Educators, medical experts see potential dangers in i-dosing

By Staff Writer

A school district in Oklahoma has banned iPods and also sent warning letters to parents concerning a recent trend called i-dosing.

NBC news affiliate WPTV reports that more and more teenagers are experimenting with i-dosing, which is the act of listening to repetitive beats or musical rhythms through a set of headphones, creating different sounds in each ear. Many adolescents say that the sounds produce a euphoric feeling and cause a mind-altering high similar to the effects of marijuana and cocaine.

The news provider says that the creator of i-doser.com, a website that sells audio sounds, claimed that the act is completely safe. A neurology doctor said that there needs to be more research to determine if i-dosing can cause harm in children. He did say, however, that children with epilepsy could be presented with an event that may induce a seizure.

A psychologist in Alabama agreed that it could cause a seizure, likening i-dosing to staring at a strobe light for an extended period of time, according to Fox affiliate WBRC. He said that just because something is legal does not make it a smart idea. He added that the different frequencies of sound going into an individual's ear can alter brain waves and consciousness.