So what's the deal here?

Forgive the length of this post but I thought this might be of interest.

One of the boys came home last week and told me about a new drug going around school. Not your typical snort it, smoke it, swallow it kind of drug. Instead, a digital drug.

What are those you ask? I asked the same and he wasn't quite sure. "Some kind of sound thing you listen to and it makes you feel like you're on drugs"

Hmmm, so I did a little research and here is what I found -

Mind alteration through combinations of binaural beats and tones.
Based on a scientifc theory that's been around since 1839 and has been used for meditation, relaxation, or self-hypnosis.

There are many articles about binaural beats and you can get the basics here but what it boils down to is this - when two different tones are played in opposite ears, a beating sensation is created in the brain. This beating sensation is the effect of the conflicting electrical signals in your brain’s wiring. Stereo headphones are a necessity when trying to experience binaural beats because they allow a different frequency to be played in each ear. In experiments over the last century, binaural beats have been shown to create different states of consciousness within an individual. These states of consciousness are the result of different brain waves that can be induced in a person’s psyche through the beats.

I've gathered, through brief research on the net, there are those that support this theory and those that say it is bunk and has just a "placebo" effect.

I found a few websites who offer CDs of binaural beats as sleep aids, stress relief, and smoking cessation aids.

and then there is I-Doser

I-Doser markets these binaural beats and tones as "drugs"

To name a few-
Anesthesia
Cocaine
Crystal Meth
Ecstasy
Heroin
Marijuana

And there are other, non drug related, beats available-
lucid dreaming
french roast
orgasm

You purchase and download your "high" of choice from I-Doser.
You can also purchase CDs of multiple doses.
Grab your MP3 or CD player, plug in your headphones and listen to the binaural beats/tones, supposedly getting "high" from whatever "drug" you are listening to.

I-Doser lets their users know (on their FAQ page) that "I-Doser has received many emails from users who have had great experiences enhancing their recreational drug taking with doses supplied with I-Doser"

GREAT.

they also tell you how to make your "high" last longer and how to intensify the effects.

AND they provide testimonials:

"play the demerol just before bed, it writes you off!! fire alarm went off for about a hour and i couldnt move amazin experience, just paralyses me to the bed! word of warning to everyone else be careful when your on it"

YIKES! not what I'd want my teenager experiencing.

So does anyone have any thoughts, feedback or insight into this?

Is this just hype or is it something parents should be concerned about?

I'm still digging.