Abstract
I. We conducted questionnaire-research on 65 patients with Meniere's disease who had been treated mainly with drugs for the autonomic nervous system. The observation period after final treatment ranged from two to six years (average 3.8 years). Of the questionnaire papers, 93.8% were returned and the results were as follows.
1. Varying degrees of improvement of vertigo were noted in 48 out of 61 cases (79%). The medication was confirmed to be effective in 41 cases (67%) within a year.
2. About one fifth of the patients resisted drug therapy, necessitating other forms of treatments.
3. Even after the disappearance of the vertiginous attacks, more than half the patients manifested some symptoms, most commonly tinnitus.
II. Sixty five patients who resisted medication underwent 10-15 regular 20-minute sessions of acupuncture with electric current, and the following results were obtained.
1. Out of 16 patients with repeated attacks of vertigo, the therapy was effective in eight (50%) whose average hearing loss was less than 30 dB.
2. Favorable results were obtained in seven out of 18 (39%) and four out of 18 (22%) patients manifesting hearing loss and tinnitus, respectively. Among those for which this therapy was effective, however, there were no patients with severe hearing losses of more than 60 dB.
3. Two patients who had complained mainly of bodily im balance showed improvement.
4. Other complaints such as floating sensation, headache, etc., found in 13 patients after the disappearance of vertiginous attacks, were not improved. These results suggest that acupuncture therapy is effective for the early stages of Meniere's disease, in which severe disturbances of inner ear function are not present.
