The technique to treat ringing in the ears, the troubling condition known as tinnitus, uses nervous system stimulation to "rewire" parts of the brain, Newsmax Health reports. 

"Tinnitus affects nearly 24 million adult Americans,"  Dr. James Battey Jr., direstor of U.S. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) said in a government news release. "It is also the number one service-connected disability for returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan."

During therapy, patients hear a series of single-frequency tones through headphones. At the same time, stimulation is delivered to the vagus nerve, which runs from the head and neck to the abdomen. When stimulated, the vagus nerve releases chemicals that can rewire the brain, the researchers explained in the news release.