Torment of tinnitus eased in four weeks

SCIENTISTS believe they have found a way to alleviate the misery of tinnitus in the space just four weeks.

Around 45,000 people in Ireland are believed to suffer from the distressing condition which causes phantom sounds such as buzzing and whistling in the ears.

Many are unable to work, suffer distress, sleep disturbance and depression from the noise which they cannot stop.

However, researchers have found a way to ‘reset’ the brain cells which, in a study of 20 people, eliminated tinnitus in two of them and made it less harsh and easier to ignore for another 11.

The treatment consists of four weeks of sounds matched to individuals’ tinnitus, listened to in daily half-hour sessions through headphones, while getting simultaneous mild electric shocks to the cheek or neck.

The mild current is used to reset their sense of where sound is coming from. The result is believed to be that brain cells receive the input they need to begin working properly again. The current appears to stop signals sent out by brain cells that misfire, making sufferers believe they can hear sounds, without an actual sound in the environment.

Dr Susan Shore, who led the research from the University of Michigan, and published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, said: ‘If we can stop these signals, we can stop tinnitus.’