Tinnitus Help

Remedy for Tinnitus. Collaborator or Investor Proposal for Tinnitus Relief App

Executive Summary Tinnitus is the abnormal perception of sound in the absence of sound. This can take the form of ringing, buzzing, hissing, crickets, screeching, sirens, whistling, whooshing, roaring, pulsing, ocean waves, clicking, dial tones, and even music or fragments of songs. Tinnitus can occur in one or both ears and often accompanies noise-induced hearing loss, age-related hearing loss, and ototoxicity. However, many people report tinnitus without noticeable hearing loss.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control estimates that over 50 million Americans experience some form of tinnitus, 16 million of whom seek medical attention. It can cause functional impairment in thought processing, emotions, hearing, sleep, and concentration, all of which can substantially and negatively impact quality of life. Approximately 2 million people describe their symptoms as extreme and life-altering. Tinnitus is also a common disability in veterans, especially in those who have had exposure to loud noise during their time in military service. Symptoms worsen with age.

There is no cure. And there are few treatments for relief.

Mine started in 2017, and it has never gone away. I have spent thousands of hours — and thousands of dollars — devoted to finding something that will help. I’ve tried expensive supplements; videos from YouTube: thump here, pull here, listen to this, squeeze here, slap yourself like this; white noise, ping noise, waterfall, rain, river ocean, cosmic, binaural beats, spa, Tibetan flutes, high pitch, low pitch; and the list goes on. All with no results.

After years of searching, I located a soundscape that significantly lowered my tinnitus.

At a recent appointment, my doctor of more than a decade asked what I was wearing around my neck. I explained that they were bone-conduction earbuds to help relieve my tinnitus. My doctor said he also had tinnitus and asked if he could try them while he finished reviewing my lab results. He placed them around the back of his head and on his cheekbone, and I turned on the soundscape. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door, signaling my time was up. My doctor took off the earbuds, looked at me, and said, "holy shit." Immediately, hundreds of thoughts entered my mind about terminal illnesses he may have spotted in the lab results he was fixed on — wrong, thank God. He quickly apologized (I'd never heard him swear), and said, “my tinnitus is gone.” I replied, "Don't worry; it will be back.” As I left his office, my doctor said, “if you can turn that into an app, you'll be a billionaire.” Therefore, this proposal and opportunity.

I’ve played the soundscape for 13 friends/acquaintances who also have tinnitus, with 11 positive results (one with tears from relief). While it is not a cure, I use this soundscape every morning (and sometimes during the day) to “turn the tinnitus volume down” to a level that allows me to function normally.

The Product I’m looking to develop an app that can be downloaded to relieve tinnitus. As the soundscape I currently use is not music as one knows it (and is frankly unpleasant to listen to), I’m also working with composers to create music with the properties of the base soundscape in a pleasant format with many genres to choose from.

Total Addressable Market (TAM) The US Center for Disease Control estimates that over 50 million Americans experience some form of tinnitus, 16 million of whom seek medical attention. According to the National Library of Medicine, its prevalence can be between 8% and 25% of the population of the United States. Population-based studies in other nations have found a similar prevalence of tinnitus ranging from 4.6% to 30%. Using an extremely conservative 5% of the US population of 335M, the total addressable market is 16.8 million people — roughly the number of people who seek medical attention for the condition.

Competitive Analysis: There are currently no competitors.

Team Gary Young, Founder Jason Livesay and Nolan Livesay, award-winning music composers

Milestones • Collaboration with a tech company specializing in sound, vibration and resonance • Assemble a team to diagnose soundscape and create a product (music tracks and app software) • Develop go-to-market strategy and market on social media and through tinnitus blogs, communities, etc.

Final note: You’ll need proof of the claimed outcome. Assemble a group of people that have tinnitus. I’ll travel to your location (ideally in California) and show you the results.

Contact Information: Gary Young, [email protected], 805-710-0118