ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Tinnitus interferes with sleep and concentration which is associated with depression; however, no drug has been effective in treating tinnitus. Our purpose is to evaluate our hypothesis that the treatment with lyophilized powder of enzymolyzed honeybee larvae as a complementary medicine may provide a therapeutic effect on tinnitus-related symptoms. DESIGN: Sixty tinnitus sufferers participated in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial using the lyophilized powder of enzymolyzed honeybee larvae or a placebo. The Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, a visual analog scale to rate the severity of tinnitus, hearing levels, and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis-related hormones drawn early in the morning were measured upon entry into the study and after 12 wk of follow-up. RESULTS: The lyophilized powder of enzymolyzed honeybee larvae was not superior to placebo with regard to the total score on the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and the visual analog scale. However, subjects in the honeybee larvae group showed significant improvements in some items about depression associated with tinnitus, whereas subjects in the placebo group showed no improvement in any items. The honeybee larvae group showed significant improvements in the hearing levels at 2 and 4 kHz in the audiogram of the better ear. The intervention of the lyophilized powder of enzymolyzed honeybee larvae was associated with lower serum cortisol levels, serum prolactin levels, and cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate ratios. The ratios in the placebo group significantly were increased. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the lyophilized powder of enzymolyzed honeybee larvae represents an effective complementary medicine to alleviate depression associated with tinnitus by regulating the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis.
Subject(s)
Apitherapy/methods , Bees , Hearing , Larva , Tinnitus/therapy , Aged , Animals , Anxiety/therapy , Bees/growth & development , Corticosterone/metabolism , Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate/metabolism , Depression/therapy , Enzymes , Female , Freeze Drying , Humans , Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/physiology , Male , Middle Aged , Pituitary-Adrenal System/physiology , Powders , Tinnitus/psychologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of the HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical) axis-related hormones with the progression of cochlear symptoms in patients with Ménière's disease. DESIGN: Clinical assessments (Tinnitus Handicap Inventory: THI, visual analog scale to rate the degree of the tinnitus: VAS, hearing levels in pure-tone audiometry) were conducted upon entry into the study (baseline) and at 12 weeks follow-up (week 12). Blood sampling to measure HPA axis-related hormones took place between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. at baseline and at 12 weeks follow-up. STUDY SAMPLES: This study consisted of 20 unilateral Ménière's disease patients and 21 patients with other diseases with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus. RESULTS: A significant deterioration of the hearing level at high frequency range, especially at 2 kHz, was found during the 12 weeks follow-up in the Ménière's disease group (p < 0.05). The average hearing levels significantly correlated with the serum cortisol level at baseline and week 12 in the Ménière's disease group, especially regarding the high frequency levels (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the cortisol levels influence the endolymphatic homeostasis resulting in a deterioration of hearing at high frequency with upstaging of Ménière's disease.
