ANN ARBOR, Mich., Jan. 12 Acupuncture and trigger point therapy may be effective treatments for people suffering from tinnitus -- a ringing in the ears -- a U.S. study found.
Susan Shore of the University of Michigan's Kresge Hearing Research Institute said nerves that "sense touch" in the face and neck may be behind the ringing that people with tinnitus hear.
The study, published online in the European Journal of Neuroscience, said touch-sensing nerve cells step up their activity in the brain after hearing cells are damaged, and hyperactivity of these touch-sensing neurons likely plays an important role in tinnitus.
The research findings, published in the European Journal of Neuroscience, were made in studies involving animals, but the research suggests treatments such as acupuncture -- if used to target nerves in the head and neck -- may provide relief for some people plagued by tinnitus.
Copyright 2008 by UPI
