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Tuesday 19 May 2015 - 13:29 Makkah mean time-1-8-1436
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London, (IINA) - A new device that stimulates the tongue may be a new way to tackle tinnitus. Known as the Mutebutton, the device is used for just 30 minutes a day and is designed to help the brain turn down the volume of phantom noise of the condition.
The system includes headphones and a lollipop-like device that sits on your tongue and stimulates it in time with a relaxing mixture of music and nature sounds, which is played through earphones connected to a signal generator the size of a mobile phone, Daily Mail reported.
Clinical trial results suggest it can reduce tinnitus loudness by an average of about 40 per cent. Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the ear, usually a ringing noise, although it can be a high-pitched whistling or buzzing, ringing, or hissing.
It's estimated that 7 per cent of men and women will visit their General practitioner (GP) about it at some point. For one in 100, quality of life is severely affected, and it has been linked to depression, work and other problems. It's not known what causes it, although in some cases it is linked to hearing loss, one theory is that when some sounds can no longer be heard, the brain overcompensates and creates phantom noise.
However, the Mutebutton is designed to gradually re-train the brain (via the nerves in the tongue) in order to reduce the loudness of tinnitus. The stimulator is held between the lips and creates a mild current to stimulate nerves in sync with the sound played through the earphones. Each device is configured to the patient according to hearing tests with an audiologist.
The patients used the device for 30 minutes a day for ten weeks in the comfort of their own home or another relaxing environment of their choice.
Tinnitus volume reduced by 42 per cent on average.
SM/IINA
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