Acupuncture for Meniere's Disease General Approaches

Acupuncture For Meniere's Disease

Acupuncture treatment protocols are generally directed towards the deeper root of a persons set of health issues, not at each individual issue. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, treatment is generally directed towards the individuals diagnostic pattern(s) and their primary issue is only a part of the information required to approach the correct patterns to treat (see "treating the cause vs. the symptoms" for an introduction to this process.).

In designing an acupuncture protocol for meniere's disease, one might find one or a combination of the following patterns: kidney yin deficiency, liver yang rising, spleen and stomach damp heat among many other possibilities and possible combinations.

Below you will find some of the more common tcm diagnoses and acupuncture treatment protocols for meniere's disease (or idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops). There are many ways to approach the treatment of this condition within TCM. Our presentation describes foundational approaches that would need to be further tailored in most cases to be effective for a given individual.

Etiology & Pathology:
- Phlegm-Damp obstructing the middle heater and suppressing the clear yang from rising to the head
- LV Yang Rising from emotions a/or KD Yin Deficiency which leads to wind effecting the head
Differentiation:
- Phlegm-Damp
  - Signs & Symptoms:
    
    Vertigo, nausea, vomiting
    
    Tongue: Greasy white coat
    
    Pulse: Slippery
  - Treatment Points:
    
    GB 20, LV 3, TH 17 & SI 19 - general points
    
    PC 6 - nausea, vomiting
    
    ST 40 - resolve phlegm
    
    ST 36 & CV 12 - tonify SP
- LV Yang Rising
  - Signs & Symptoms:
    
    Dizziness, headache, blurred vision, hearing loss
    
    Tongue: Red, possibly stiff
    
    Pulse: Rapid, wiry
  - Treatment Points:
    
    GB 20, LV 3, TH 17 & SI 19 - general points
    
    Could use LV 2 instead of LV 3
    
    UB 18 - LV Mu
    
    KD 3 - tonify KD
    
    Yintang - dizziness

The information on our site is drawn from our own lecture notes and clinical experience. The following lecture notes were consulted within this section:

St. John, Meredith: New England School of Acupuncture, Etiology and Pathology Lecture Notes
Valaskatgis, Peter: New England School of Acupuncture, Etiology and Pathology Lecture Notes

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