Do you have hearing loss and refuse to wear hearing aids?
Do you already wear hearing aids and are wondering if there’s more you can do to improve your hearing?
Or maybe your hearing is very important to you and you want to maintain strong hearing?
If this is you or you know someone these questions apply to, then keep reading.
There is an app, called AudioCardio, designed to strengthen your hearing.
As an audiologist, it is easy to be skeptical about this because we know that the hair cells that are in our inner ear, and are responsible for detecting sounds, don’t regrow once they are damaged. These damaged hair cells cause a sensorineural type of hearing loss, which is permanent. However, AudioCardio claims that their sound therapy can stimulate the hearing cells enough to actually get them firing again so that they are detecting sounds they didn’t before.
What is AudioCardio?
AudioCardio works by continuously and repeatedly stimulating the hearing cells, recreating an action potential from that cell so that the sound can once again be heard. The stimulation uses their patented “Threshold Sound Conditioning” technology.
The name AudioCardio is “physical therapy for your hearing” and comes from the idea of this repetition of the exercise like you would in a cardio exercise or physical therapy.
Who is AudioCardio for?
AudioCardio is for anyone with sensorineural hearing loss but that has better than 70 dB hearing thresholds from 1000-12000 Hz. A 70 dB hearing loss or greater is a severe hearing loss, so it is unlikely that you have greater than 70 dB thresholds and are unaware of it. If you have a severe hearing loss then this app is not for you.
AudioCardio is for people with or without hearing aids. You can use this app in conjunction with your hearing aids if you already wear hearing aids or are planning on getting them. Hearing aid patients should have mono audio turned off when using AudioCardio – this can be found in the audio/video settings of your phone.
An unexpected benefit that AudioCardio has seen is a reduction in some users’ tinnitus. Therefore, AudioCardio is not only used for hearing loss but also for those with tinnitus in the frequency range of 1000-12000 Hz. This is the higher frequency range, so if you would describe your tinnitus as a high pitch then your tinnitus is likely in this range. Tinnitus users should be able to differentiate the assessment tones from their tinnitus tones and should be sure they can’t hear the sound therapy during the sessions.
AudioCardio is best for:
- Someone with a slight up to a moderately-severe sensorineural hearing loss in one ear or both ears.
- Someone who wears hearing aids
- Someone who doesn’t wear hearing aids
- Someone with high-pitched tinnitus
- Someone who has “normal” hearing but still has trouble hearing in some situations
How does AudioCardio work?
Steps for Using AudioCardio:
- Put on your headphones or earbuds
- Take the initial hearing assessment using the app
- Pick a time each day to do 60 minutes of the sound therapy while wearing your headphones or earbuds
- After 1 week of sound therapy, retake the assessment
- Continue doing the sound therapy for 30 days, retaking your assessment each week or if you begin to notice the sound therapy signal
To get started with AudioCardio you will take the hearing assessment in a very quiet room using your own headphones. During the hearing assessment you can turn on noise cancelling if your headphones or earbuds have that feature. It should be noted that you should use the same headphones throughout the entire AudioCardio assessment and sound therapy process. If you get different headphones then you should retake the assessment with those headphones before continuing your sound therapy sessions.
To take the hearing assessment, you are following the instructions on the screen to find the level of sound that is just below audible. The assessment will take you 2-3 minutes to complete.
Once you have your hearing score, you can start the sound therapy sessions. During the sound therapy sessions, you should not hear anything. The sound therapy is at a level below your measured hearing thresholds. The sound therapy will automatically start at the most damaged frequency ranges/ear based on the hearing assessment.
The sound therapy sessions are a passive activity, meaning you do not need to pay attention to it at all. You can do other activities and listen to other things at the same time, even while falling asleep, watching TV etc. The assessment needs to be done in quiet but the sound therapy does not. The app gives you the ability to connect to some of your music apps, like Spotify, right through the app. You can also go between apps while the sound therapy is running, as long as your don’t completely close out the AudioCardio app.
When should I use AudioCardio?
The sound therapy should be done 60 minutes per day for 30 days before moving to another frequency range to target. The assessment should be redone at the minimum once/week or when sound therapy becomes noticeable.
What does the research say about AudioCardio?
A double-blind randomized control trial with Stanford University showed that over 75% of people using the AudioCardio app showed a significant improvement in their hearing in 3 weeks. A significant improvement was considered a 10dB improvement or more.
They do not yet have a longitudinal study proving that the hearing improvements continue long-term.
Dr Hearing Loss AudioCardio App Review
Getting a patient to stick with a hearing loss care plan is a challenge for audiologists, so the ability for AudioCardio to be done in the background while doing or listening to other things is a major pro. It can even be done while sleeping, so it will not take up anyone’s time where they could be doing something else. If there is any concern with finding 60 minutes/day to wear headphones and play the sound therapy, then I would recommend getting a comfortable pair of earbuds to wear at night so it can be done consistently while falling asleep.
While at this point there is still no way to reverse hearing loss, a 10dB improvement in hearing (seen on AudioCardio’s Stanford study) can be a significant improvement in hearing ability. Especially if that 10dB improvement is seen at frequencies that are critical for speech intelligibility, around the 1000-6000 Hz range.
AudioCardio was not initially created as a solution for tinnitus but some people with tinnitus have reported an improvement in their tinnitus from using the app. It probably wouldn’t be the first thing I would recommend for a tinnitus patient but AudioCardio may be an option for someone who has tinnitus that has not found sufficient relief from other forms of tinnitus management options.
Overall, we think that AudioCardio may be a great alternative for those with hearing loss or tinnitus that have been unsuccessful with other management options.
If you would like to discuss your hearing loss and/or tinnitus to see if AudioCardio may be the best option for you, schedule a consult with us using the button below.
Schedule AppointmentHow much does AudioCardio cost?
There is a 2-week free trial for everyone. There are two subscription options: Basic and Pro.
The Basic subscription is $9.99/month and provides the therapy for 5 frequency bands, stimulating 1 frequency/ear at a time.
The Pro subscription has 3 price options to choose from:
- $99.99 annual plan
- $64.99 for 6 months
- $14.99 for 1 month
In the Pro version, the stimulation occurs for 8 frequency bands instead of 5, stimluation 2 frequencies/ear instead of 1. The Pro version is designed to see results faster.
Where can I get AudioCardio?
You can get started with AudioCardio by going to their website by clicking here and selecting “Start Free Trial” in the top right. From there you will create an account. Dr Hearing Loss readers can receive 10% off their subscription (which won’t take effect until after the 2-week free trial) using code DRHL10.
Once you have created your account with AudioCardio, download the app from the Google Play or Apple store, login with the same credentials used to create the account on the website and you’re ready to start your first assessment!
If you are unsure whether AudioCardio is right for you, schedule an online consult with us using the link below.
Schedule Appointment
Leave a Reply