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News: Do skin patches work for tinnitus?

Do skin patches work for tinnitus?

Do skin patches work for tinnitus?

07/09/2017 - Ethics, Hearing loss, Tinnitus, Treatment

Channel 7 News recently ran a story on the Antinitus skin patch from Sweden that makes claims to relieve symptoms of tinnitus. Do they work?

It seems this story has captured the imagination of sufferers of tinnitus and we can understand why. Tinnitus can be a debilitating disorder and while there is no cure, there are some treatment options available but these treatments have different benefits for everyone. So a new treatment that appears to offer relief will always be in high demand.

Firstly, we have to state that we are sceptical about its benefits and reported success rate. But we can not rule out that it may work, for whatever reason, for some people.

So, let’s take a closer look at what the Antinitus patch is. Here is the description provided by Antinitus:

Antinitus® is a patch designed to reduce discomfort from tinnitus.* It contains a unique microscopic raster, which, with the help of incident visible and thermal light, creates a regular and organised fractal light. In contact with fractal light, water molecules in biological tissues adopt a more coherent state. This Akloma® technology is used in the patch as a non-invasive and passive medical device with a high level of safety.

The hypothesis is that an elevated reorganisation of water in the biological environment may modulate the chaotic audio loops in the auditory system that represent the various conscious sound experiences that we call tinnitus and hence provide relief. There is a great deal to investigate in respect of how this works in exact terms. The overall aim is to develop a deeper understanding of tinnitus and provide better help for those suffering from tinnitus.

* The effect may vary, according to clinical studies more than 50% experience relief.

We are sceptical that ‘reorganisation of water’ using ‘fractal light’ in your body can a) be done and b) have any impact on tinnitus. Also note that Antinitus is still calling this a hypothesis.

However, Antinitus claims that clinical studies show more than 50% of people trialling the patch experience relief. That result appears to come from their first clinical study which had 12 participants.

In a second clinical study approximately 50% of people (out of 100) reported improvement to varying degrees while approximately 30% reported a worsening and 20% no effect.

It is always difficult to assign cause and effect to a treatment for a condition we know is affected by many different factors. We stand by our scepticism but acknowledge there are people reporting success while using this treatment.

As we have stated, we are sceptical about their efficacy and until we have clinical evidence to show they work for our patients we find it hard to recommend them. However, due to the media coverage they have received in a news channel we have received quite a few enquiries to see if we can supply them. They are available online but we highly recommend that before trialling any remedy it is always best to get your tinnitus evaluated by one of Clarity’s tinnitus specialist audiologists so you can discuss, and be informed about, your full range of treatment and management options. That’s why if you do wish to trial them we will supply them but urge you to trial them in conjunction with assessment and monitoring from your audiologist.

If you would like you can request an appointment today.

Request an appointment today!


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