Conductive hearing loss happens when sound is not transmitted through the outer and middle ear. It may result from interference of sound going through the outer ear to the eardrum. In the middle ear, sound may not be conducted by the ossicles or the eardrum may have difficulty vibrating normally. Therefore, a person with conductive hearing loss can have problems with the external ear canal, or the tympanic membrane and middle ear. Conductive hearing loss can happen as a result of a simple cold, which causes fluid to temporarily build up in the ear. That fluid blocks sound. The same thing can happen with an ear infection. Another cause is having too much earwax impacted in the ear. Still another cause is having some kind of object in the ear that should not be there. In TCM, deficiency of kidney energy and stagnation of blood and Qi is the main cause of conductive tinnitus.