all - why is the success rate so low?

Given that acupuncture cannot demonstrate any credible scientifically valid mechanism, I would be very hesitant to spend any money at all on this treatment. Yes, I know that does not mean that Acupuncture cannot work - but the burden of proof is on those who claim it does work.

Tinnitus sufferers are being told that they will see no results until after a long course of treatments. So it is clearly a gamble if you want to spend $1,000 to check this - be my guest LOL. One person will benefit, if not you - the therapist.

We have heard "you need to find the right therapist!"

But we have read posts from many people that tried reputable therapists and had zero success. What are we supposed to do? Book 10 sessions with one therapist after another until we find one that works?

If the industry is so poorly regulated that one struggles to find an effective practitioner, I cannot accept that it is worth getting involved with Acupuncture at all.

Many have said even though their tinnitus did not reduce, they found it relaxing.

Personally I would rather spend my money on deep tissue massage than lying down with a dozen needles sticking in my body, for relaxation - or reflexology - a nice foot massage and heart to heart with the therapist may be money better spent.

If you have loads of money to spare, go ahead and give Acupuncture a go. Personally, after reading this thread, I would not waste my time and money on it.

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Hi @Stuart-T,

I'm an Acupuncturist, so I wanted to to respond to your post. Just as in Western medicine, tinnitus is one of the most difficult things to treat in Chinese medicine (which includes Acupuncture) as well. I remember one of my professors telling us that in class.

I think that Acupuncture for tinnitus that is the result of an injury is more difficult, but not impossible. The goal with Acupuncture is to restore balance to the body, so if imbalance is the cause of the tinnitus, it would be more likely to have an effect.

Regarding clinical trials and testing for Acupuncture, there are many, you can check medical websites like PubMed. However, there is not the research that Western drugs have due to a multitude of factors, such as funding, or the very nature of Acupuncture and Chinese medicine being a completely different paradigm from the Western medicine model, which is not holistic.

Not trying to convince anyone to go get Acupuncture, just offering the information that I have.