Abstract
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is most often defined as a rapid hearing loss of ≥ 30 decibels across at least three contiguous audiometric frequencies over a time of ≤ 72 hours. Cupping therapy has been practiced across the world for thousands of years. Cupping therapy is practiced by creating suction inside cups that are placed on predefined skin areas. Our case is a 48-year-old female with a four-year history of Meniere’s disease, recurrent tinnitus, episodes of dizziness attacks, and fullness of the right ear. The patient developed sudden sensorineural hearing loss. She received conventional treatment and wet cupping therapy as a complementary integrative treatment. After the integrative management protocol was completed, pure tone audiometry tests revealed significant hearing improvement across almost all frequencies. To the best of our knowledge, this case presentation is the first reported case of this type. A positive effect of cupping was reported in our case as an integrative complementary treatment. Large, well-designed quality clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of wet cupping therapy (WCT) as a complementary treatment of SSNHL is highly recommended.
Highlights
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a hearing loss of ≥ 30 decibels across at least three contiguous audiometric frequencies over a time of ≤ 72 hours [1]
Well-designed quality clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of wet cupping therapy (WCT) as a complementary treatment of SSNHL is highly recommended
No studies have examined the effect of cupping therapy on SSNHL or Meniere’s syndrome, despite some studies reporting the effectiveness of using wet cupping therapy (WCT) in the management of various diseases, such as migraine, shoulder pain, and neck pain [6,7]
Summary
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a hearing loss of ≥ 30 decibels across at least three contiguous audiometric frequencies over a time of ≤ 72 hours [1]. No studies have examined the effect of cupping therapy on SSNHL or Meniere’s syndrome, despite some studies reporting the effectiveness of using wet cupping therapy (WCT) in the management of various diseases, such as migraine, shoulder pain, and neck pain [6,7] It may improve the quality of life of patients with chronic medical conditions [8]. The patient presented to our clinic two weeks later with further deterioration of her hearing by 10-15 dB at low frequencies, reaching up to 60 dB At this stage, a decision was made to include WCT as a complementary therapy to the treatment protocol after the acceptance of the patient. The DHI score was improved from an initial 52 score to 0 (no handicap at all) and the THI score improved 86 to 22 (mild handicap)
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