This study tested whether a skin patch, worn behind the ear, could help reduce tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ears) in adults. Eighty participants took part. Half wore an active patch, and half wore a patch that looked the same but had no active effect (a placebo). Neither the participants nor the researchers knew who received which patch until the study ended.
All participants also received an educational counseling session about tinnitus and how to manage it. Participants were assessed before treatment, three weeks later, about seven weeks later, and again about one year later. The researchers measured how much tinnitus affected their daily life, their sensitivity to sound, and their anxiety or mood.