_Sound masking_ is now considered one of the better techniques to
treat tinnitus.  But sound masking could have started out as what
might have been interpreted by the simple folks of the modern world as
a 'witchcraft' and might have been placed on the list of
'quackwatchers'.

It was recorded in splendid details, hundreds if not thousands of
years ago, how the tinnitus patients in China were made to sit under
large trees in hot summer days where they could listen to the
'chirping of cicadas'.  And it was discovered that patients did get
improvement on their tinnitus after such kind of 'witchcraft'
treatment.

Cicadas is an insect; the size of which is about that of our thumb.
They can be found in many parts of tropical Asia, including Australia.
When they make sound as a group, the sound is of an extremely high
pitched tone and could be heard over miles. The chirping of cicada
mimic that of the tinnitus sound.

Nowadays, we no longer need to listen to the 'chirping of cicadas', as
we have the electronic hearing aids to make the sound.  But the
principle is the same.
What started out as a 'traditional', 'alternative', 'quack/witchcraft'
practice is now being embraced by the modern medical establishment as
the 'conventional' method.

FP