Here is the new tool that will relieve tinnitus

Beeps, howls, noises, whistles and knocks are some examples of sounds that approximately 15 percent of Sweden's population encounters on a daily basis.

In Sweden, psychotherapy is currently recommended, through cognitive behavioral therapy, But researchers disagree about whether there should be additional options.

Due to positive results

A new study is testing a treatment method that shows a positive effect on tinnitus patients. Assistive devices stimulate two senses at the same time and create synchronization between different parts of the brain.

What's interesting about the study is that it shows that the more bothersome your tinnitus is, the more likely treatments are to be effective, says Christopher Cederoth, a neuroscience researcher at the Karolinska Institutet.

Innovation can inspire further research. Christopher Sideroth would like to see a similar study conducted in Sweden.

– Since positive results are greater among those with a high degree of tinnitus, it would be interesting to focus on that group.

Not a cure

The method also faces criticism. Gerhard Andersson, professor of clinical psychology at Linköping University, has been researching tinnitus since the early 1990s.

– This is not the first time new tinnitus aids have been launched. He says that since the appearance of papyrus in Egypt, people have had suggestions on how to deal with tinnitus.

Among other things, Gerhard Andersen made a critical statement in the SVT review of tinnitus patches in 2018. The review led to the Medical Products Agency stopping the sale of behind-the-ear patches.

It is not unlikely that new aid will have an impact. But he stresses that more research is needed on how the nervous system, hearing and brain are connected. Therefore, he is concerned that the aid will give patients false hope.

– Many people who suffer from tinnitus would like nothing more than for us in healthcare to remove the sound completely, so that they become silent. But this is a method that may soften, not a method that removes sound.