Jeff Rippey

I get this question a lot, both in person and on sites like this. The unfortunate answer is: in my experience, rarely.

Tinnitus is extremely difficult to treat by almost any means. This is especially true if the tinnitus is the result of cumulative damage due to repeated exposure to loud sounds (like concerts, loud car stereos, loud ear buds/ear phones, gunfire, airplanes, etc.) This damage is irreversible and, at least in my experience, almost never responds to treatment.

Understanding why you're experiencing tinnitus can go a long way towards finding something that might at least make it a little bit better. I've seen hearing aids improve tinnitus. I've used acupuncture to improve tinnitus in cases where the cause was muscle tension in the neck and jaw. I've also used acupuncture to improve tinnitus in cases where the cause was neurological. I've seen neurological based tinnitus respond to biofeedback.

What I've never seen work are supplements (vitamins, minerals, herbs) aimed at improving hearing.

Acupuncture can be a good treatment for nerve damage. I've had pretty good success with issues ranging from neuropathy to nerve damage as a result of surgery.

Yes, acupuncture can help relieve muscle knots.

I'm not aware of any restrictions regarding air travel after receiving acupuncture.

Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) is extremely difficult to treat. I rarely have success reducing or eliminating tinnitus and most of the providers I know - both conventional and unconventional - rarely have success treating tinnitus.

I don't like to dissuade people from trying treatment options - so long as the treatment is safe and the treatment provider is well trained, but tinnitus is one of those conditions that doesn't respond well.

Yes, acupuncture can often relieve or eliminate muscle knots.

Fix a herniated disk? Probably Not.

Relieve the pain and inflammation associated with the herniated disk? Yes.

The answer to your question is: it depends. The severity of your asthma and the length of time asthma has been an issue often play a role in how much improvement can be made.

If this is mild to moderate asthma that hasn't been an issue for too long then acupuncture or acupuncture plus herbs/supplements can often bring patients to a more normalized place. I've had some mild cases where the patient was able to cease prescription medication completely.

If the asthma is more severe and/or has been an issue for most of the patient's life (i.e. decades or multiple decades) then acupuncture or acupuncture plus herbs/supplements can often reduce the amount of prescription med required, but some level of management is probably always going to be necessary.

If you choose to pursue Chinese medicine to address this issue, please make sure you're seeing a provider who is fully trained, board certified, and state licensed in Chinese medicine.

Yes, acupuncture can usually improve or resolve muscle spasm.

I've been studying and practicing Chinese medicine for 21 years. It's a rare case of tinnitus that responds to treatment, and even then I've only ever improved things a bit; I've never gotten tinnitus to go away completely.

Based on my interaction with other providers, both conventional and alternative, this is not unusual. Tinnitus is extremely difficult to treat by almost any means.

I don't like to dissuade patients from trying various treatments because you never know what's going to work for any given individual. Please make sure whatever treatment you try is safe, and make sure the person providing that treatment is specifically trained, certified, and licensed in that treatment modality.

Sometimes, yes, migraines can be eliminated or virtually eliminated with prescription meds. Other times migraine can be managed with prescription meds, but the issue will return if medication is stopped.

There are other options in the treatment of migraine beyond prescription medication. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have a very good track record in this space. Massage can sometimes help. Migraine can sometimes have a dietary or lifestyle component, so getting a handle on those can improve the situation.

Yes, acupuncture can treat neck pain.

Sometimes, yes, natural remedies can manage or improve chronic pain.

The thing is everyone is an individual - people have different pain tolerances, they will differ in how they experience what might otherwise be the same pain, they will have slightly different metabolism which will affect how prescription drugs or herbs are utilized and broken down, and they will have slightly different responses to physical type therapies (massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, corrective exercise).

So the trick is to try more than one thing, more than one time until you find something that works for you.

It also helps to make sure you're seeing a provider who is trained in whatever therapy you're trying. By "trained in", I mean went to school specifically for that modality and practices that modality on a daily basis. Even better if they have a board certification credential and a state license specific to that modality (assuming your state licenses that type of provider).

Potentially a few things could help with a pinched nerve.

Acupuncture can help to relax the muscles in the area. This can let the spine adjust and remove pressure from the nerve.

Massage can help relax the muscles in the area, letting the spine adjust and removing pressure from the nerve.

Physical therapy might be able to help free the nerve and strengthen the muscles in the area.

Any of these modalities could work, what you try is dependent on which providers are available in your area.

The severity of your anxiety/panic attack can sometimes have an effect on how many treatments it takes to bring the issue under control, but generally speaking acupuncture treatment can help with panic attack.

Acupuncture can be an excellent treatment for most kinds of pain, including neck pain.

Infection is one of the issues on the short list of health conditions where acupuncture is typically not very helpful. If you currently have a sinus infection, and this infection has lasted more than a week or two, you probably need antibiotics.

Generally, yes, acupuncture can be an excellent treatment for headache.

The best treatment for any health issue is the one that gets a strong positive response with minimal to no side-effects or adverse events.

What constitutes the "best" treatment for any given individual is going to vary.

It could be that your specific case of sinusitis is going to respond best to prescription medication.

It could be that your specific case of sinusitis is going to respond best to acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine.

It could be that your specific case of sinusitis is going to respond best to western herbal medicine.

It could be that what you think is chronic sinusitis is actually something else. It could be something structural in the nasal cavities/sinuses that may require surgery to remedy.

Since we cannot predict with any certainty how any given individual is going to respond to treatment, I don't like to dissuade people from trying treatments that might offer relief.

The only caveat that I typically put in place is make sure you're seeing a legitimate, trained, certified, licensed (where available/appropriate) provider of whatever service you're seeking. There are a lot of practitioners in the medical industry who will take a handful of seminar hours and then offer some service. In some cases, that service might have its own certification and licensing. Those people who trained specifically for that service and are licensed specifically in that service often outperform folks with a handful of seminar hours.

In a nutshell, I'm saying do your research on what it takes to actually be a practitioner of whatever kind of medicine you choose to seek out. Then find someone who has those credentials, do not settle for someone less than half trained.

Sometimes, yes, allergic rhinitis can be resolved. Other times the situation can be improved and a degree of maintenance is required.