Using Sound Therapy with Electromagnetic Waves to Treat Tinnitus
Tinnitus refers to the perception of sound without an external auditory stimulus. Patients with chronic Tinnitus can experience, irritability, anxiety, depression, hearing loss, insomnia, and difficulty concentrating. Tinnitus can be caused by changes in the ears and associated pathways, such as noncancerous tumors in the inner ear called Cochlear lesions or changes to auditory nerves, which can cause unusual activity in neurons in central auditory pathways. Current therapies for tinnitus often provide limited relief, with effectiveness varying across patient groups. Due to tinnitus's subjective and multifaceted nature, most treatments focus on managing stress rather than addressing the root cause.
On the contrary, Sound therapy is becoming one of the methods for managing symptoms. Sound therapy uses external sounds to interact with someone’s perception of tinnitus, reducing tinnitus pitches in one's hearing. This treatment attempts to distract the patient from tinnitus sounds and to try and retrain the brain’s sound processing centers to help de-emphasize the signal from the tinnitus, helping to reduce the emotional distress of the disease. Sound therapy uses several subtypes such as pitch matching to deliver sounds that match a patient’s tinnitus pitch. In addition to sound therapy, electrical stimulation has been explored as a potential therapeutic solution. Both invasive and non-invasive electrical simulations have been explored, with low and high-frequency electromagnetic waves being prominent non-invasive methods.
A new study has been designed to help find the effectiveness of a treatment that uses a device that uses both low and high-frequency electromagnetic waves along with Sound therapy for the management of tinnitus. The treatment involved a medical device emitting sound and low- and high-frequency electromagnetic waves through headphones with inductive and capacitive capabilities. The sound waves would be delivered in tones that matched the specific frequencies of each patient’s tinnitus.
On the contrary, Sound therapy is becoming one of the methods for managing symptoms. Sound therapy uses external sounds to interact with someone’s perception of tinnitus, reducing tinnitus pitches in one's hearing. This treatment attempts to distract the patient from tinnitus sounds and to try and retrain the brain’s sound processing centers to help de-emphasize the signal from the tinnitus, helping to reduce the emotional distress of the disease. Sound therapy uses several subtypes such as pitch matching to deliver sounds that match a patient’s tinnitus pitch. In addition to sound therapy, electrical stimulation has been explored as a potential therapeutic solution. Both invasive and non-invasive electrical simulations have been explored, with low and high-frequency electromagnetic waves being prominent non-invasive methods.
A new study has been designed to help find the effectiveness of a treatment that uses a device that uses both low and high-frequency electromagnetic waves along with Sound therapy for the management of tinnitus. The treatment involved a medical device emitting sound and low- and high-frequency electromagnetic waves through headphones with inductive and capacitive capabilities. The sound waves would be delivered in tones that matched the specific frequencies of each patient’s tinnitus.
In addition to sound therapy, electrical stimulation has been explored as a potential therapeutic solution.
Image Source: Andrea Piacquadio
The study included 55 patients from the Otolaryngology Department of Tor Vergata University Hospital in Rome. Participants were selected based on chronic tinnitus lasting over six months, age above 18, and normal-to-moderate hearing loss. The participants underwent an evaluation that included pure-tone audiometry (PTA) across a range of frequencies to evaluate auditory and ear health. The PTA results were used to classify the severity of hearing loss and categorize them based on thresholds of impairment from no impairment to deafness.
In addition, the patients also underwent some self-report questionnaires to gather information about their tinnitus in everyday life and the disabilities associated with the disease. The primary measure for the study was the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) which quantifies functional limitations and emotional stress. More measures are used to assess the impact on daily life, sensitivity to sound, and overall quality of life.
The treatment had no adverse effects and all patients showed high compliance for the device. During the treatment, 73% of patients experienced significant reductions inTFI scores, indicating a positive response. Additionally, 61% of patients reported a reduced perception of tinnitus, alongside a substantial decrease in tinnitus-related distress. This study demonstrates that combining sound therapy with low- and high-frequency electromagnetic wave stimulation can effectively reduce tinnitus perception and related distress in a majority of patients. These findings are important as they highlight a promising, non-invasive treatment option that addresses both the auditory and emotional aspects of tinnitus, offering hope for improved management of this challenging condition.
In addition, the patients also underwent some self-report questionnaires to gather information about their tinnitus in everyday life and the disabilities associated with the disease. The primary measure for the study was the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) which quantifies functional limitations and emotional stress. More measures are used to assess the impact on daily life, sensitivity to sound, and overall quality of life.
The treatment had no adverse effects and all patients showed high compliance for the device. During the treatment, 73% of patients experienced significant reductions inTFI scores, indicating a positive response. Additionally, 61% of patients reported a reduced perception of tinnitus, alongside a substantial decrease in tinnitus-related distress. This study demonstrates that combining sound therapy with low- and high-frequency electromagnetic wave stimulation can effectively reduce tinnitus perception and related distress in a majority of patients. These findings are important as they highlight a promising, non-invasive treatment option that addresses both the auditory and emotional aspects of tinnitus, offering hope for improved management of this challenging condition.
Featured Image Source: Kübra Kuzu
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