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New tinnitus treatment technology available at Arizona hearing clinics
Hearing experts in Arizona are testing 67 different frequencies to identify and manage tinnitus, to help the millions of Americans managing ringing in their ears.. FOX 10's Annalisa Pardo reports.
What they're saying:
PHOENIX - If you're hearing ringing in your ear that others aren't, you're actually not alone.
"Some people have musical sounds in their ears. Cicadas is a really common one that we hear. Anything that you're really experiencing internally, but you're not hearing it in your environment could be considered tinnitus," said Dr. Madison Brown.
Big picture view:
According to the American Tinnitus Association, more than 50 million Americans experience tinnitus.
"You get stuck in this tunnel of, ‘I just have to live with this.’ And that can become very hard psychologically to manage," Brown said.
Local perspective:
Dr. Madison Brown at Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center in Mesa and Scottsdale is trying to help.
They have their headphones on, and they press a space bar every time they hear a tone. The clinics just rolled out new technology that uses frequency to target and manage tinnitus. When a patient comes in, the clinic tests 67 different frequencies to get a full picture of their auditory system and identify patterns or tinnitus undetected.
Why you should care:
The clinic also gets to know the lifestyle of the patient.
"We want to know about their stress and their sleep patterns because those are things that are giving us clues into how people might be experiencing tinnitus and what might be causing that," Brown said.
Dig deeper:
Tinnitus can also come from exposure to a loud noise or years of too loud ear buds, or simple wear and tear.
"Even if you were going to concerts in the 80s, yes, it's been a long time, but over time the hair cells that are rooted in our ear organs get worn down," Brown said.
She hopes people experiencing tinnitus know you don't have to live with it, saying understanding tinnitus is the first step in managing it.
"We are tapping into neuroplasticity and our auditory system can harness that power as well. When we can make some changes in the way our brain is perceiving, the way the brain is functioning, we're harnessing that power that's already inside of us," Brown said.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Dr. Madison Brown with Sound Relief Tinnitus & Hearing Center; the American Tinnitus Association; and Annalisa Pardo, a reporter with FOX 10 News.