Universal Sound Therapy (UST)

I agree with you both about being careful about self-treatment. My doctor worked with me to get me off the Toprol XL (I changed doctors) because he didn't feel that I needed to be on a beta blocker. It took me about 1 1/2 months of tapering off the medication gradually before I finally got totally off it. And after that, it took awhile for my blood pressure to settle down; it was somewhat erratic for a couple months.

Karl, I wish you the best in finding a possible cause for your tinnitus. It is true that TMJ is one of many causes worth exploring. My dentist referred me to a TMJ specialist several months back. I went for an initial exam, but I'm sorry to say that, in my case, he was unable to find any indication of TMJ. So, back to the drawing board....

Calin, that's wonderful that you woke up to silence for 15 minutes; that is very encouraging! Thanks for keeping us posted on your progress.

 

This thread is full of positive comments, the majority of which comes from one person, calin.

First, let me be completely honest here and say upfront that I only today read this discussion from start to end. My reply would have been the same on page 1, but it's better now than never.

Unsurprisingly, the following is my personal opinion. It's targeted mostly at those who are thinking about trying this "treatment".


DO NOT EXPECT ANY RESULTS FROM THIS SO-CALLED UNIVERSAL SOUND THERAPY.



Use your own critical reasoning.

When you look at the UST's website, you'll see that they offer help for about every common diseases and conditions that you can think of. From Glaucoma to Peripheral Artery Disease.

The product descriptions are flattering and give the impression that by listening to a sound CD you can somehow help your body to fix itself.

Direct quote from the site:
"our scientifically designed frequencies remind your body of the correct frequency it should be vibrating at, helping it to make changes and heal itself. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it."

It does. It almost sounds too good to be true... almost?

90-Day Money-Back Guarantee. What could you lose?
This kind of guarantee makes it easier to buy things. "If this doesn't work, I'll return it".

Well, you might ask, how does this company make money if a) this product doesn't work and b) they have money back guarantee? They can't make any money if the product is useless?

A couple of reasons:

• Some of these persons with ailments that order these CDs are too tired to actually return the CDs. Thus the company keeps the money.
• Some order a UST CD, and starts playing it. At the same time natural healing (that would have happened nevertheless) happens, but because a $50 CD was bought and played, one might attribute that healing process to that CD.
• What about the group of people who swear by homeopathy? Replace the word homeopathy with UST.

The reviews are funny on the UST site.
Almost all of them are overly positive. Five stars. Some four stars... I couldn't find one completely negative review, either the reviews were 100% positive, magic, or then there was some insignificant reason for a 4-star review.

The reviews alone should put you off. Think about it. Think about Internet. People tend to be loud when something doesn't work. It's simply impossible that there wouldn't be more negative reviews. The reviews don't feel authentic. It's likely that either the company has fabricated the reviews or they have chosen to publish only the happy and positive reviews.

What about studies? What data backs this treatment? Don't you honestly think that if this worked for even half of the things UST claims, it would be front page news all over the world? Now someone comes along and says that this is a big secret. Big pharma companies don't want word to get out. This is too good a treatment and big pharmas would be losing money! There's no financial backing, no money to carry out actual valid scientific studies! But because Dick & Wife have been making money off sick people since 2006 and they have clearly written product descriptions that sell and there are only positive reviews and they tell me that my sick cells are going to be vibrating at the correct frequency and rejuvenated, this works! Right? No way.


I personally am furious that companies like these make money off those hit with real and grave diseases and conditions.

Also, read what Jim has written to this thread. He clearly has points that you cannot invalidate & still buy into this humbug.


Remember, I love people. I love calin & Karen. I in no way am attacking any of you personally who believes UST might help.

It's just that objectively and critically speaking UST is just as much snake oil as Ring Stop or the sorts.

But since this is a discussion forum, I would love to hear others' opinions on UST. It's been almost only calin & Karen & Karl who has written in here.

What do you think about UST?

 

PS.

Food for thought.

Direct quote from calin:
"I do teas (green teas - with hibiscus as well) and Super Greens (for keeping my ph level balanced) and every so often food grade diatomaceous earth..... Multi Vitamins/minerals and amino acids, Omegas DHA and EPA and melatonin for full night sleep. Other: hawthorn, L-theanine, cacao, taurine, probiotics, grape seed, elderberry, garlic, CoQ10, curcumin, resveratrol, calcium and magnesium, inositol, gingko biloba and vit D3"


That's a whole long list of vitamins and herbs. Most of them have been at least moderately researched and have some studies behind them. Yes: unlike UST.

If I was a betting man, I would bet my other kidney and say that any and all of those supplements can have more effect on an assortment of diseases and conditions than UST. Actually I wouldn't need to bet, that's a fact one can look up on PubMed etc.


I wish everyone a great weekend!

--
Markku

 

Why would you do that? I didn't mean to offend you!

I only wanted to share my opinion and what I came to think about UST as an treatment option.

My aunt believes very much in homeopathy and yet we can discuss about it. And she's a great person, I love her!

I don't want to dismiss you as a person. This was not my goal.

If you asked me, I would love if you kept everybody updated on your journey!

Just because I have a different point of view about UST, doesn't mean that I'm not interested in your recovery and how you are doing. I really hope you know that!


--
Markku

 

I also want to make noted that I'm from Finland, I'm a Finn, and English is my second language.

It is completely possible that I inadvertently wrote down my opinion as such that calin was insulted.

I would hate to live knowing that I drove calin away and hurt his her feelings, so I really hope, calin, that you didn't take my messages in the wrong way.

--
Markku

 

Even though somebody might think that your posts give at least the appearance of a connection to UST, you won't get booted. Of course if somebody delivers me proof that you are Dick's wife or something, then it's a different case. Or if you were to start aggressively marketing UST here by different means.

Because at least I'm really starting to think that this whole thread would need to be the best undercover marketing project of the century if you really were affiliated with UST.

It just is quite unlikely that a marketer would pick one of the newest tinnitus forums that have the least traffic. Makes no sense.

The appendix I added to the first post was trying to make sure that people read those two great posts Jim wrote and that people wouldn't hand out their money for a treatment that only one person here has truly praised.

With the information now available in the first post & in this thread, I'm confident people interested in UST can decide for themselves if they want to try it.

I also dislike censorship.

It's important we don't start bickering or having pointless debate, if possible I'd like to keep the mood as positive as possible here.

As I said before, I'm also really happy that your tinnitus seems to be diminishing. Under 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 sounds wonderful.


I'm hoping for a quiet and nice night for myself too. Going to watch a movie, maybe Drive (2011).

Keep us posted. Karl & Karen could also chime in and give the latest updates.

 

I've been using the UST cd for tinnitus for over two weeks now (17 days, to be exact). I began using it the first day I received it, and have been using it every day since, at least twice per day. At first, I wasn't sure it was working, but I noticed even then that, at least, it seemed to calm me down.

Now, I am noticing a reduction in the intensity of my tinnitus, such that I can actually relax a little bit in the evenings. My ear used to ring so intensely that I could not watch TV or do much else to distract myself; television would actually aggravate the ringing and make it even worse! It was a high-pitched ringing that felt as if a drill was being applied to the side of my head. The sound now is more of an electrical hissing sound, which is far preferable to what it was.

On a scale of 1 to 10, my tinnitus was at least a 9 in the evenings. Now, during the day, it's a 4 or 5, and probably a 7 in the evenings.

For this type of therapy to work, being consistent is really important. I use the CD every day; the "Alignment" portion once a day; and the "Tinnitus" portion at least twice a day, sometimes more. I use a headset, with the speakers not quite on my ears, but just in front of them. This seems to work best, and is most comfortable.

I'm going to continue using the CD, and will report again as to my progress. Just taking some of the "edge" off my tinnitus has improved my anxiety level, and given me some hope!

 

Those "papers" are, honestly, unconvincing.

Case studies, and carried out by questionable parties.

Biophotonics Research Institute, huh?

They are not double-blind, placebo controlled trials.


And about DCA, from Wikipedia, DCA is actually being researched, and by researchers in an actual university and not some Biophotonics Research Institute:

calin, I'm surprised you didn't know that many quack medicine / snake oil products and treatments have money back guarantees. I already have answered why that works and why it's still profitable for a company to sell snake oil products even with money back guarantees. I know you did read my reply here.

But to recap:

Making money off a scam product like UST is a superb business strategy. Making these CDs costs probably $1 (I could do them with GarageBand) and even if 6 out of 10 returned the CDs they ordered and got their money back, the company would still make a nice profit.


In my perspective the possibilities (pick one) here regarding calin's praise of UST are:

• Natural healing (either physical or psychological) that have occurred, and which would have happened without UST too
• Calin is affiliated with UST
• Calin believes in UST for some weird reason like some people believe in homeopathy or other quack medicine

The idea of UST being an effective treatment for any or all of the conditions it claims it helps, is ridiculous.

That is my perspective and from the private messages I've been getting here on the forums the general consensus clearly is that UST is another potion of snake oil aimed for the desperate.

A couple of members have even messaged me and requested me to ban calin and delete this thread, but thus far I've let it be, because:
a) I don't believe in censorship
b) There are honest and nice people there who truly believe in different kinds of quack medicine, so it definitely would be wrong to ban people just because of that
c) I could only take action on calin with good conscience if she's, for example, being paid in money, services or other means to advertise UST here, and that would require proof.


Two times I've now described why UST is nothing more but a scam, plus you need to account for Jim's replies in the first page.

Continuing debating this will not be fruitful to anybody. Lack of evidence, peer reviewed studies and controlled trials make it very clear that UST is not what it claims to be/offer.

The "warning" in the first post will be kept in place until the improbable day that UST would be acknowledged as a working therapy. People are free to make up their own minds about a panacea* quack therapy such as UST and if someone decides to try UST just for the sake of it, do remember to exercise your right to get your money back.


Thanks for reading.

*pan·a·ce·a [pan-uh-see-uh]
1. a remedy for all disease or ills; cure-all.

 

It's also funny and sad at the same time if you read this thread of Jim's (How to Spot Pseudoscience) and apply UST to those questions.

It just doesn't pass. It doesn't.

 

Hi,Karl,

It's good to hear from you again! I'm glad you are finding some relief with the masking device; it does sound like a good way to break the fear cycle, which most of us with severe tinnitus experience. So far, for me, the UST has helped me to stay calmer at the worst times of my day, so it has been helpful in that way. (I've been using it almost 3 weeks now).

A question about the masking device: Can you use it all day and all night? For sleeping?

Thanks for the update!

 

Jim might chime in, he's gone through Neuromonics, but as far as I know part of the cost of Neuromonics are the sessions with the counselor. The overall price includes those I think.

Still, it's such an unbelievably expensive option when you could do TRT way more cheaper.


Hmm, Karl's masking device looks nice and extremely small. Should be nice to wear.

 

Jastreboff's Tinnitus Retraining Therapy.

Basically what Neuromonics does is sort of a TRT.

And so is you wearing that masking device

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus_retraining_therapy

Important thing to remember is that, according to Jastreboff's TRT, tinnitus shouldn't be masked so much that it can't be heard, otherwise habituation doesn't happen (at least not so easily).

This is a good site about TRT: http://www.tinnitus.org/home/frame/THC1.htm

What's great is that everyone can do TRT, it's free (well except for sound enriching methods you decide to use, but many already have speakers/headphones etc.). And counseling can be combined...

For some persons counseling is important especially in the beginning, to understand the fight-or-flight response and coming into grips with own emotions. Counseling combined with sound enrichment can be a winner.


----------------------
EDIT: http://www.tinnitus.org/home/frame/counselling1.htm
So yeah, giving the patient key information is important too;

So it's not completely correct to say that sound enrichment solely = TRT. But sound enrichment is an integral part of it.

 

So Neuromonics is basically a super expensive version of TRT.

From what I've gathered, the TRT counselor is also more of an adviser than a typical psychologist/psychiatrist.

Some people might benefit more from common therapy combined with sound enrichment, or maybe it would be best to combine the three:

• a session where information and knowledge about tinnitus and the model of retraining therapy (incl. sound enrichment) is given
• after which a couple of sessions (or as many as needed) with a therapist

Personally I wasn't offered any of that, I was told there was nothing that could be done and that many people have it and that I should just try and learn to live with it.

That mentality unfortunately is quite common, which makes me sad.

 

By the way, I remembered that Jim wrote a detailed account of his Neuromonics experience.

For those interested, here's a direct link: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hello-everyone.15/#post-792