The Øreblue Method

Hello,

Has someone already tested this therapy?
http://hearing-institute-of-resources.fr/en/

How the Øreblue method works

The first phase consists of a thorough assessment which allows a patient’s symptoms to be evaluated and to determine if the ØREBLUE procedure is required.

Added to that, after being certain that the entirety of the rigorous, medical examinations have underlined factors or pathological traits which explain the occurrence of the symptom, we can commit to treatment.

It is highly pertinent, with regards to this, to be able to correlate the date of the onset of the symptom(s) with subsequent events in the patient’s life, which could highlight the nature of the stress catalyst.

A functional hearing re-adaptation program, specifically adapted to the person, is then put in place along with three scheduled working periods.

Due to the specific procedures, the re-adaptation sessions take place solely in the consulting room.

The first treatment period includes 30 re-adaptation hours, split into two-hour sessions, five times a week.

An interval of 4-6 weeks is then necessary before starting the second period of 20 hours, spread out as before, followed again by a break of 4-6 weeks.

The third and final treatment period of 20 hours allows the therapy to be consolidated (assuming that the patient has respected an appropriate noise regime.)

Sticking strictly to the ØREBLUE procedure guarantees the best results.

In this way, the ØREBLUE method is based on a personalised sensorial stimulation of the ear by which the corrective effects stimulate the central, cognitive, auditory system.

This procedure is undertaken with the help of a fully trademarked and conformant, unique hearing aid which transmits sound by the intermediary of a headset.

This auditory therapy aims to erase the inhibiting mechanisms established by the brain and thereby allowing the disabling, all-encompassing symptom(s) to be eradicated.

Remember that during treatment, the patient is accompanied by a multi-disciplinary team, ensuring complete and correct administration of the treatment.

What's more, ØREBLUE’s unique, world-leading methodology includes no medical intervention. (It is of course understood that a patient should not conceal any other medical treatment.)

 

I heard about ØREBLUE through the two most active French-speaking forums concerning tinnitus (not as active as TinnitusTalk) :
www.info-acouphenes.com
www.oreille-malade.com

http://hearing-institute-of-resources.fr/en/ claim to cure hyperacusis (in a first step) and tinnitus (in a second step).
I will say that I remain skeptical :

- Regarding the testimonials on their site : what is the value of their consignment by a notary (veracity of the remarks, legal responsibility committed in case of lie) ?

- Regarding the description of their treatment on their site, it remains laconic and fuzzy : which assessment and which criteria (thresholds) to determine if the treatment is required ?

- Regarding the efficacy of their treatment, they obviously did not test their treatment through a peer-reviewed external study.

- Finally concerning the testimonials on the french forums, the same question arises : are they fakes ? A forum member pointed out that this treatment is subject to the TVA (french tax), therefore, can not be a medical procedure. So this treatment is to be ranked at the same level (legal requirements) as food supplements.

Personally I have a manageable hyperacusis, it is the tinnitus that makes me mad. So I wait for other people to test it before I give it a try, given the exorbitant price : 6400 euros each treatment (hyperacusis then tinnitus).

 

I've actually been trying this method since yesterday... I will keep you updated on the results... I'm doing the treatment for hyperacusis first. And then my tinnitus is supposed to be attenuated according to this therapy... And if the tinnitus remains, they can treat it after the hyperacusis is treated.

 

Great! Looking forward to reading your updates.
Bonne chance!

 

Very interesting; I'll keep an eye on this, thanks for passing it along! I wonder if one would have to travel to France for it though. I'm only a short flight away but that can't be done 5 times a week

 

The therapy is long... But it seems to be effective for those that have tried it.

3 weeks: 2 hours/day.

Then a break of 4 weeks.

2 weeks: 2 hours/day.

Then a break of 4 weeks.

2 weeks: 2 hours/day.

I've done 2 days... (4 hours).

I have to be patient for the results.

 

Bonjour @AliceW

I have heard about this treatment recently. I'm very interested to hear how things are going for you. Please keep us informed.

Bonne chance

 

This morning iss the first time since my acoustic trauma that my tinnitus is lower. And after 9 sessions my hyperacusis is a little better... I'm not cured, it's really too early, but I want to believe in this therapy!

 

Hi @AliceW

Have you done an audiogram? Do you have hearing loss?

I had an acoustic trauma 14 months ago, I have hearing loss in the high frequencies. My tinnitus is very high pitched. I have hyperacusis too, although it's slightly better than it was a year ago.

I hope your treatment continues to go well, I'm interested to see how you get on.

The OB Treatment is in La Rochelle, right?

 

Yes I have had several audiograms. No hearing loss for me... I will keep you updated. I am going to my 10th session.

Yes the institute is in La Rochelle.

 

Hello!

I just finished my first session of 3 weeks. I will resume the therapy in one month.

My hyperacusis seems to be better this week.. They explained to me that I will continue to progress during this break of 4 weeks...

I am in my 9th month of pregnancy so they made me a slow program. After the break, my next session will be longer than normal (3 weeks).

I will keep you updated.

 

Hi Alice, I recently came across this method although I remain highly skeptical.

How did it go for you? Is your hyperacusis better? If so, can you please describe how your life and Loudness Discomfort Levels have improved?

Thank you.

 

@AliceW tried Lenire later so I doubt her tinnitus improved much, not sure about hyperacusis though. She kind of disappeared from the forum after getting trigeminal neuralgia while trying Lenire. I really hope she is feeling better now.

 

Evaluation of the Øreblue method in the treatment of tinnitus and hyperacusis: results of a monocentric observational effectiveness study in 74 patients.

Conclusions.
The clear improvement in patients with tinnitus and/or hyperacusis observed one month after treatment with the novel Øreblue® method suggests the effectiveness of the method to relieve tinnitus and/or hyperacusis and to improve its consequences, impaired quality of life and sleep quality. Further studies, especially multicentric studies and/or randomised studies, possibly using imaging and long-term follow-up, should be performed to strengthen these encouraging findings.

 

That's kind of vague. What pleasure mechanisms? Maybe Tinnitus Mix is not so crazy, isn't this the same thing? Who's to say they have the magic formula.

Out of 74 subjects, not bad.

Yeah it would. I probably would do it if it was near me though.

 

Is this something to get excited about? I realize her study is not highly sophisticated or peer reviewed. s this just a glorified TRT? Has anyone visited this clinic?

 

Just read they are working on a small travel device so that you do not need to go to La Rochelle in France to get the treatment.
Planned 2023

MEDIA COVERAGE AND PUBLICATIONS (hearing-institute-of-resources.fr)

Nømad Treat by Mayfair Developments | Medical device for treatment of tinnitus and hyperacusis. - YouTube

 

I don't really understand why there is not much info surrounding this, I mean according to the publication and website it's basically a proven working and effective treatment but there is hardly any discussion on it at all.

Do we have any people in France who can give it a go and report back

 

Well it is also because it is only conducted in one location in the countryside of France for the time being.
La Rochelle is not Paris, much less easy access...(despite being a very nice little city by the sea )
So it is not widely available... And the constraints are big (if I remember well you have to spend 2 or 3 times few weeks there to have daily treatment...)

I am French but haven't tried it... I am following up the development in case I want to try one day but my hyperacusis is much less an issue today... I am much more bothered by my Tinnitus and the reports we read are most of time on hyperacusis...

BTW many people in France are skeptical and query the authenticity of the reports... but it is the case with any treatment on H/T... I am not able to judge as I do not know anybody who tried it, who have been succesful or at the opposite worsened...

 

By the way, I am wondering why this topic is within the « alternative treatments » section and not in the « treatments » one.

 

There is nothing new about this method. It sounds exactly like Neuronomics and that has been out forever. This is just the usual sound therapy.... You can just listen to music and will have exactly the same effect. This is the kind of garbage that is an obstacle to any progress on tinnitus research. Yes, Oreblue discovered the wheel again.

 

Yeah it can be...
Frankly speaking I don't know... and as I said I don't know personnaly anybody who tried it.

It is supposed to be different from a standard sound therapy or just listening to music though... but to what extent?...

"Auditive rehabilitation is based on the systematisation of audio-signal processing developed by Mayfair Developments, to specifically match the patients’ hearing profile and provide a progressive and personalised rehabilitation of their hearing perception. The chosen sound is based on several audiometric measures: hearing thresholds, tinnitus pitch or frequency range, tinnitus severity, and the discomfort threshold. Patients with tinnitus and hyperacusis are treated differently, and in patients with tinnitus and hyperacusis, hyperacusis is treated before tinnitus.
An experimental device connected to a headset provides personalised sound to the patient with simultaneous air (left and right ears) and bone (vibrations) conduction in order to compensate a loss of transmission and to allow alternating or concomitant actions between bone conduction and aerial conduction, participating in the functional rehabilitation of the ear.
A qualified practitioner customizes each patient’s treatment. Based on the different measurements performed on the patients, he calculates and adjusts the filtering parameters (reduction and/or amplification of some frequencies) as well as the sound level to optimize the therapy efficiency. The aim of the frequency spectrum changes is to reverse the inappropriate cortical plasticity. For the tinnitus group, the sound treatment was determined according to the measurements of tinnitus (frequencies and intensities) and hearing thresholds. For hyperacusis, sound therapy was defined according to the zone of discomfort and hearing thresholds. The protocol is designed to stimulate the brain by treating the acoustic input as actively and pleasantly as possible, reason why the use of a filtered musical song as an auditory stimulus is preferred over a broadband ‘noise’. It has been proved that a pleasant music can initiate the dopamine release, which also promotes cortical plasticity. Music also has the advantage of being able to extend over the full spectra of audible frequencies. Emotional symptoms are treated by psychological intervention. The psychological work progresses in parallel to the auditory rehabilitation to help the patient better understand the disease, and cope with disease-related emotional disorders."


there is a facebook group dedicated to this therapy with many good reports... but how far you can trust this it is a question mark.

How much value can you grant to the already above mentionned study is also a question mark to me...
EVALUATION OF THE ØREBLUE® METHOD IN THE TREATMENT OF TINNITUS AND HYPERACUSIS: RESULTS OF A MONOCENTRIC OBSERVATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS STUDY IN 74 PATIENTS (journalofhearingscience.com)

I think we will have many more reports and will be able to draw conclusion when the travel device will be out as many more people will probably do it.