Sound Therapy-Based Treatment to Expand the Auditory Dynamic Range

I am excited to introduce you to this unique edition of Seminars in Hearing. Rather than a group of articles on a topic, you will find a comprehensive article outlining a recently completed study by Dr. Formby and his colleagues. This is the first study to be produced that provides a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial investigating sound therapy–based intervention to expand the auditory dynamic range. At a time when we continue to see very few randomized controlled trials in audiology, we are pleased to be able to provide you with this comprehensive report. Dr. Formby and his colleagues have used the Seminars in Hearing format so they can provide extensive details about the study including how the placebo sound generator was envisioned and created. There is an entire appendix devoted to the specifics of the placebo condition for those interested or in a position to replicate or continue this important work.

I think you'll find the study results interesting and the authors' discussion compelling. There is information you can incorporate into your clinical practice Monday morning. I found the topic relevant to my clinical practice in that I continue to struggle with patients on a weekly basis who clearly need amplification but cannot tolerate it due to reduced tolerance for loud sounds. How remarkable if we could actually offer a treatment that moves these individuals toward successful amplification use. I believe that areas like sound therapy can address specific auditory concerns and that audiologists will continue to find their niche, providing services to patients that cannot be replaced by big box stores and direct to consumer marketing and sales. This is where you need a well-trained audiologist—how exciting for us and important for our patients. I'm pleased that Seminars in Hearing continues to go to students at no charge, because this is new information that needs to be incorporated into educational programs.

For our researchers, Dr. Formby and colleagues make it clear that there is a lot more work to be done. I think you will find this report helpful in guiding next steps and opening doors to considering how we can create placebo controls in studies to have much more compelling, interpretable results. Dr. Formby's group has raised the bar in terms of the quality of research we will expect in auditory treatment studies.

Sincerely,