The PWN1 and Tinnitus

..."After 13 yrs of hell it is me thanks to you"... comment received from a tinnitus sufferer who purchased a PWN1 and found it to be effective in helping his situation.


Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no external sound is present and is often perceived as “ringing in the ears.” Tinnitus may sound like humming, clicking, buzzing, ringing, hissing, roaring, whistling, or crickets. The sounds may be intermittent or constant, and may vary in loudness depending on stress, medications, noise-exposure and surrounding environment. Tinnitus can be classified as a phantom auditory perception due to the fact that there is no external sound corresponding to the patients’ perception of sound. This has made tinnitus hard to measure and difficult to treat.

According to the American Tinnitus Association, “there are currently over 50 million Americans who are affected by tinnitus to some degree. Of these, about 12 million suffer severely enough to seek medical attention. And, about one million sufferers are so seriously debilitated that they cannot function on a “normal”, day-to-day basis.” After a medical etiology for the tinnitus perception has been ruled out, the common message from healthcare providers is generally either “Learn to live with it” or “Nothing can be done for tinnitus”.

It is true that there is no medication, procedure, or surgery that can eliminate the source of tinnitus without significant side effects. It is also true that a large percentage of those people who experience tinnitus are not bothered by it. For those individuals who find their tinnitus disruptive to their sleeping and waking routines, Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) provides a systematic and successful approach to alleviating the negative effects of tinnitus. Tinnitus Retraining Therapy was developed by Dr. Pawel Jastreboff and offers a potential solution to this problem. Published studies have demonstrated that over 80% of the patients treated with TRT have significant improvement (Jastreboff, P.J., Gray, W.C., Gold, S.L. Neurophysiological approach to tinnitus patients. Am.J.Otology, 17:236-240, 1996). Habituation of the perception and negative reaction to the tinnitus signal is achieved through directive informational counseling and the use of sound therapy.

Habituation occurs through the removal of the negative association attached to tinnitus perception, while detection of the tinnitus signal is preserved. Quiet broad band sound is used to achieve tinnitus habituation. Patients are directed to avoid silence and place themselves in an enriched sound environment. Also in many cases, broad band noise generated by devices worn behind or in the ear are used. The process takes 6 to 18 months. TRT is not a cure for tinnitus, but rather a therapeutic treatment with the goal of making tinnitus no longer an issue in one’s life.

...Excerpt from information presented at www.floridatinnituscenter.com. For more information on tinnitus, use your favorite search engine to find "tinnitus".


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