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Touch and tingle: Non-Invasive therapies take on ringing ears

NCT ID NCT07711639

Symptom relief Sponsor: Tzu Chi University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 17, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether foot reflexology, a gentle ear nerve stimulation device (ta-VNS), or ear acupressure can reduce the severity of tinnitus—a common ringing in the ears—and improve related distress, sleep, and stress markers. Adults aged 18–75 with tinnitus but normal hearing are randomly assigned to receive one of these treatments or a sham version, and are followed for two months. The goal is to find effective, drug-free options for managing this often frustrating condition.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
foot reflexology, transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (ta-VNS), and auricular acupressure
What this could lead to
If effective, these non-drug approaches could offer a safe, side-effect-free way to reduce tinnitus severity and improve sleep and emotional well-being.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage trial with sham controls, so results may show no benefit over placebo. The effects may also be modest or short-lived.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 180 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Apr 2026

Expected to finish

Dec 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 75 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-75 years, conscious, able to communicate and comprehend, and able to complete questionnaires and comply with study procedures * Tinnitus as the sole chief complaint, with pure-tone thresholds ≤25 dB HL bilaterally at 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz Exclusion Criteria: * Objective tinnitus, peripheral vestibular disease, central nervous or cardiovascular causes, or other organic ear pathology * Open wounds or skin lesions of the foot or ear, lower-limb edema, history of deep vein thrombosis, or diabetes with most recent HbA1c \>7.5% * Cardiac pacemaker or other implanted electronic device, or other severe cardiovascular disease * Foot reflexology or vagus nerve stimulation within the past 3 months * Pregnant or breastfeeding women * History of epilepsy or seizures * Physically frail condition

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

insomnia tinnitus

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Tinnitus

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology

    RECRUITING

    Hualien City, 970, Taiwan

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