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A recent review published in Frontiers in Medicine suggests that acupuncture may offer significant benefits in alleviating symptoms of Meniere’s disease, including vertigo, tinnitus, ear fullness, and hearing loss. The review, authored by Mingjie Tang and colleagues from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine in China, examines the potential efficacy of acupuncture in treating this debilitating condition.
The researchers conducted a systematic review of six studies evaluating the impact of acupuncture, either alone or in combination with Western medicine, on Meniere’s disease. The results indicated that acupuncture treatments were more effective than Western medicine alone. Specifically, the acupuncture approach showed a superior efficacy rate (risk ratio 1.20), suggesting it can be a valuable complementary treatment.
Furthermore, acupuncture significantly reduced various measures of the disease’s symptoms. It lowered the dizziness handicap inventory by a mean difference of 6.94, the tinnitus handicap inventory by 6.52, the stuffy ear visual analog scale by 0.87, and the pure tone audiometry score by 6.57, compared to the control group.
However, the study noted some methodological shortcomings that could affect the interpretation of the findings. These included issues such as the lack of blinding, inappropriate outcome measures, and variations in clinical interventions, such as selected acupoints, the number of acupuncture sessions, and the techniques used by therapists.
Despite these limitations, the authors emphasized the need for further research to validate these findings. They recommended more well-designed randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up to evaluate the safety and efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of Meniere’s disease.
This review adds to the growing body of evidence supporting acupuncture as a potential treatment option for patients with Meniere’s disease, though further studies are necessary to fully assess its role in clinical practice.
For more information, refer to the original study: Mingjie Tang et al, Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Meniere’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Frontiers in Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1463821.
