Dichonics offers a tinnitus cancellation therapy for those who suffer from phantom noises in the ears, whether it be buzzing, ringing, cicadas, crickets, birds, or whatever else you are hearing. http://www.dichonics.com/ http://dichonics.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/tinnitusstudyresearchpaperPDF.33125036.pdf
74% success Rate? more like 74% chance of this being a load of BS. these guys are most likely nothing more but crooks no matter how convincing they may sound.
Jon - This is the real deal. Dr. Dalton owns Dichonics, Inc. in Amarillo, Texas. This is the same Dr. Dalton who does tinnitus research at West Texas A&M using MEG and MRI scans. See the post about MEG and MRI scans: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/meg-and-mri-scans-used-to-cancel-tinnitus.288/
I contacted Dichonics to see how much it would cost. Shiloh (asst. to Dr.Dalton) said that the treatment costs about $1,500.00, and the device that they suggest you buy as follow-up, to continue to treat your own tinnitus, is about $1,500.00. Total: $3,000.00. They are currently working on an internet program so that patients wouldn't have to travel to Amarillo, TX to be initially treated. It does sound promising; stay tuned!
Karen - You and I are on the same page. I also contacted Shiloh and I sent her my audiograms. Shiloh says they don't have much success if you have tinnitus in one ear, like I do. I think that both the Dichonics and the Acoustic CR Neuromodulation device from Germany both use the same principle. For both treatments you listen to a sound that replicates the tinnitus sound. Interestingly, both have the same 75% success rate.
Karl -- Yes, I believe we are. I am considering sending Shiloh my tests, too. She also told me that the success rate is not as good for tinnitus in one ear. However --- she also said that it is more successful in patients with hearing loss, which I have in that one ear. Worth a try... Will be interested to hear from you as to whether they think you might be a candidate for the treatment. I thought the two devices (the one in Germany and the one in Texas) sounded similar --- it looks like a lot of minds are working on the same principle for a tinnitus cure.
Does anybody else have trouble tolerating hearing the same tinnitus sound from another source other than me? When I listen to that video "The Noise", which sounds very similar to my sound (except mine pulses), it makes me want to turn the video volume down and stop listening to it. I don't know if I could do that protocol for very long. But, after reviewing Karl's post about it, I see one can't really hear the sound. Hope I am reading that right. So, this is noise cancellation involving brain plasticity an not noise masking. Am I getting that right? I don't see how this can be a "load of BS" when qualified physicist and senior staff investigator and a professor are involved. they know that their reputations are on the line. One doesn't mess around with brain plasticity lightly and without careful and solid impetus to study treatments. This may not be for all tinnitus sufferers, but for those that this helps, God Bless them for their effort! It is those very same pioneers that think outside the box that are giving us relief! Hurray!!!! High five!!!! Well done!!!!
Karen - I did get a word back from Shiloh that the doctor thinks I may be a good candidate. There is a questionare they need me to prepare. If I go to Amarillo, it' expensive. If I wait for the Internet treatment, it will be less money. My daughters are starting college, so a $3000+ expenditure is another burden on me that sucks. Recently I have had some changes in my tinnitus. It's going into my left ear and perhaps diminishing in my right. I went to an acupuncturist (which also costs money!). Not sure if that had anything to do with the changes I'm perceiving, but one day I woke up without tinnitus. I've had it 5 months. I'm thinking that I have age related hearing loss and the tinnitus may be a stage I'm going through that may be temporary. Anyway, that's the latest theory. This is worse than watching grass grow, isn't it? Calin- I agree this treatment doesn't appear to be appropriate for everyone. Dichonics was quite frank with me that unilateral tinnitus has little success. If you download the paper that Joe posted, it describes the characterics/symptoms of about 75 patients and their success/failure rates. They say that once you start this treatment, a common complaint is that the tinnitus may appear to get worse at first, but that's the brain adjusting. There will always be people who claim things are "a load of BS". The current political situation in the US has taught me a lesson, that there are a whole lot of people who don't trust anything. I myself am skeptical of some sources that may be planted by businesses pretending to be tinnitus sufferers. Tinnitus is becoming a business that some people are looking to get rich off of. But in this case, all the scientific facts ring true, and I'm ready to pay hard cash.
Karl --- That's good news that you might be a good candidate for the Dichonics process. Are you considering waiting until it's available on the internet? It's encouraging that the acupuncture may have helped you. It would be great if it would gradually fade away, wouldn't it? Perhaps, as the hearing loss increases, the tinnitus will decrease? One of those mysteries no one has any answers for. I've tried acupuncture, too, and it has maybe decreased the ringing a bit temporarily, but then it comes right back, about the same as before. I'll read the paper that Joe posted about the Dichonics success/failure rates; thanks!
Karen - I am not an ancupunture enthusiast. My story: I went to an ancupuncturist, asking her to work on my vagus nerve. based on reading Goodcheers's posts about vagus nerve stimulation for helping "T". Also, based on on what I have read about the "Seranade" device stimulating the vagus nerve, I decided to ask an ancupuncturist to stimulate my vagus nerve. As it worked out, the accupuncturist ignored my suggestion to work on my vagus nerve. I've been flat on my back, with needles in my foot, my stomach and my ear. There have been no needles anywhere near my vagus nerve (which I think is on my back). Oh well, such is life. $200 for three sessions. As an engineer, coming from a fully westernized/scientitific/not-homeopathic line of thinking, I confess that I am not into eastern medicine. However, I acknowledge I have seen some improvement during the time I had acupuncture.
I also seem to think that this has promise. It is one of the few treatments that list information of patient outcomes....which we all know can be easily made up on a excel spread sheet. At least this place lists experience and a bit more detail of how it works....just wish it had pages and pages of real testimonials that could be verified. This has the feel of a small place with alot of hard knocks engineering and self taught experience that may just be on to something.
Hi, all, Well, I did the same thing Karl did, and sent my audiogram and other tests to Shiloh at Dichonics, for the doctor to review. I've just learned today that the doctor does think I would be a possible candidate for this treatment. (I wasn't sure I would be, because I have unilateral tinnitus). Since I have hearing loss in one ear, I think that is the reason why he thought it might work for me. I'm going to wait for the testing to be available online before I go any further with this; and I am concerned about the cost. So, we'll see.... but it does sound promising. Dykey, I agree that it would be nice if there were some real testimonials of some successes. I'm trying not be a skeptic, but where money is concerned, it's hard.....
Folks --- Just received an E-mail from Shiloh at Dichonics. They are going to be testing their internet program in about 2 weeks, and they hope to have it up and running within a month. At least, that is the current plan. The internet program will enable people to get tested for the program, without traveling to Amarillo, Texas. Will update you if I receive more information.
Found this... don't know if anyone read it. WT prof's tinnitus research rings true Posted: March 28, 2011 - 12:19am Leslie Dalton A professor at West Texas A&M University may have discovered a way to help permanently decrease or remove tinnitus, a condition that causes a constant, and often irritating, ringing in the ears. The American Tinnitus Association reports that tinnitus affects up to 50 million Americans. The causes of the condition vary but include hearing loss, exposure to loud noises, serious illnesses and consumption of substances such as nicotine, caffeine and medicine. Leslie Dalton, a professor at WT's speech and hearing clinic, has spent the past 12 years developing tinnitus treatment mostly delivered through the use of a chip, software and large headphones. The chip sends a quiet and pre-programmed sound to the headphones, changing the channels sound takes to reach the brain. Dalton, in his third year at WT, likens the process to reorganizing roads to change the way a vehicle reaches a destination. Whatever conditions lead to tinnitus affect the brain's normal functions, causing the ringing sound, he said. "It causes the brain to reprocess in the wrong place," he said. "We return the hearing so that the normal part of the brain takes over." Dalton has seen some success with his work. Gretchen Mercer, who took Dalton's treatment a few times during the past year, said the method completely removed her tinnitus whenever she put on the headphones. "The first time I put on the headphones, my whole body just relaxed," she said. "You hear nothing. It totally erases the tinnitus." One of the goals with the tinnitus research is to create a prototype that can be distributed to local audiology clinics before the end of the summer, said Paige Brittain, owner of Headsets Inc., an Amarillo business that sells aviation and military headsets. About a year ago, Brittain and Dalton helped start up another company, Dichonics Inc., with plans to later manufacture personal devices that can deliver the sound treatment. "We will continue to improve the product," Brittain said. "But right now, we're just trying to put it together and put it in the hands of specialists." While the treatment Dalton performs at WT provides no long-term fix for tinnitus, he said he thinks that giving patients daily access to a device at home would let them train their brains into ignoring the condition. "Once we get to nano-technology, we can turn into a kind of hearing aid," he said. While millions of Americans suffer from tinnitus, many more do not report the condition, said Diana Wise-McPherson, an Amarillo audiologist. She said most of her patients suffer from the condition. "From past numbers I've heard, about half of the world's population has some kind of head noise," she said. "Now whether it bothers their life, that's another thing." Treatments to relieve tinnitus exist, but none of them decrease or remove the condition, she said. Existing treatments include acupuncture and massage therapy, she said. "People do all kinds of things, but there's nothing scientifically proven on the market that alleviates tinnitus," she said. Other treatments include masking the tinnitus with other sounds or sending electricity into the ear's cochlea, Dalton said. "But the patient still hears something," he said. Mercer said she developed tinnitus about two years after contracting the West Nile virus in 2004. The virus caused some hearing loss, she said. "In my experience, it can debilitating," she said. "It can drive you insane. It's a constant humming in your head. Sometimes, you can ignore it, but there are times when it's just loud and it gets worse."
Update from their website: May 17 Update: Hello again, Steffen, our programmer, is working very hard on our online therapy program. We've hit some snags, but I'm still hopeful that it will be up soon. If you would like to receive updates, e-mail me at shiloh@dichonics.com and put "Mailing List" in the subject line. For all you tinnitus sufferers in Amarillo, give us a call if you would like to schedule an appointment or consult, 806-331-7898, or email me with any questions: shiloh@dichonics.com. Dr. Ormson here in Amarillo will soon by conducting the initial diagnosis for our prospective patients. In the meantime, call us here at Dichonics and we'll do the intial workup. If you are more concerned with hearing loss than the ringing in your ears, you can call Dr. Ormson at 806-468-4343. We still have the paper on our success with tinnitus reduction and a glowing recommendation from one of our patients. To view the report, Click here. To read about our patient's experience, click here. ~Shiloh
Thanks, Erik! I'm still considering trying this, when they get the internet version up. Calin, thanks for the information on Dr. Dalton!
Calin - Thanks for posting this article about Dr. Dalton. What is the source of the article? This article presents Dichonics a little differently from the literature on their website. In particular the statement: "While the treatment Dalton performs at WT provides no long-term fix for tinnitus...". The Dichonics literature states that they have 75% success in canceling tinnitus. Does the canceling occur only when wearing the headphones?
I was just told that they are just about to test the online program and hope it will be available to the public in June or July, no promises though. Just depends on success of testing first.
Great! Thanks, Erik. Here's hoping they get it up and running soon. Are you going to consider trying Dichonics, too?
From the info I just got, it looks like it won't be cheap. There will be a trial available so you can try it out before you commit for $250 a session and then you can opt for a 17 month plan for under $3000 but I didn't get set price. I don't think prices have been finalized yet.
Yikes! It looks like all of these tinnitus remedies are going to be pretty costly. The Serenade sounds similar to the Dichonics, but it costs less. I think the difference between the two is that the Serenade is offered as a short-term solution to help you manage your tinnitus, while the Dichonics (for some test subjects) has actually cancelled tinnitus. Whether there is really that much difference between the two is hard to say.
Karen - I agree that it is confusing. I was also under the impression that Dichonics cancels and Soundcure does....what the heck does it do? But my audiologist sent me a paper explaining that Soundcure suppresses tinnitus, and does not mask tinnitus. Here's the link to the paper: http://www.healthaffairs.uci.edu/hesp/publications/patternedsoundtherapy_reavis.pdf The paper seems to make sense. It states that some people no longer have tinnitus after using this therapy. In principle it would seem that Soundcure, Dichonics and Acoustic CR Neromodulation may be the same types of things: Suppressors, not maskers. All very confusing. I've gone from the $50 UST (the user has no control), to making my own tone generator ($25 NCH Software, constant sound generator matching my own tinnitus), to dabbling with Tinnitus Tamer ($35, with some control, but less than the NCH tone generator), to listening to $2000 Soundcure (which my audiologist programmed).
I was told that primary relief comes when wearing the special headphones and supposedly the longer you wear it the longer the residual effect would be. Some people experience and hour of reduction, some a couple of hours and rare instances of 12 hours. Depends on the person. So I think it would really be hit and miss at this point and wouldn't take too much stock in the 70% success rate at this point. I would still be willing to try it but $250 a session is spendy for something you are not even sure will work or not.
erik - Great job finding this information. This really sheds light on how effective this treatment actually is.
Not sure if this is still an interest to anyone but update: June 25 Update: Hello again, Dr. Dalton is in Minneapolis doing a double blind study at the VA. For all of those people wanting to know how his treatment compares to a placebo, we will soon have answers. We are ever closer to having our internet program. If you would like to receive updates, e-mail me at shiloh@dichonics.com and put "Mailing List" in the subject line. For all you tinnitus sufferers in Amarillo, give us a call if you would like to schedule an appointment or consult, 806-331-7898, or email me with any questions: shiloh@dichonics.com. To view a report of our 2 year research study, Click here. To read about one of our patient's experience, click here. ~Shiloh
Does anyone know what's going on at Dichonics, Inc. these days? I'm on their mailing list, as others of you may be, to receieve updates on their progress, and I just received an E-mail from Shiloh, as follows: "Hello, everyone. I hope you all are doing well. My time at Dichonics has come to an end. If you have any questions or need to contact someone about the tinnitus program, please e-mail Dr. Dalton at ldalton@mail.wtamu.edu." I'm wondering if Dichonics is continuing their efforts to get an online program going in the near future. If you hear anything about their future plans, please update here.
