New MindEar app could help people suffering from tinnitus tune out ringing in ears

New app could help people suffering from tinnitus tune out ringing in ears

BOSTON - A new app could bring relief to people with ringing in the ears.

About 10 percent of adults suffer from tinnitus, which is often mild but sometimes debilitating, and it's notoriously difficult to treat. Now researchers in Australia have developed an app called MindEar which provides customized care using sound therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, as well as mindfulness and meditation exercises to help patients "tune out" the noise.

In a small study of 30 people with tinnitus, almost two-thirds reported improvement in their symptoms after 16 weeks.

The app is currently available for download.

Health

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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