Tinnitus, commonly described as a ringing sound in the ears, is the false perception of sound when no real sound exists. According to a CDC fact sheet, 10% or more of U.S. adults experience tinnitus at least once a year. The specific causes of tinnitus are not known and there is no definitive cure for the condition. People with tinnitus also describe the perception in different ways; it’s not always a ringing sound.
I have tinnitus. I experience a high-frequency buzzing noise that’s always present but usually isn’t noticeable unless I pay attention to it. I was first aware of the buzzing noise in the mid 1990s. I went to an ENT physician who confirmed the diagnosis and told me there was no solution other than just living with it. On Health Tech Insider, we’ve written about a few solutions that attempt to help people with tinnitus including Aurex International’s Tinnitus Shield and Cleanhearing’s Sono. While both of those products try to minimize the perception of tinnitus, neither claims to cure the condition. In general, we’ve largely stayed away from tinnitus-related news and announcements. due to the abundance of snake oil and quackery in the marketplace.
Australian-based hearable developer Nuheara recently announced a collaboration with Oto, a tinnitus support company based in the U.K. Nuheara is the manufacturer of IQBuds MAX, the current and third generation of one of the most successful hearable devices available. We’ve written about Nuheara numerous times and wrote a positive review based on our personal experience with IQBuds.
Oto’s tinnitus product is a mobile app sold by subscription. The app claims to teach users how to control their tinnitus with one or more techniques. Oto characterizes the techniques as a digital toolkit. Oto’s toolkit changes with new developments but the core includes cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness training, relaxation therapy, and sound therapy. According to Oto, the techniques in the toolkit help tinnitus sufferers train their brains to react differently to the sounds of tinnitus. We have not tried any of the Oto techniques and cannot comment on their effectiveness. However, in the past roughly 25 years, my personal success coping with persistent buzzing has been based on whether and how I attend to tinnitus sounds, so braining training has worked for me.
The Nuheara’s IQbuds MAX and Oto app bundle includes a 12-month subscription to the Oto Pro tinnitus app. The list price is $649, although the company does have frequent sales that promote discounted prices.
