Cephalea,Lumbago und Tinnitus als psychosomatische Manifestation

Background

For three years, a 40 year-old male patient had been suffering from headache after having lost his job. His permanent pain could not be influenced by analgetic drugs. Additionally, he suffered from lower back pain and tinnitus (ringing in both ears). All these problems affected his general condition in a way that he didn't feel capable of looking for a new job.

Objectives

Improvement of pain and reduction of tinnitus, to enable the patient to find a new employment.

Methods

YNSA, ear and body acupuncture

Results

After ten treatments, there was no significant improvement of the headache and the lower back pain. There was also no change in general condition and regarding the tinnitus. The patient quit acupuncture after the tenth session, as he felt he could not relax in the busy surroundings of the outpatient service of the hospital. Within the following weeks the patient felt better little by little without any further treatment. Finally, the ringing in the ears only reoccurred in stressful situations. He found a new job and needed no consultations for 4 years until after an argument with his son, the headache reappeared.

Conclusion

For a positive reaction to manifest, chronic disease sometimes needs more than 10 treatments with acupuncture. Still, it may be justified to stop therapy, especially if the patient doesn't feel comfortable with it and longs for the end of the treatment series. A sudden improvement may as well happen within the weeks following the termination of therapy. There can be a delayed reaction causing the desired effect to manifest in a period of “no treatment”.