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Summary Chinese doctors look to traditional music therapy to ease ear ringing problems.
Chinese doctors are looking to traditional music therapy to help ease modern day hearing problems such as ear ringing.Chinese music therapy is slowing gaining ground as an alternative treatment to such hearing ailments in the countrys commercial center of Shanghai.The therapy uses music with five notes from ancient Chinese music, namely Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi and Yu which are each associated with the five basic elements of earth, metal, wood, fire and water.These five notes also correspond to the five main organs in the body, namely the spleen, lungs, liver, heart and kidney.Chinese medicine has always advocated a holistic approach to treating patients and doctors are now looking to use such music therapy to not just reduce the discomfort associated with ear ringing but also treat the energy imbalances inside the patients body.Dr. Li Ming (pron: lee-ming), the chief physician of the ear and throat department of Yueyang Hospital in Shanghai, has been at the forefront of research on using music therapy to treat ear ringing.Li said he estimates that between 12 to 32 percent of people globally suffer from ear ringing, known in medical terms as tinnitus, a constant perception of ringing in the ear without actually a corresponding external source.Li said that since the causes of ear ringing are varied and sometimes psychological, music therapy can help ease the problem.He added music therapy can reduce the stress and anxiety that comes with the ear ringing discomfort, and also help diagnose other health problems that might affect the body as a whole.Globally, doctors specialising in music therapy have often used sounds from nature, such as the sounds from flowing water, singing birds or howling wind.Li said he also uses such sounds, but he believes Chinese music therapy can do more, by treating the body as whole than just treating individual symptoms.Patients who come to Li for treatment will first have their voice tested in a special machine designed to find out any energy imbalances in their body.After analysis, the doctor can then also prescribe some medicine to accompany the music therapy to treat the imbalance.54-year-old patient Hu Ping (pron: hoo-ping) said though the music therapy has not fully treated her ear ringing problem, she feels better psychologically than in the past.Some patients might suffer from ear ringing for their whole lives, but Li hopes the music therapy will help them ease off from focusing on the problem.Through the voice testing and medical diagnosis, specific Chinese music with melodies suited for the individual are prescribed.Li makes a compact disc for the patient to bring home and advises them to listen to it at least three times a day for 30 minutes.
