Health & Fitness

Dr. Alfred Tomatis
If you or your child suffers from any disorder related to brain activity or how the brain processes information, you should know about Dr. Alfred Tomatis. Born in Paris, young Alfred grew up to be an otolaryngologist, or ear, nose, and throat doctor. Intrigued by the study of occupational noise, he began doing research on how noise affects the voice and hearing.

Not long after he began this study did the good doctor find that certain aspects of perceptual hearing are directly related to vocal expression. He found that restoring the ability to hear a sound was directly related to the ability to perceive and comprehend sound on a larger scale. As we all know reading and comprehension are all related to the ability to interpret sound into the logical systems we know as words. The method developed by the award-winning physician are widely used for treatment of many issues associated with learning disabilities.

The Brain and Perceptual Hearing
The Tomatis method is the system upon which much research on how the brain is activated and processes information is based. This method has become a widely used treatment for not only those suffering from learning disabilities, but epilepsy and a treatment for Down Syndrome and other developmental disorders.

The brains activity is greatly stimulated by hearing. By playing varying frequencies in the ears of his patients, the Parisian physician was able to strengthen the inner ear by causing its muscles to contract and relax while the brain processes the frequencies of the sounds. In effect, patients found themselves with improved listening and comprehension, as well as increased energy due to the residual normalized stimulation to the brain.

The Benefits of Tomatis Treatment
For many people who live each day with developmental disorders and brain impairments, Tomatis treatment is a way of life. Born in France in 1920, Dr. Alfred Tomatis was an ear, nose, throat doctor obsessed with learning about occupational noise and its effects on those exposed to its hazards. In his studies, he made several discoveries about how hearing relates to sound perception and learning. From his studies the Tomatis treatment was born.

Those afflicted with learning disabilities, Down Syndrome, epilepsy, and other disorders that compromise brain activity and processing have found the Tomatis method to be a life enhancing treatment. Without the use of drugs and surgery, the Tomatis method of listening to modulated sound frequencies has proven to relieve many of the symptoms associated with these disorders. In fact, many celebrities and prominent social figures have found success using Tomatis sound therapy.

How It Works
Tomatis first began his study of how the brain perceives sound when his father, an opera singer, told Tomatis that over time many singers find it difficult to vocalize certain sounds later in their careers. Tomatis found that deafness to certain high frequency pitches was a common hazard of the profession. Through research and study he deduced that the ability to hear a sound is directly related to being able to vocalize it. By re-training the ear to hear certain sounds by strengthening the inner ear muscle he was able to restore vocalization to the group of singers he studied.

Tomatis further concluded that not being able to comprehend sound is what causes learning disabilities and comprehension issues in many. He used his technique of sound therapy to stimulate the muscles in the right ear for further stimulation of the right brain. This is the brains hemisphere used for language processing. With this strategy Tomatis patients experienced better listening and comprehension for easier learning. Today, Tomatis sound therapy is used by professionals everywhere in the form of audio tapes and CDs which stimulate brain activity and train the right hemisphere to comprehend without impairment.

Tomatis Therapy
Tomatis therapy is actually sound therapy. Dr. Alfred Tomatis developed the use of sound to stimulate right brain activity in patients who had difficulty comprehending language and replicating sound. Some of his first studies were performed on singers who found themselves with pitch difficulties in their advanced careers. Dr. Tomatis interest in the area was only natural as his father was an opera singer and he was an ear, nose, and throat physician.

Tomatis therapy uses sound frequencies to target the inner ear muscles. The frequencies target the muscles of the ear that transmit to the right brain which is specific to language perception and sound comprehension. Little did Dr. Tomatis know that when he began his study that he would further revolutionize treatment for the learning and developmentally disabled.

Availability of Tomatis Method
When Alfred Tomatis first began is therapy method he used rudimentary devices for strengthening the inner ear muscles. Initially, Dr. Tomatis used the foot pedal of an old sewing machine to regulate the sound frequencies released to a patients ears. He found that the starting and stopping motion of the sound produced a tensing and relaxing of the ear muscle leading to its strengthening. Just as we work the other muscles in our body for strength through training, Dr. Tomatis was providing the same training for the internal ear.

Dr. Tomatis still has many supporters and converts to his method of sound therapy as treatment for brain impairment. At one time the only way to receive the benefits of Dr. Tomatis revolutionary treatments was to travel to France to one of his centers. Today, with the help of new technology in recording media, a compact disc mastered to recreate the treatments therapy is in wide use throughout the world.

What Causes the Need for Tinnitus Treatment
As with any bodily disorder, diagnosing tinnitus is necessary before any tinnitus treatment can be administered. Tinnitus is not one of the many disorders that we hear about in the news on a regular basis. This is because tinnitus is rarely called by its technical name derived from Latin meaning to tinkle like a bell. While most simply know the disorder as consistent ringing in the ears, tinnitus describes any consistent sound heard int he ears. For some it is a roar or swishing noise like that of a conch shell. For the millions of individuals affected by the illness, it can be debillitating.

Tinnitus has a variety of causes. One of the most common is due to the ears exposure to loud noises over a period of time. Another is the build up of wax in the ear. This cause can usually be relieved by draining the wax as done by a medical professional. Still, some experience the symptoms of tinnitus due to other medical issues or medications associated with these issues. Head and neck injury is often a culprit of tinnitus as well.

Available Tinnitus Treatment
Though tinnitus is linked to many apparent causes, there are still varied theories as to how the ear is actually affected. The most common belief is that a person with tinnitus has experienced damage to the inner ear muscles that receive sound. The two tiny muscles in the inner ear are very delicate and once weakened will not perform properly and may lead to the complications associated with tinnitus.

Sound therapy is one way to strengthen the inner ear muscles for increased brain activity, which may decrease the symptoms of tinnitus. Sound therapy actually reintroduces the brain to high frequency pitches while building the inner ear muscles. For many who experience the life altering pain of tinnitus, sound therapy has been their saving grace.

New Treatments Tinnitus Cannot Outlast
Overcoming the extremely painful symptoms means targeting new treatments tinnitus cannot withstand. Millions suffer from this disorder which is characterized by a ringing in the ears. For millions of humans, worldwide, tinnitus is compromising lives and even prevents living a quality life in approximately two million individuals.

New treatments tinnitus will encounter include therapy and for those more inclined toward clinical procedure and pharmaceutical treatment, medications and surgery. In the past physicians have prescribed a variety of medications to treat tinnitus. Some have been successful and others have not. Some of these treatments include muscle relaxers and tranquilizers which are unfortunately followed by a series of side effects. Still, other patients have opted for surgery, which tends to be invasive and may not eliminate the problem.

Natural Alternatives in Tinnitus Treatments
Many believe various herbs and leading a stress-free life are the best natural alternatives in tinnitus treatment. Others still, have chosen hypnotherapy as a means to relieve the symptoms. One of the most effective therapies in tinnitus treatment is audio integration therapy, or sound therapy.

Sound therapy works to tone muscles in the inner ear for better sound reception. Developed by Dr. Alfred Tomatis, sound therapy provides increased frequency recognition, brain activity and comprehension of language. It has not only been utilized in treating tinnitus, but also epilepsy and learning disorders.