New University of Michigan Tinnitus Discovery — Signal Timing

My apologies. I did not mean to sound so negative. It's just that after ten years of being on Tinnitus Talk (I've been away for a couple of years), I've seen so many things come and go, being hyped up that the cure was just around the corner. I am getting tired and skeptical.

If it works, great. I hope it does, but let's wait and see.

 

With all due respect, @Bart, but your opinion (as well as mine and that of 99% of people) and the opinion of any audiologist/ENT specialist don't seem to matter much compared to a twenty-year study and the opinion of someone with multiple degrees who has dedicated 2/3 of her life to tinnitus research.

For us, it's easy to talk: "It works for me / It doesn't work for me." We have a 50% chance of being right. Wow.

 

I think Lenire and Dr. Shore's device have very different actual mechanisms and outputs.

A friend of mine got great results with Lenire, though; he swore by it. However, I haven’t tried it because the clinical trials were a shambles, and I’m scared that if I do and the Shore device happens to come out, maybe that would disqualify me for a while to use the Shore device as per the clinical trial qualifications.

 

Well, Lenire has got such a bad rep here that people tend to forget it actually helps some people.

 

Every Monday morning, I go to the FDA Approved Devices website and check the four main types of devices to see if there is anything there for Auricle, University of Michigan, in2being, or any device that looks remotely like the "Michigan Tinnitus Device," as it was called in several news stories. They approve dozens, and sometimes over a hundred devices, in a week. On one of these Mondays, I hope to have my search payoff.

 

Everything under the sun is apparently helping "some people." Lenire, TRT, CBT, craniosacral therapy, diets, random cocktails of vitamins and minerals, the list goes on and on. I personally find "some people are susceptible to treatment A while others are susceptible to treatment B" a far less plausible explanation than "most people get better over time," which we already know for a fact.

 

Thank you for checking! I come to Tinnitus Talk hoping someone would tell me Auricle has been approved. I'll be looking for your post.

 

I bet you've never heard the expression 'cum hoc ergo propter hoc'.

I am profoundly disgusted by this Jastreboff now.

 

Thanks for checking. I'm sure many here would appreciate it if you posted here if you find anything related.

I've been wondering how the news would get out since, evidently, there is no official channel.

 

Eh, presumably, since it's such a big milestone AND public, the company in question would be quick to release a series of PR ops.

 

In any case, I would totally exclude the possibility that the device is a scam.

If Auricle's goal was to "get our money," they could have simply published everything quickly.

Unfortunately, we are not CEOs of a multimillion-dollar company about to launch a potentially revolutionary product on the market, so maybe we are missing some dynamics or motivations behind this silence and slowness.

People are desperate, and they would have made millions anyway.

In my country, a so-called TRIMODAL stimulation device was recently released. It used a mix of TRT and mystical rays and was sold for €3000 each. Unfortunately, people even bought it.

 

I checked this morning, and although hundreds of devices were approved last week, none were by Auricle or anything related to tinnitus.

 

I don't think we need a weekly update.

 

You're right. I won't post anymore. I will continue to check for myself and allow you all to check for yourself. The Michigan Tinnitus Device, as it has been called, is the most promising thing on the horizon. If I am correct in my assessment, hundreds, if not thousands, of people, are members of this forum and are waiting expectantly. The more pessimistic, or those who have seen devices promise and then not deliver, tend to be much more cautious.

However, the level of stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness that tinnitus causes, especially in me, has made me spend many hours scouring and researching different methods. So many are shown to be minimally effective for the majority, even if they do help a few. However, the Michigan Tinnitus Device was put through what seems to be very reliable clinical trials with all of the measures in place to get reliable results. Even in this case, some people are pessimistic. I am very optimistic, but I know my hopes could be dashed, just like in two previous instances where I thought I had found the answer.

So, thank you for your rebuke. I accept it and will continue to keep looking here for any further information or news that arises.

 

Anyway, back to discussing the fun stuff.

Assuming the device comes out, the paper/research states that the treatment can potentially reduce tinnitus loudness by up to -10.9 decibels. That's basically half the loudness if I'm right.

Can any of you imagine your day if your tinnitus was half as loud? For me, that would basically make all days good days.

 

I’m one of those hoping that continued usage makes it go away FOR GOOD!

Unfortunately, only time will tell how that goes...

 

I, for one, would appreciate it if you ever came across any positive search results and posted them here.

 

8 months ago I would have been extremely excited for the device. Now, after hyperacusis and noxacusis kicking in, I'm afraid I won't be able to use the device.

 

-6 dB to -10 dB is considered half as loud. In the Q&A, Dr. Shore uses the -6 dB figure. In my testing, that's noticeable, but not life changing, so I really hope it's at least 12 dB reduction in the first few months of use and continues a downward trend from there.

About the FDA status: I'm sure we will hear quickly from someone once it's been approved. What we don't need is the frequent reports that there's no new news.

 

IDK, man. I know it would do nothing for your hyperacusis or tensor tympani, but I feel a tinnitus reduction would be like a breath of fresh air. Even a small win would be huge, IMO. Plus, maybe you think like I do since we have similar sleep disturbances —perhaps the hyperactivity is related, and it could have unexplored but theoretical benefits there.

 

No, he’s saying that he can’t use the device at all. It could make his condition worse. The last thing you want to do is have loud electronic sounds piped right into your ear if you’re suffering from noxacusis.

 

By some accounts, it helps MOST people—I've heard 75%, according to one audiologist. Never forget the sampling bias of getting your reviews from a sick-person forum. Don't get me wrong; I'm still afraid to try it, but thousands of people have now used Lenire, and almost no one on Tinnitus Talk has.

 

Yeah, a tinnitus reduction would be amazing. But I get pain from digital audio, so I don't think I'll be able to use the device.

 

Well, nowhere did we read '10.9 dB and then stop'. We only read 'up to 10.9 dB in 12 weeks,' so we HOPE that more weeks mean more reduction. I hope so, especially for those who are more severe.

 

Also, don’t forget the sampling bias for one audiologist who will happily profit from selling it to you.

Many people who are not on Tinnitus Talk will buy it, realize it doesn’t work for them, and put it in a cupboard forever. Sampling bias works both ways.

 

If it's recent, it could still fade. I have loudness hyperacusis, but it's very minor. However, it's also still there. It seems to flare when exposed to electronic/computer noise for a period of time, but hey, that's how I can afford to feed my family, so it's not like I can not do that.

I have noticed some of your past posts are kind of down. I think if I were in your shoes, I'd be pissed at the world. It sucks. Hopefully, your hyperacusis fades, and you can potentially utilize this treatment. I'm not even sure how loud it is, but I have no qualms about risking worsening if it means tinnitus reduction and perhaps some knock-on effects.

I might be a fool for doing it and risk the hyperacusis worsening, but... I think I have to try for myself/family.

That's not the user I was replying to, who also has hyperacusis and intends to use the device.

 

Dr. Shore was asked this question in the Q&A (about whether she thought continued use beyond the 6-week duration the study tested would provide continued reduction). She said she didn't know, but the study showed a downward trend during the whole duration, and she hazarded a guess such a trend might continue. I was surprised she'd go out on a limb and make a guess like that, but very encouraging!

 

This is enough to persuade me to delurk, if only briefly.

Please ignore @Utdmad89. Some of us here, myself included, find your posts helpful and informative. Thank you. Incidentally, my condition is remarkably similar to @Utdmad89's, and despite my hyperacusis and various extra benefits, I intend to make arrangements for the treatment on Day 1 when it is available.

Geoff

 

I don't remember what the decibel level for the audio was or if this was even described in the study. I wonder if the audio level can be reduced to something that is just audible and still has a beneficial effect. When things first kicked in 13 years ago, I had catastrophic hyperacusis and tinnitus. The hyperacusis pretty much resolved as my nervous system (which was in a screaming hyperdrive, including panic attacks) calmed down.

Good luck with it. Perhaps there will be a way to use the device without hitting your pain threshold.

 

The point is that the active treatment was six weeks, followed by six weeks of washout. Susan Shore said she doesn't know if the treatment will improve further if extended, but she thinks it will continue that trend, just as I stated in my previous post. The reduction was actually higher for some people and less for others. Those charts are just averages, so you can't assume the max reduction would be 10.9 dB in any event.