Almost everyone experiences a little ringing in their ears sometime, but tinnitus can be debilitating for some people. A new treatment may offer help.
Tinnitus is a condition that results in ringing or buzzing sounds in a patient’s hearing. Research indicates that it may be caused by neural damage rather then problems with the inner ear structures used for hearing. An Australian company, Cleanhearing, has created a headset that generates electromagnetic pulses into the brain. This pain-free treatment is designed to encourage natural healing and regrowth of nerve tissue in the auditory cortex and temporal parts of the brain. The device is intended for home use; patients use a handheld controller to manage the preprogrammed treatments. It also can play therapeutic music, relaxation sounds, or other sounds during the treatments. A companion app lets patients keep a diary of their sessions to track the treatment. The device has been cleared in Europe with CE mark approval as a Class IIa medical device.