FR-taVNS Tinnitus Tria

Tinnitus is a common neurosensory symptom affecting 12-30% of adults and is closely associated with anxiety, sleep disturbance, and autonomic dysregulation. Current pharmacologic treatments offer limited efficacy and notable side effects, prompting interest in non-pharmacological approaches. This randomized, single-blind, sham-controlled trial evaluates whether foot reflexology (FR), transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (ta-VNS), and auricular acupressure (AA) improve tinnitus severity, psychological distress, sleep quality, and autonomic indicators (heart rate variability and salivary cortisol) in non-cancer adults with tinnitus, compared with usual care. Participants are randomized to a foot reflexology group, an auricular vagus nerve stimulation group (each with true and sham subgroups), or a usual-care control group, and are followed at baseline and weeks 2, 4, and 8.