Deafness

Loss of hearing. Deafness can be congenital; otherwise it is the result of external contractions or internal damage. Sudden deafness usually forms a repletion pattern, whereas deafness of gradual onset is usually due to vacuity.

Patterns

Repletion (实 shí) patterns are attributable to wind-heat, wind-cold, or liver fire, and attended by headache, nasal congestion, bitter taste in the mouth, a feeling that the ears are stuffed with cotton, and tinnitus.

Medicinal therapy: Wind-heat is treated by coursing wind and clearing heat, using Lonicera and Forsythia Powder (银翘散 yín qiào sǎn); wind-cold is treated by coursing wind and dispersing cold, using formulas such as Nine-Ingredient Notopterygium Decoction (九味羌活汤 jiǔ wèi qiāng huó tāng); and liver is treated by clearing the liver and draining fire, using formulas such as Gentian Liver-Draining Decoction (龙胆泻肝汤 lóng dǎn xiè gān tāng).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on TB, GB, and ST. Main points: TB-17 (Wind Screen, 翳风 yì fēng), TB-3 (Central Islet, 中渚 zhōng zhǔ), GB-2 (Auditory Convergence, 听会 tīng huì), GB-43 (Pinched Ravine, 侠溪 xiá xī), and ST-40 (Bountiful Bulge, 丰隆 fēng lóng).

• For wind-heat, add GB-20 (Wind Pool, 风池 fēng chí), TB-5 (Outer Pass, 外关 wài guān), SI-19 (Auditory Palace, 听宫 tīng gōng), GV-14 (Great Hammer, 大椎 dà zhuī), LU-5 (Cubit Marsh, 尺泽 chǐ zé), and LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ).
• For wind-cold, add GB-20 (Wind Pool, 风池 fēng chí), BL-12 (Wind Gate, 风门 fēng mén), SI-19 (Auditory Palace, 听宫 tīng gōng), LU-7 (Broken Sequence, 列缺 liè quē), LI-4 (Union Valley, 合谷 hé gǔ), and apply moxa.
• For liver-fire, add LR-3 (Supreme Surge, 太冲 tài chōng), LR-2 (Moving Between, 行间 xíng jiān), and KI-6 (Shining Sea, 照海 zhào hǎi). Needle with drainage.

Vacuity (虚 xū) patterns include qì vacuity and blood vacuity patterns; they are characterized by dizziness, limp aching lumbus and knees, lack of strength, and tinnitus.

Medicinal therapy: Treat by supplementing the center and boosting qì or by enriching the kidney and nourishing the blood. Use formulas such as Center-Supplementing Qì-Boosting Decoction (补中益气汤 bǔ zhōng yì qì tāng), Deafness Left-Benefiting Loadstone Pill (耳聋左慈丸 ěr lóng zuǒ cí wán), and Lycium Berry, Chrysanthemum, and Rehmannia Pill (杞菊地黄丸 qǐ jú dì huáng wán).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on KI, TB, GB, CV, and back transport points. Main points: BL-23 (Kidney Transport, 肾俞 shèn shù), CV-4 (Pass Head, 关元 guān yuán), KI-3 (Great Ravine, 太溪 tài xī), TB-17 (Wind Screen, 翳风 yì fēng), GB-2 (Auditory Convergence, 听会 tīng huì), TB-3 (Central Islet, 中渚 zhōng zhǔ), and TB-21 (Ear Gate, 耳门 ěr mén). For blood vacuity, add BL-18 (Liver Transport, 肝俞 gān shù), BL-20 (Spleen Transport, 脾俞 pí shù), ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), LR-3 (Supreme Surge, 太冲 tài chōng), and SP-6 (Three Yīn Intersection, 三阴交 sān yīn jiāo). For qì vacuity, add CV-6 (Sea of Qì, 气海 qì hǎi), ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ), GV-20 (Hundred Convergences, 百会 bǎi huì), and CV-12 (Center Stomach Duct, 中脘 zhōng wǎn). Needle with supplementation. If there are vacuity cold signs, add moxa.