Tinnitus FAQ
	www.bixby.org/faq/tinnitus.html a resource for understanding tinnitus, not a substitute for a health care provider

What is masking?

What is residual inhibition?

Who are some masking machine vendors?

Masking is the technique of producing external "white noise" sounds that will mask the tinnitus and make it less distracting. Masking machines come in both in-the-ear and portable models that produce sounds ranging from random white noise to waterfalls to surf, etc. Frequencies used are generally within a 1 khz - 12 khz band. Hearing aids can also function as maskers by amplifying external sounds. Many people find that tuning a regular FM radio to an empty frequency and listening to the static beneficial. Another popular method is to run an electric fan. If you have an audio CD player, consider putting on a nature sounds (ocean, jungle, whales, etc) CD in autorepeat mode before going to bed.

In a study of masking, 16% of patients reported relief with a hearing aid alone, 21% reported relief from a tinnitus masker alone, and 63% reported relief from a combination hearing aid / tinnitus masker. In the latter case it was important to properly adjust the hearing aid before attempting masking.

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Masking can also produce a phenomenon called, "residual inhibition". The effect residual inhibition has is to cause the tinnitus sound to partially or completely disappear for a few mins. to a few hours, weeks, months or even for life. I was tested for residual inhibition by G. Gordon Gibson at the, Tacoma Tinnitus Clinic", in Tacoma, Wa. in 1985. Mr. Gibson revelled in his experiences with tinnitus patients referred to him by ENTs, that some had complete remission for awhile and then would just need to listen to the "white noise" for a short while to make the tinnitus go away again. One person, he said, "Went into complete remission". I was also tested for ri at the University of Washingtons' Tinnitus Clinic in 1986, but I was not to be so fortunate as others at either place I tried.

The important thing is to have a "Tinnitus Clinic" test your ears for your specific tinnitus sound, so the right "white noise" can be matched up to it. You can get a Professionl Referrals list of your area from American Tinnitus Association.

In a Sept. 1986 American Tinnitus Association Newsletter, "Colin Kemp", an engineer working in Austrailia who markets a unit called, "The Tinnitus Inhibitor" says, "At our Tinnitus Clinic, we call this phenomenon Residual Inhibition and routinely test all patients for it. Residual inhibition comes in many forms, But in one form or another we find it in nearly 89% of patients".

The following is an excerpt from: "Oregon Tinnitus Data Archive 95-01"

Residual inhibition was tested in each ear separately if patient had tinnitus that was bilateral or "in the head". Results shown here are for each patient's best trial (maximum residual inhibition effect).

Residual Inhibition - Type Type of RI N (%) ------------------------------------- No RI 173 (11.9) Partial RI only 476 (32.8) Complete RI only 34 (2.3) CRI + PRI* 768 (52.9) --- ---- Total 1451* (99.9) * Omits patients who were not tested for RI, primarily because a minimum masking level could not be obtained. End of excerpt.

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Ambient Shapes, Inc.
P.O. Box 5069
Hickory, NC 28603
USA
+1 800 438 2244
+1 704 324 5222

Product #1550, the Marsona Tinnitus Masker. An external masker with over 3000 settings. US$249.

Product #SI420, Portable Sound Soother, US$120, and product #SI430, Digital Sound Soother XS, US$170 (same as previous product but includes an AM/FM radio). Both products feature alarm clocks and three classes of sound: White Noise, Seaside, and Countryside. You get primary sounds such as waves and crickets, plus random auxilary sounds such as fog horns, buoy bells, doves, owls, etc. Both the primary and auxilary sounds have independently adjustable volume. [Ed. note: my mother is a satisfied PSS user.]

*****[insert masker models, prices, manufacturers, phone numbers here]*****

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Remember, the t-faq is a resource. For medical care, visit your health care professional.