What is new in tinnitus treatment?
Until recently, treatment for tinnitus has focused on providing immediate but short term relief. However, technology now exists that has the ability to reverse or even permanently change the abnormal activity of the brain that causes the perception of tinnitus, which can result in long term relief for many tinnitus sufferers.
Tinnitus is described as soft or loud ringing, swishing, or other noise that seems to originate in the ears. It is not heard by others. Tinnitus is not a disease. It is a symptom of damage to the auditory system. We call this damage hearing loss, whether it is noticed by the individual or not.
For many years, audiologists used hearing aids as the tool to provide temporary relief of tinnitus. And, as long as hearing aids could benefit someone with tinnitus and were programmed accurately for the patient, hearing aids provided a temporary reduction of tinnitus, in most cases. When the hearing aids are removed, however, the tinnitus generally returned within seconds or minutes.
Recently, a new tool for tinnitus treatment has become available in the United States. Used in Europe for several years, the FDA has approved neuromodulation units for the long-term treatment of tinnitus. Desyncra is a neuromodulation company who uses small medical earpieces coupled to an iPod, to deliver tones into the ear. These tones are tailored to the patient’s exact tinnitus profile, and alter, or disrupt the activity of the brain that causes the perception of tinnitus.
Desyncra neuromodulation tones are designed to change the patterns of neural networks involved in tinnitus and is the same technology used in the treatment of epilepsy, migraines, and Parkinson’s disease.
Call Champlain Valley Audiology for an appointment to learn more about this revolutionary treatment for tinnitus and how it can benefit you. For more information on this new technology, visit Desyncra.com.