Comparison of the effectiveness of music therapy and meditation on tinnitus with a smartphone

Tinnitus is the perception of sound despite the absence of an external acoustic stimulus. Patients report it as a continuous or intermittent humming, ringing, whistling, chirping, buzzing or hissing. Although a number of theories have been proposed regarding its pathophysiology, its actual cause has not been fully elucidated. Consequently, no consensus exists regarding a single therapeutical approach. Therefore, the ultimate goal is to minimize the discomfort caused by tinnitus, and if possible remove it completely, or help patients learn to adapt themselves to live with tinnitus. There are several approaches employed to minimize the adverse effects of tinnitus. Music therapy aims to generate an acoustic stimulus, decreasing tinnitus awareness in order to ensure that tinnitus is not perceived as a disturbing sound, which creates neurophysiologic habituation. Studies investigating the efficacy of meditation in the management of tinnitus, on the other hand, focused primarily on mindfulness and relaxation therapy. Studies reported that meditation reduced perceived annoyance regarding tinnitus and consequently had favourable implications in terms of depression and anxiety. Currently, there are also a number of applications that have become available with the increased use of smart phones. A number of studieshave been conducted to demonstrate that music therapy and meditation could be carried out through smart phone apps. This present study aims to compare the efficacy on tinnitus management of meditation, music therapy and meditation/music therapy combination carried out by means of an easily accessible, convenient and inexpensive downloadable smart phone app. The results of the study will be beneficial for specialists providing consultancy to patients with tinnitus in terms of choosing the most effective therapeutic approach in tinnitus management.