Choe G, Hwang JH. Korean medicine combination treatment for chronic tinnitus unresponsive to conventional treatment: A case report and review of literature. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(21): 103200 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i21.103200]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ji Hye Hwang, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, Gachon University, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Seongnam 13120, South Korea. jhbori@nate.com
Research Domain of This Article
Integrative & Complementary Medicine
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Jul 26, 2025; 13(21): 103200 Published online Jul 26, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i21.103200
Korean medicine combination treatment for chronic tinnitus unresponsive to conventional treatment: A case report and review of literature
Gawon Choe, Ji Hye Hwang
Gawon Choe, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, Sandol Korean Medicine Clinic, Sejong 30064, South Korea
Gawon Choe, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, Pusan National University, Pusan 50612, South Korea
Ji Hye Hwang, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, South Korea
Co-first authors: Gawon Choe and Ji Hye Hwang.
Author contributions: Choe G contributed conceptualization, methodology, validation, investigation, and data organization of the manuscript; Hwang JH visualized the manuscript; Choe G and Hwang JH formally analyzed, wrote the original manuscript, reviewed, and edited the manuscript; and all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Informed consent statement: The patient signed an informed consent form.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ji Hye Hwang, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, Gachon University, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Seongnam 13120, South Korea. jhbori@nate.com
Received: November 12, 2024 Revised: February 24, 2025 Accepted: April 7, 2025 Published online: July 26, 2025 Processing time: 166 Days and 21 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Tinnitus is a common condition in otolaryngology; however, its pathophysiological mechanisms remain incompletely elucidated. Recent efforts have focused on improving individual treatment efficacy by combining different treatment approaches. Therefore, this study aimed to reveal the efficacy of Korean medicine (KM) combination therapy in treating chronic tinnitus unresponsive to conventional Western treatments.
CASE SUMMARY
A 35-year-old female patient with over 10 years of left-sided tinnitus, accompanied by left eye twitching, headache, neck pain, and premenstrual syndrome, was diagnosed with liver qi stagnation. She underwent 11 sessions involving acupuncture-related treatments and Chuna therapy as part of KM treatment. From the 9th session onward, temporomandibular joint balancing therapy was incorporated. Following the treatment, tinnitus, headache, and neck pain resolved, while other symptoms improved, as reflected in the rating scores (tinnitus handicap inventory: 68 to 0, headache impact test-6: 64 to 36, neck disability index: 21 to 0). Significant improvement in tinnitus, headache, and neck pain was observed after just two KM treatment sessions; intermittent tinnitus ceased entirely after the 9th session, and improvements were maintained at the 2-month follow-up.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, personalized treatment with a combination and modification of various KM therapies based on individual pattern diagnosis effectively alleviated daily life discomfort in a patient with chronic tinnitus, unresponsive to conventional treatments. This led to a rapid resolution of symptoms within a relatively short timeframe.
Core Tip: This case report demonstrates the rapid and sustained efficacy of an individualized Korean medicine combination therapy for a patient with chronic tinnitus unresponsive to conventional Western treatments. A personalized approach incorporating acupuncture-related treatments, Chuna therapy, and temporomandibular joint balancing therapy achieved significant improvements in tinnitus, headache, and neck pain, with benefits maintained at a two-month follow-up. These findings underscore the potential of integrative Korean medicine for treating chronic tinnitus and call for further research to validate this approach.
