One popular treatment for tinnitus is tinnitus masking. It was created based on the notion that when tinnitus sufferers listen to relaxing sounds, their noises in their heads would become less noticeable. This method was developed by Dr. Jack Vernon in the mid 1970s.

Tinnitus masking basically helps people pay less attention to the irritating noises in their heads through tinnitus maskers. Tinnitus maskers are devices that play recorded sounds on a CD or MP3 player hooked up to a pillow or a headset.  Tinnitus masking generally utilizes the soothing sounds of the ocean, waterfall or other “white noises”.

Recently, a more comprehensive approach to tinnitus masking has been developed, known as tinnitus retraining therapy. This approach involves therapy in addition to the tinnitus maskers.

The tinnitus retraining therapy involves directive counseling to engage the patient in discussion about the tinnitus. By educating the patients about their tinnitus, the patients become less anxious and fearful. The theory is a person who receives therapy targeted at his tinnitus will ultimately be less bothered by it.

The second component of tinnitus retraining therapy is sound therapy. During the sound therapy, the patient listens to a soft sound for eight hours a day, for the duration of a year-and-a-half. The sounds come from a noise generator. (It is similar to a tinnitus masker, but the sounds are softer.) After a while, the patients become used to both sounds, and no longer pay attention to either. When this happens, they are considered “habituated.” At this point, the use of the noise generator is discontinued.

The Tufts Unversity Health & Nutrition Letter (May, 2003) interviews Susan L. Gold, MA, CCC-SLP/A, an audiologist from the University of Maryland Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Center. Even she admits that with regard to tinnitus retraining therapy, it takes a long time, and it doesn’t work for everyone.

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