Until recently, there were few therapeutic options for people suffering from tinnitus--a high-pitched ringing, hissing or buzzing sound in the ears that can't be blocked out. Many people have now found relief using a therapy called sound wave treatment, or simply sound therapy. Sound therapy helps tinnitus sufferers relax and cope better with their tinnitus. According to the American Tinnitus Association, about 50 million Americans and 250 million people worldwide are affected by tinnitus.
Low-Pitched Sounds
Dr. Fan-Gang Zeng, research director of the Hearing and Speech Lab at the University of California in Irvine, found that those with tinnitus who listened to a low-pitched sound were able to temporarily suppress the high-pitched ringing associated with the affliction. The researchers in Zeng's study first identified the pitch and loudness of each study participant's tinnitus, then had each participant listen to sounds of a lower pitch, which resulted in temporary suppression of the tinnitus.
Music Therapy
In a study funded by the American Tinnitus Association, audiologist and tinnitus expert Dr. Richard Tyler of the University of Iowa studied the effect of two different listening methods--passive and active--to see which is more effective for people with tinnitus. The passive listeners kept music on in the background while they went about their daily activities, and the active listeners focused specifically on the sound of the music and nothing else for 30 minutes, three times a day. The goal of the active listening exercise, said Tyler, was to teach people to control their focus rather than letting the tinnitus control them. The researcher found that passive listening had a calming effect, but that active listening actually helped participants reduce the severity or noise level of their tinnitus by an average of 75 percent.
Notched Music Therapy
A study in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America" showed that listening to specially modified music, or "notched" music, over a period of time helped reduce the loudness of tinnitus for some patients. In notched music therapy, patients choose the music they enjoy, then auditory therapists remove the sound frequencies in the music that match the frequency of sound the patient hears.
Background Noise or White Noise
The idea behind white noise sound therapy is to "mask" or neutralize the sound heard by people with tinnitus. Dr. Tyler explains that many sufferers report that when they are exposed to background sound, they experience a reduction in the volume or prominence of their tinnitus. While there are devices specifically designed to produce background noise or white noise, Tyler says that a simple electric fan can also offer relief to sufferers of tinnitus.
Considerations
An article published in "Audiological Medicine" reviewed prior findings on sound therapy for tinnitus and concluded that, rather than being cured, people undergoing sound therapy merely learn to better adapt to their tinnitus. At this time there is no cure for tinnitus.
References
- American Tinnitus Association: Home Page
- University of California, Irvine: Tinnitus Suppression by Low-Rate Modulated Sounds
- WCHS: Music Quiets Ringing (Transcript of interview with Dr. Richard Tyler)
- PNAS: Listening to Tailor-Made Notched Music
- Better Hearing Institute: Tinnitus (Ringing in the Ears)
