Dichonics Inc.

The first paragraph is Dr. Dalton's description of the tinnitus therapy. It may sound like Greek to some of you-it is primarily intended for other doctors of audiology. If you want a description in simpler terms, skip the the next paragraph.

"Prior to administering the DICHONICS paradigm an audiological diagnosis must be carried out by a certified or licensed hearing specialist.  These data are entered into the DICHONICS program as the entry point for further procedures that measure recruitment of loudness, abnormal tone decay and certain central auditory processing characteristics to be used in the tinnitus cancellation process. The DICHONICS^{©TM (patent pending)} program can be either delivered as traditional audiometric procedures by the hearing specialist or by the use of computer-controlled classical psychophysical procedures interfaced directly with the patient. In either situation a set of stimulus parameters are generated that are unique to each patient yielding a specific prescription for that patient. Once the prescription is determined the hearing professional has a four option matrix that can be used in the dispensing process." ~Dr. Dalton         

Dichonics offers a tinnitus therapy consisting of a complex sound wave that changes the plasticity of the auditory system, thereby reducing or canceling the tinnitus. I realize that most of you have not gone through seven years of schooling for communications and speech therapy like Dr. Dalton has, so let me put it this way. The sound we have playing over our headsets is specifically modified to suit your tinnitus. While that sound is playing, it is training the auditory system to deal with the tinnitus and make it quiet down. The therapy is conducted at a neurological level-it's like sending a knight (the sound wave) into the castle (your brain) to fight the evil dragon (your tinnitus). Everyone's "dragon" is different, so everyone needs a custom "knight".

Here are the steps to our procedure:

Audiological Workup

First we need an audiogram. This gives us the information we need on what frequencies you can hear at what volume. The doctor may want a tympanogram to make sure the inner ear is not damaged.

Initial Evaluation

This is where the knight comes in. We will have you put on a pair of headsets and listen to a sound. We'll ask you some questions so we can modify the sound to your individual prescription. It may take a couple of tries to reduce or cancel the tinnitus. Some people will not reduce during the first session. It may take weeks, or even months, for a patient to notice a difference in their tinnitus.

Additional Therapy

After the initial evaluation, there will be two consecutive days of therapy sessions. These sessions are about an hour long each and are included in the cost of the initial evaluation.

After the Therapy

Once you've completed the initial therapy, you have two options. You can either come into the office for additional therapy sessions, or you can buy the product to take home with you. The dispensing options are described below.

If you want more information on this process, call me at 806-331-7898 or e-mail me at shiloh@dichonics.com.

~Shiloh

The Headsets Used for Dichonics Procedure