Acupuncture and Chinese medicine can sometimes be difficult to explain. Some of you may have noticed that I ask quite a lot of questions about your condition, and often these may seem like very irrelevant questions. For instance why do I suddenly ask about night-time trips to the bathroom when you’re telling me about your low back pain? It’s because in Chinese medicine, everything is connected along the road networks of the body commonly known as channels and meridians.
Consider this: Just a few short years ago the concept of your gut flora being more important than just drinking a few probiotics seemed novel. As research in the area has ballooned we are finding out more and more that your gut plays a more important role than just to aid digestion and boost immunity – there is now exciting studies on the mind-gut connection. That is, how healthy your gut is could possibly affect your mood and risk of depression. What an unlikely link you may say but in Chinese medicine, it is precisely this so-called irrelevant connections that help us diagnose and treat.
So if you are diagnosed with osteoporosis have you noticed any hearing loss? A recent study has now shown that there is a connection between your hearing and bone health. A study published recently in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism looked at more than 10,000 Taiwan residents diagnosed with osteoporosis had a 76 percent higher risk of developing sudden deafness. This type of hearing loss isn’t permanent and half of those who experience it will regain their hearing.
The researchers said:
While the study couldn’t prove cause-and effect and the reasons for the link remain unclear, the study theorized that heart risk factors, inflammation and bone demineralization may each contribute to the association between weakening bones and quick loss of hearing.
In Chinese medicine, bones and hearing are linked by the Kidney channel and functions. The Chinese medicine Kidney is like the fireplace in a mansion house, it provides warmth for the home and also brings life and family around it. When the Kidney function goes wrong or becomes weak, then you can expect conditions that include low back pain, weakness or pain in the knees, hair loss and tinnitus or hearing problems.
While research is still trying to find the connection between seemingly unrelated conditions, in Chinese medicine it is often explained by something as simple as the pathway of a particular channel. In this case the best course of action is to strengthen the Kidney function through a good, warm diet that includes of dark green leafy vegetables and black sesame, taking herbal tonics and having regular acupuncture.
Osteoporosis tied to hearing loss | The Dallas Morning News