a new approach to tinnitus treatment
Tinnitus is a condition in which you hear a ringing, buzzing, or hissing sound when there is no real sound.
For some people this can be a minor annoyance, but for others it is a big problem.
Up to 15% of US adults suffer from tinnitus, and nearly 40% of these people have it constantly and are looking for a way to feel better.
New research brings hope
A new study from the University of Michigan’s Kresge Hearing Research Institute offers hope that relief may be possible.
This research was led by Susan Shore, a professor in Michigan Medicine’s Department of Otorhinolaryngology.
She wanted to find out how the brain processes information from two senses at the same time and whether this can be used to treat tinnitus.
The research results were published in the JAMA Network Open Journal.
About the study
This study involved 99 people with a type of tinnitus called “somatic tinnitus.”
With this type of tinnitus, the pitch or volume of sounds changes when you move, such as clenching your jaw or pressing on your forehead. About 70% of people with tinnitus suffer from this type of tinnitus.
The study was open to people with this type of tinnitus who also had a normal to moderate hearing loss.
What the participants did
Once enrolled in the study, each participant received a wearable device from in2being, LLC. You could use this device at home.
The device has been adjusted so that each participant receives a personal sound that suits their tinnitus. This sound was mixed with an electrical stimulus to create a two-sense stimulus.
The people in the study were divided into two groups. The first group received the two-senses treatment first, while the second group received the sound-alone treatment first.
For the first six weeks, the participants used their devices for 30 minutes a day. They then took a six-week break before using the treatment they had not received in the first part of the study for another six weeks.
Results of the study
Each week, participants completed questionnaires to measure how tinnitus was affecting their lives. They also had the volume of their tinnitus measured.
When participants received the two-senses treatment, they reported a better quality of life, lower scores on the Tinnitus Disability Questionnaire, and their tinnitus was less loud.
However, these effects were not observed when receiving the sonic treatment alone.
More than 60% of participants reported a significant reduction in tinnitus symptoms after six weeks of active treatment.
This aligns with previous studies by Shore’s team, which showed that the longer participants were on active treatment, the greater the reduction in their tinnitus symptoms.
“This study opens the door to the use of personalized two-senses stimulation as an effective treatment for tinnitus. There are millions of people who suffer from tinnitus, hope,” Shore said.
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The study was published in the JAMA Network Open.
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