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Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Digital Audio Used for Treatment of Tinnitus

Filed under: ENT , Geriatrics , Neurology

A company called Neuromonics believes it has developed an audio device that can treat people suffering from ringing in the ears, known as tinnitus. Using an audio player that over time changes the way it plays music and accompanying sounds, the firm already offers its service in number of clinics, reports today's Wall Street Journal:

For the first two months, the music mix includes a noise, which some describe as water in a shower, to cover the tinnitus. In the third month, the shower sound is removed and patients are instructed to turn up the music just loud enough so the tinnitus is audible only during the quiet parts. The idea is the brain will be gradually trained to ignore the tinnitus. After six months, patients use the device as needed.

Cost, which includes the initial fitting and counseling on tinnitus management, ranges from $3,500 to $6,000 for the six-month treatment. It isn't generally covered by insurance.

The FDA approved the use of the device in 2005, and the company published its own study findings as to the effectiveness, but there is yet to be an independent assessment from a third party.

Product page: The Oasis™ device...

More details from the Wall Street Journal...

email this article to a friend      print this!           comments and peer reviews (5)




replies: 5 comments
Open comments are not moderated, although abusive and vulgar remarks may be deleted. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of Medgadget.com. Please consult our disclaimer.

What is interesting is that this device seems to be applicable only to certain causes of
tinnitus, such as previous over exposure to noise. Other causes of tinnitus do not seem to be treatable with this auditory input. Cranial nerve damage caused by any number of
things such as excessive aspirin intake would not likely respond to this alleged medical
gadget. And tinnitus caused by the Frey Effect, which is the result of exposure to
radio frequencies, primarily microwave, would also likely not be effected by this
input. It would be helpful for the manufacturer to define what applications they
are selling this device for.

Since this device has not gone through the FDA for verification of either safety
or effectiveness, it is quite a risk for someone to take at an extraordinary expense
of nearly $6,000. I would be interested in knowing more about the "clinics" that are
providing this device as a treatment for tinnitus.

As a medical professional, my initial reaction to this is not positive.


Posted by: Beth
on March 5, 2008 04:08 PM GMT

Isn't this just almost the same as tinnitus masking which uses white and pink noise to retrain your perception of tinnitus levels.


Posted by: Em
on March 7, 2008 09:33 AM GMT

Man I wish some real work was being done to cure tinnitus. I mean ear training is nice and all, but training someone to ignore a condition is hardly a solution.


Posted by: Jm
on March 7, 2008 10:39 AM GMT

I'd pay $10,000 to cure my tinnitus... unfortunately, 6 Months of treatment isn't exactly reasonable... I wish more work would be done to fix it than to mask it. I think I'm loosing my hearing and I can't bare to think that one day I'll be deaf as a door and only hear high scretching for the rest of my life...


Posted by: ChuckM
on March 7, 2008 10:26 PM GMT

Beth...

How common is the Frey Effect, and under what circumstances does one get tinnitus from it?


Posted by: Loughlin
on May 20, 2008 11:54 PM GMT

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