Homeopathy, defined as a theory that disease can be treated by ingesting minute doses of drugs which can produce the same symptoms of the disease in a healthy adult. This theory has some grounding in proven medical science called vaccinations. But, is there any scientific grounding as a homeopathic treatment for tinnitus?
Similar to building up the immune system by giving inactive doses of diseases themselves, homeopathy is remarkably like the modern practice of vaccinations for once catastrophic diseases such as polio, tetanus and smallpox.
Allergists use a form of homeopathy to relieve chronic allergy sufferers – by actually injecting into the sufferer’s bloodstream minute quantities of the allergens that cause the allergic reactions themselves – sneezing, watery eyes and a myriad of other maladies.
The question is, will a homeopathic treatment for tinnitus sufferers provide relief from the maddening whistling, roaring and chirping noises? The answer, is an unqualified yes and no.
Donald I. Simpson, a medical researcher at the Department of Pharmacology, The Medical School, University of Birmingham, UK, authored a double-blind study to determine if a homeopathic treatment for tinnitus really worked. Of 28 people who took part in the experiment, 14 preferred the homeopathic treatment over the placebo. Unfortunately, the sophisticated audiological measuring device could perceive no actual improvement.
The results are interesting, in that while most tinnitus sufferers have sympathetic tinnitus (where they alone can hear the sounds), how is it that medical equipment can detect improvement (or not) of the individual’s tinnitus? The official conclusion was that the homeopathic treatment was no more effective than a placebo. But didn’t 50% of the test subjects feel that the homeopathic remedy provided some relief as compared to a placebo? And, wouldn’t that be considered a huge success for the homeopathic treatment for tinnitus- 50% of the people who took the treatment called it a success?
As is the case with tinnitus, the success of the treatment must be measured by the tinnitus sufferers themselves. Those seeking some form of homeopathic treatments must have an open mind and judge the results for themselves.
