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Research Study: A quantitative study on the effect of Sound Therapy on hearing loss

Participants are sought for a research study to examine the efficacy of Joudry Sound Therapy for hearing loss.

Aim

The aim of this study is to determine whether the Joudry Sound Therapy listening program offers a measurable improvement in hearing function. A measurable improvement would be one identifiable via differences in an audiogram taken before the listening program commences versus one taken at the completion of the therapy.

Background

Anecdotal evidence from clinical case studies suggests that Sound Therapy based on the Tomatis Method, devised by ENT specialist Alfred Tomatis, may be beneficial in rectifying hearing loss. In a survey undertaken by Sound Therapy International from 1991 to 1994, 56% of 123 respondents who used Joudry Sound Therapy for hearing loss reported that they had experienced an improvement.

Despite the number of positive reports about the effectiveness of Sound Therapy in restoring hearing function, there does not appear to have been much research undertaken in this area. Research into the efficacy of the Tomatis Method has primarily concentrated on language and developmental disorders (Van Jaarsveld, 1973; Van Jaarsveld, 1974; Van Wyk, 1974; De Bruto, 1980; Gilmor, 1982; Rourke & Russel, 1982; Wilson et al, 1982; De Bruto 1983; Stutt, 1983; Weiss, 1985; Bell, 1991; Rintel & Rintel 1995; Gilmor 1999), and while in all these studies the success of therapy has been attributed to improving listening, only one study to date appears to have tested actual improvements in hearing (Economou & Evangelopoulou 2001).

To date, the efficacy of Sound Therapy in specifically reversing hearing loss has primarily been based on anecdotal evidence and the subjective perceptions of people using Sound Therapy. Few people have had their hearing retested after using Sound Therapy to quantify what improvement they have received. This study will evaluate any changes in hearing function via an audiogram taken by a qualified audiologist.

Method

A minimum of 30 participants with hearing loss will be sought to participate for a total of 11 weeks.

Subjects will use the Joudry Sound Therapy Basic Music Kit listening program, a program of classical music which has been filtered by the Electronic Ear so that the ear is presented with alternating frequencies, on a Sony CD Walkman and Sennheiser PMX60 headphones. All listeners will follow the same listening program (i.e. listening to the CDs for the same length of time and in the same order).

The listening program will be used for four hours a day over a period of 11 weeks. At the end of each day, subjects will log how many hours they have used the program, the volume of the music, and any observations about their hearing.

Evaluation

An audiogram will be taken before and after the listening program.

A questionnaire will also be used before and after the program to gauge if any perceived changes in hearing match changes reflected in an audiogram.

Cost to Participants

This study is not receiving external funding, so there will be a $650 charge to participants, payable at the first interview, to cover some of the costs of the equipment and hearing tests (worth over $1,000 in total).

Participants will receive:

And on successful completion of the study, participants will receive a bonus Mozart Gala Sound Therapy CD worth $110 as a thank you.