Can acupuncture help restore hearing after sudden loss?

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

Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 18 and 70 years; * Meets the diagnostic criteria for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL): sudden, unexplained sensorineural hearing loss occurring within 72 hours, with a hearing threshold decrease of ≥30 dB in at least three consecutive frequencies among 250, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, and 8000 Hz (reference: previous audiologic examination or same frequencies of the contralateral ear); * Unilateral SSNHL with self-perceived symmetrical hearing in both ears prior to the current episode (or supported by previous audiologic examination reports); * Time from symptom onset to enrollment and treatment initiation within 14 days; * Clear consciousness and logical responses, able to understand the scale items and complete the assessments; * Agrees to participate in the trial and signs a written informed consent form. Exclusion Criteria: * Identifiable definite etiology after complete examination, including acoustic neuroma, cerebrovascular accident, trauma, Hunt syndrome, etc.; * History of hearing abnormality (affected ear) or balance dysfunction prior to the current episode (including previous SSNHL, vestibular migraine, Meniere's disease, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, congenital/hereditary/syphilitic hearing loss, otosclerosis, etc.); * Presence of diseases for which systemic corticosteroid therapy is clinically not recommended (e.g., poorly controlled or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, history of peptic ulcer, active infection or tuberculosis, history of hepatitis B or C, pancreatitis, severe osteoporosis, osteonecrosis, etc.); * Received systemic or local corticosteroid therapy for 10 days or more prior to enrollment; * Presence of other diseases (e.g., severe skin disorders) that preclude completion of acupuncture treatment; * Presence of severe organ dysfunction; * Received acupuncture treatment within the past 12 months; * Pregnant or breastfeeding women; * Other reasons deemed by the investigator as unsuitable for participation in this clinical study (e.g., high anticipated difficulty in completing follow-up, obvious low compliance, etc.).