Wednesday, 19 March 2014

Magnets for Tinnitus



Magnets to ease Tinnitus
Many people wear magnetic bracelets to ease a number of ailments, from Rheumatism and Arthritis pain relief but also for general well-being.

Thefollowing Headline grabbed my attention yesterday:   ‘Wearing a Magnet may ease tinnitus’.
The article suggested that stimulating the brain is being tested as a way to tackle tinnitus.  People with this condition hear a continuous ringing or buzzing noise.  It affects one in ten adults and can interrupt sleep and may lead to depression.

Treatment includes distraction techniques and masking the noise but there is no cure.
More than 50 patients are taking part in a trial at the University of Regensburg in Germany, using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation – which involves having an electromagnet placed on the scalp to generate electrical pulses into the brain. 
 
The idea is that people with tinnitus have over activity in an area of the brain involved in processing sound, resulting in the tinnitus.  Stimulation, it is thought, will interfere with the tinnitus signals and stop the noises.

A quick look at the University of Regensburg showed that there is a Research Centre for tinnitus and they are looking for volunteers to be tested.  I hope that translations are available.

http://www.tinnituszentrum-regensburg.de/htmls/tinnituszentrum/tinnituszentrum.php

Source:  Good Health Page – Daily Mail, Tuesday 18th March 2014

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