Sage Otolaryngology

This podcast highlights original research published in the May 2015 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, the official journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Foundation. Editor in chief John Krouse is joined by lead author Lauren Roland and associate editor Meredith Adams in discussing mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy for tinnitus.   Tinnitus is a common problem that affects millions of patients on a chronic basis.  In general there have been few treatment options for patients with tinnitus, and symptoms can be frustrating and debilitating for many individuals.  In this paper, the authors utilize a therapeutic method that includes a cognitive-behavioral approach with planned meditation to reduce stress among patients.  They were able to not only facilitate reduction in bother from tinnitus among a single group of selected patients, but also demonstrated changes in neural connectivity on functional MRI that suggested some adaptation to tinnitus