1
Kidney essence deficiency
- Key distinguishing signs
- Soft continuous cicada-like sound, dizziness, poor memory, weak lower back, worse at night, red tongue with little coat
- Treatment principle
- Tonify kidney essence and fill the marrow
ENT & Eyenǎo míng
Head noise
Also called:cerebral tinnitushissing in head
From the TCM perspective: Head noise: kidney marrow deficiency or wind-fire rising
Overview
Head noise is a hissing/ringing perceived within the whole head rather than one ear. TCM distinguishes kidney-essence/marrow deficiency (soft continuous sound with dizziness and memory loss in the elderly) from liver-gallbladder wind-fire rising (loud sudden sound with irritability).
☯Common patterns (syndrome differentiation)
2
Liver-gallbladder fire rising
- Key distinguishing signs
- Loud sudden surf-like noise, irritability, headache, red eyes, bitter mouth, flushed face, rapid wiry pulse
- Treatment principle
- Clear liver-gallbladder fire
3
Phlegm-turbidity clouding the head
- Key distinguishing signs
- Noise with a heavy wrapped head, dizziness, phlegm, mental fogginess, greasy tongue coat and slippery pulse
- Treatment principle
- Resolve phlegm and raise the clear while downbearing turbidity
4
Blood stasis in head collaterals
- Key distinguishing signs
- Fixed noise after head injury or chronic headache, dark complexion, purple tongue spots and rough pulse
- Treatment principle
- Quicken blood, remove stasis and open the collaterals
Daily self-care
- Protect ears from loud noise and limit caffeine, alcohol and earbud use.
- Keep regular sleep, reduce screen fatigue, and use soft background sound for masking.
- See an ENT specialist for a hearing test to rule out vascular or neurological causes.
When to seek medical help
The following warning signs require prompt medical evaluation — do not rely on self-treatment:
- Pulsatile noise synchronized with the heartbeat (possible vascular cause).
- Sudden onset with hearing loss, severe vertigo or neurological symptoms.
- Symptoms after head injury, or with severe morning headache/vision change.
Medical disclaimer: Educational content about traditional Chinese medicine for information only; it is not a diagnosis or treatment and does not replace a qualified clinician. If symptoms worsen or warning signs appear, seek medical care.