Yet another study on tinnitus and the autonomic nervous system as measured with HRV. In this study, no acupuncture is performed, they are just getting HRV profiles of tinnitus sufferers versus normals. It compares patients with acute and chronic tinnitus to a control population. They measured HRV for 5 minutes in the subjects. They found that in chronic tinnitus, the LF/HF ratio was elevated, indicating increased stress or vagal suppression. Anecdotally, I have been (successfully) treating a patient who had severe tinnitus and anxiety as a result. I was unaware of the disabling potential of tinnitus. Full article here.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:402585
Autonomic conditions in tinnitus and implications for korean medicine.
Choi EJ, Yun Y, Yoo S, Kim KS, Park JS, Choi I.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
Tinnitus patients suffer from not only auditory sensations but also physical, mental, and social difficulties. Even though tinnitus is believed to be associated with the autonomic nervous system, changes in autonomic conditions in tinnitus patients are not receiving much research attention. The aims of this study were to investigate the autonomic condition of tinnitus patients and to consider Korean medicine in the treatment of tinnitus with an evidence-based approach. We performed a retrospective chart review and compared the heart rate variability (HRV) parameters of 40 tinnitus patients (19 acute and 21 chronic) and 40 healthy controls. In tinnitus patients, the power of the high frequency component and total power of the HRV significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the low frequency to high frequency ratio significantly increased (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the acute and chronic patients. When comparing each group with the controls, there was a tendency that the longer the duration of tinnitus was, the larger the observed HRV change was. In conclusion, tinnitus patients have vagal withdrawal and sympathetic overactivity, and chronic tinnitus more strongly affects autonomic conditions than acute tinnitus. This study provides evidence for Korean medical treatments of tinnitus, such as acupuncture and Qi-training, that cause modulation of cardiac autonomic function.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3760126/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24023574
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:402585. doi: 10.1155/2013/402585. Epub 2013 Aug 19.
Autonomic conditions in tinnitus and implications for korean medicine.
Choi EJ, Yun Y, Yoo S, Kim KS, Park JS, Choi I.
Source
Department of Otorhinolaryngology of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul, Republic of
Korea.
Abstract
Tinnitus patients suffer from not only auditory sensations but also physical, mental, and social difficulties. Even
though tinnitus is believed to be associated with the autonomic nervous system, changes in autonomic conditions in
tinnitus patients are not receiving much research attention. The aims of this study were to investigate the autonomic
condition of tinnitus patients and to consider Korean medicine in the treatment of tinnitus with an evidence-based
approach. We performed a retrospective chart review and compared the heart rate variability (HRV) parameters of 40
tinnitus patients (19 acute and 21 chronic) and 40 healthy controls. In tinnitus patients, the power of the high
frequency component and total power of the HRV significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and the low frequency to high
frequency ratio significantly increased (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the acute and chronic
patients. When comparing each group with the controls, there was a tendency that the longer the duration of tinnitus was,
the larger the observed HRV change was. In conclusion, tinnitus patients have vagal withdrawal and sympathetic
overactivity, and chronic tinnitus more strongly affects autonomic conditions than acute tinnitus. This study provides
evidence for Korean medical treatments of tinnitus, such as acupuncture and Qi-training, that cause modulation of cardiac
autonomic function.
