White Noise MP3s.com

There is endless debate about TRT (tinnitus retraining therapy).

Most people who have tinnitus use sound to fight the sound, and tend to be alright by using everyday household devices such as a fan, ceramic heater, or air conditioner to generate sound — and that’s sufficient enough to mask the tinnitus.

What’s most important is to avoid silence and have some sound around you — tinnitus is heard most often under silent conditions.

When you go beyond those measures into the “therapeutic”-labeled treatments, marketers tend to get either very scientific, overly professional, or fetishistic about their products. Treatment for TRT usually costs around $3000 with extensive testing and counseling and prescribed devices such as the Oasis Device by Neuromonics is a holy $5000.

The sound generated from the Oasis Device is basically embedded with synthesized white noise custom-tailored to the pitch and sound of your own tinnitus after an audiological evaluation and listened through headphones to mask the ringing. The generic new age music added to it is embellishment and more likely than not can be distracting if you need to concentrate on any specific task at hand.

Not trying to plug anything here — nor am I endorsing Apple — but this can all be done for far less expenses with a simple MP3 player such as the iPod Shuffle (a bargain at $49, has a miniature size and an extremely useful clip to secure onto your clothes — apparent conveniences that the Oasis Device lack) and MP3s of constant soothing sounds and hums.

For example, if you had tinnitus of a high-pitched ringing buzz, you’d listen to white noise or pink noise such as a waterfall or river; medium-pitched and low-pitched, an air conditioner and low-level broadband brownian noise. Just be sure not to overdo the volume.

As for a do-it-yourself TRT, you would listen at 5, 10, then 15 minutes for a few days then set a goal of at least 2 hours a day or more (ideally up to 8 hours) until the tinnitus is barely noticeable.

Take a look at their product comparison chart:
http://www.neuromonics.com/patient/treatment/process/index.aspx?id=58
It claims that it’s “convenient/non-invasive during treatment”

Then take a look at the device:
http://www.neuromonics.com/patient/treatment/index.aspx?id=46
“About the size and weight of a cell phone”

The average cell phone is 100 grams (3.5 ounces). The Modu phone, named by the Guinness World Records as the lightest cell phone in the world, weighs 42 grams (1.5 ounces).

Know what’s convenient/non-invasive? The iPod Shuffle weighs in at only 15.6 grams - that’s half an ounce. Know what else is convenient? It has a neat little clip… and costs less than a percent of the fat dumb Oasis.

The clincher? Thousands of dollars and hours down the drain and the tinnitus can always come back even after TRT through stress and an adverse diet, and I love my ibuprofen and soda and chocolate so TRT is ultimately redundant. And moot.