An article titled "Listen Up: There's a New Treatment for Tinnitus" discusses a small device that could help treat tinnitus which is a chronic condition of ringing in the ears. A study was performed that examined 45 sufferers who used a device developed by Neuromonics for two or more hours a day. In the six months after treatment, participants reported an average 26 point reduction in tinnitus-related distress. The device plays calming music that contains an embedded, almost inaudible, sound determined by the frequency of each patient's tinnitus. Listening to the device daily seems to re-train the brain to filter out the ringing caused by tinnitus. Therapy can cost $3500 to $6000 and appears to be most beneficial for those suffering from severe symptoms.

This relates to Chapter 3 "Sensation and Perception, page 106 under Types of Hearing Impairments. Tinnitus can be caused by infections or loud noises and is considered a nerve hearing impairment rather than a conduction hearing impairment. With nerve hearing impairment, the cause lies either in the inner ear or in the auditory pathways and cortical areas of the brain.

Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing Magazine 2009