Category: General Information on Meniere’s Disease / Syndrome

Categories
General Information on Meniere's Disease / Syndrome Meniere's Disease and Nutrition Meniere's Disease Triggers & Causes

Pregnancy and Meniere’s Disease

How can Pregnancy impact Meniere’s disease?

After over 12 years of supporting Meniere’s sufferers and receiving over 7,000 emails related to Meniere’s it has dawned on me in hindsight the amount of mails we have received from women whose symptoms started during pregnancy or just after giving birth.

It would seem, pregnancy and female hormonal changes can have a very real impact on Meniere’s disease.

Living with Meniere’s is hard enough for anyone but to a pregnant woman or a new mother having to give up sleep and take care of her new born it must be horrendous. If you are one of those unfortunate people, God only knows how you manage, especially if you are a single mom with no help.

I decided to do a search on the subject to find out more and see if we can shed light on this subject and help you more.

As far as clinical studies go they are few and far between but the initial results on google show a lot of messages on blogs and forums from expectant and new mothers. There is obviously a significant link here being missed.

Pregnancy and Meniere’s disease – Studies:

A 1997 study published in Journal for Otorhinolaryngoly and its Related Specialities stated the following:

“Vertigo attacks increased up to 10 times per month during early pregnancy. As pregnancy proceeded, the serum osmolality normalized and the vertigo attacks decreased in frequency. The vertigo attacks were treated by oral isosorbide and intramuscular injection of low-dose diazepam. The coincidence of the decline in osmolality with the increase in vertigo attacks points to serum osmolality as a possible factor in the effect of pregnancy on Ménière’s disease”

In this study carried out in Japan [The possible effect of pregnancy on Ménière’s disease.] it was aimed at women already suffering from Meniere’s before pregnancy but clearly shows pregnancy has an effect.

In a Polish study published on PubMed.Com [Sudden sensorineural hearing loss during pregnancy] it focused on one case of an otherwise healthy expectant mother who suddenly suffered sensorineural hearing loss, one symptom of Meniere’s.

The study stated:

“It has been hypothesized that hearing loss may be associated with increased activation of both blood coagulation and fibrinolysis (‘hypercoagulable state’) which occurs during normal pregnancy.

This state may lead to vascular occlusion in the microcirculation of the inner ear by microemboli. It’s necessary to take certain predisposing factors into consideration as fluid and sodium retention, emotional instability, situation anxiety, viral and allergic changes. It’s essential to conduct a more detailed diagnosis to exclude some organic disorders as otosclerosis, Meniere’s disease with non-typical course, especially those which are dangerous for pregnant women’s life–preeclampsia-eclampsia and hypertension.”

Blood flow, stress, viral and allergic factors are all connected to Meniere’s. But why would pregnancy bring such symptoms. Perhaps as the Japanese study suggests, blood or is it hormonal as another study on pubmed shows sensorineaural improvements during pregnancy. Hormonal irregularities can cause blood issues.

At the other end of the hormonal scale, a quick search for Meniere’s in Menopausal women threw up a lot more results. The instances of menopausal women suffering from Meniere’s and other conditions with vertigo symptoms were legion. What I was looking for was connections to the endocrine system and estrogen as this is a factor I have written about before.

The link I was looking at was how hormonal changes affecting the immune system can bring on Meniere’s.

A 2006 study shows that estrogen possibly plays a role in ear health. In the study in Acta Oto-Laryngologica it states:

“Hearing loss is more profound in elderly males than females (females have more estrogen). There are also well-known sex differences in the auditory brainstem responses in males and females.

Menopausal women who are administered hormone replacement therapy have slightly better hearing than those who are not, and women with Turner’s syndrome, who are biologically estrogen-deficient.

In animal experiment they showed: When boosted with estrogen or testosterone the non-reproductive female midshipman fish alters its inner ear auditory mechanism so that it can hear the male’s hum-like call.

If an estrogen receptor is knocked out in mice, severe progressive hearing loss occurs, leading to early deafness.

In apparent contradiction to these findings, there have been case reports suggesting that hormone replacement therapy and oral contraceptive use can lead to hearing loss, but of another type, namely acute sudden deafness. Such contradictory aspects of the action of estrogen are commonly found and may spring from the fact that there are two estrogen receptors, ? and ?, both of which are present in the inner ear of mice, rats and humans. Knowing how sex steroids can alter hearing ability may give important clues as to how estrogen can preserve hearing in humans”

The details of this study may not seem immediately clear to the Meniere’s sufferer. But for woman in pregnancy it may show there is a direct link to hormonal changes ear health and ultimately Meniere’s.

Meniere’s can lead to a very lonely existence where people around you have no idea what you are going through. For expectant or new mothers this must be very hard to deal with indeed.

Messages from Pregnant Meniere’s sufferers

From babycenter.com:

“I have Meniere’s and this is my 3rd pregnancy.  Have not had attacks during the previous two, and so far, none during this one.  However, I have definitely had more spells of lightedness/dizziness but not full on vertigo attacks, thank goodness.  I am 36 now, so I’m not sure if age has something to do with the increase in dizziness spells or not.  Had no issues whatsover with previous two pregnancies.  I’m 13 weeks now.”

“I have Meniere’s and am only 7 weeks with my second.  I was getting much better before I got pregnant, and I think it was because I was off the pill.  I’ve done a lot of research on hormones and Meniere’s.  Apparantly, being pregnant/nursing can really affect your symptoms.  Mine are twice as bad as they were just a few months ago.  I’m terrified that my pregnancy is going to be miserable again.  

My first preg. was bad, lots of attacks.  I nursed for a year and struggled through it.  I’m now gluten free (it helps!) and doing physical therapy to retrain my vestibular system. “

“i have a 4 month old (typing with one-hand) and am now starting to have symptoms again after a problem-free pregnancy (no vertigo and little tinnitus). i suspect, for me, my lack of menieres symptoms was related to increased pregnancy hormones. thus, i am researching trying to mimic that pregnancy-hormone-cocktail through birth control or hormone therapy. i am in the process of looking for an otolarynologist in san francisco who is open to trying out this idea. i have seen posts where women with menieres have controlled their symptoms by staying on birth control and minimizing any large fluctuations in hormones.”

“For my first pregnancy, I didn’t experience any symptoms (other than I noticed I was suffering from hearing loss). Not even during nursing, did I experience any. My second, I experienced symptoms AFTER my daughter was born…during the nursing phase. Now, with my third, I have had the most gruelling pregnancy ever in terms of MD. Everyday its a struggle for me. I am constantly “checking” my awareness, my “fogginess”. I get waves of “I think I am about to have an attack” throughout the day. I worry not to turn my head to quickly. It’s gotten pretty bad, so much so that my doctor wrote a note for my husband’s work to let him work from home so I wont be alone. So for me, with each pregnancy it gets worse. I am still on low sodium, but no dyazide. I started taking zofran on the onset of an attack, and I’ve noticed it helps reduce the nausea, but of course not the vertigo. So I’ve noticed a quicker recovery time as a result (from a 4-6 hour attack to about 2 hours). I wonder if the influx of more estrogen could be a factor, seeing as though I had a girl last time, and now this time in which I experienced MD? “

“I follow an extremely strict low sodium diet (<1500 mg/day). I use only organic produce, no canned/boxed/jarred or processed food of any kind. I eat very little meat (2-3 times a week) and I only eat local organic grassfed beef–no hormones or antibiotics. I eat a lot of beans (dry not canned) as well as fresh or roasted vegetables. I also only drink water–no soda, coffee, tea of any kind even if it is decaf or diet. All the chemicals exacerbate my symptoms. I make my own bread and most things from scratch omitting salt in recipes or subbing for a low sodium option. I’ve followed this diet for about a year. It was working pretty well (better than most meds ever did at least) until I got pregnant. I’ve been super sick again and I lost about 15 pounds the first part of my pregnancy. I’m just now breaking even at 19 weeks :-/ I can’t drive or ride in a car without vomiting. I feel like a hermit 🙁 Diet is likely the only thing that has kept me from being confined strictly to bed verses the fact that I can sit for a large part of the day without problems. Feel free to PAN me anytime :)”

“I have Meniere’s and have 6 weeks left till our due date. It has been a challenging process as I was just diagnosed with Meniere’s a month before expecting so there has been a lot of new and adjusting.

My first trimester was really tough and I had frequent vertigo episodes— daily— then in the 2nd trimester I went a few weeks a time without any, and now I back to daily vertigo episodes. It is tough but survivable. The hardest things is the unpredictability and being scared.

Just decided to stay home a lot, getting behind the wheel is a definite no right now. It is challenging and scary at times. Hoping it decreases after birth so I can be present for the little one.

I have used acupuncture, hypnosis, chiropractor, yoga, meditation and tried a bit of everything to lessen the severity. Not much you can do while pregnant. Some doctor’s say medicine is ok, it is up to you. We all have different beliefs, I chose to stop medication while pregnant.

Being relaxed and safe is the best way to get through it. Good luck. Oh and all I know from the research is everyone is different so be positive and maybe pregnancy will correct yours.”

Hormonal Changes During Pregnancy

The hormonal and physiologic changes during pregnancy are unique in the life of women. Pregnant women experience sudden and dramatic increases in estrogen and progesterone, as well as changes in the amount and function of a number of other hormones.

Given that imbalances, disorders and dysfunctions in the metabolism, endocrine system and thyroid (which are all connected) have been linked to the onset of Meniere’s symptoms, is it not possible that the hormonal changes that a pregnant woman goes through may result in the same thing. Given the multitude of other contributing factors in each individual that can compound, speed up or even help avoid the onset of Meniere’s, looking at hormone balance would be a very good place to start.

At Meniere’s Help we try to offer natural solutions as much as possible, through nutrition in foods and safe, clean supplementation.

Re-balancing your hormones may help a great deal in your body correcting its endocrine and immune system and rid you of the source of your Meniere’s symptoms.

The 10 best herbs for female hormone balance according to Dr Group of the Global Healing Center:

  • ashwagandha
  • avena sativa
  • catuaba bark
  • epimedium
  • Maca root
  • muira puama
  • Shilajit
  • Suma
  • tongkat ali
  • tribulus terrestris

**NOTE** If you are pregnant or breast feeding please consult your physician before using herbs that influence your hormones.

If you are a a woman suffering in this position, I hope this article helps you.

If you found this article useful Click here to support Meniere’s Help paypal.me/menieres

Related articles:

Endocrine Disorders and Meniere’s Disease
Meniere’s Disease and Thyroid Dysfunction

By Mike Spencer
Founder of Menieres-Help.Com – Supporting sufferers since 2004
Researcher & Author of Managing Meniere’s Diseaseand The Need for Balance – Dealing with the Causes of Meniere’s

Help other women either pregnant or newly given birth who have Meniere’s Disease. What are your experiences? Tell us all about it in the comments box below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com

References/Further reading:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9279870/

Categories
Meniere's Disease and Nutrition General Information on Meniere's Disease / Syndrome Meniere's Disease Triggers & Causes

Vitamin C and Meniere’s Disease

Why Vitamin C is so important when managing Meniere’s disease

Vitamin C is a vital nutrient that is not stored in your body and therefore needs to be consumed regularly.

Vitamin C  is an integral element not only in the regimen discussed on Meniere’ Help but in other recommendations for Meniere’s from different doctors and nutritionists. It  is a potent antioxidant that fights inflammation.

Inflammation is an important aspect involved in causing the symptoms of Meniere’s disease. A closer look at its significance to overall health reveals its value is even greater than initially thought for Meniere’s, especially given what we know about the links of the thyroid to Meniere’s in at least one third of sufferers.

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, meaning that your body doesn’t store it. You have to get what you need from food, such as citrus fruits, broccoli, berries and tomatoes. You need vitamin C for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body.

Leftover amounts of the vitamin leave the body through urine. That means you need an ongoing supply of this nutrient in your diet. It also means it makes it very unlikely you can get too much. The body uses what it needs then secretes the rest. When there is inflammation or a cold virus present for example it may use every amount consumed while when your body is otherwise healthy it will use less and expel the rest.

With the constant inflammation related to Meniere’s and the fact it helps the immune system deal with that suggests more is needed and used than in a normal healthy body.

Once Vitamin C is consumed it is dispersed throughout the body. Among the highest levels of vitamin C accumulation are in the adrenal gland and pituitary gland in the endocrine system and therefore related to thyroid function.  Both the endocrine system and as stated above the thyroid are connected to Meniere’s in a sizable amount of sufferers. You can read about the connection of endocrine disorders and Meniere’s here.

It is such a powerful nutrient that a recent study presented at the American Physiological Society Conference suggested that vitamin C could promote similar positive effects on the heart to exercise.

Vitamin C is also a cofactor in at least eight enzymatic reactions, including several collagen synthesis reactions that, when dysfunctional, cause the most severe symptoms of scurvy.

The old American nickname of “Limey” for British people comes from the days when sailors sailed across the Atlantic or on other long voyages many would die from lack of nutrition and in particular scurvy.

Ships were eventually loaded with limes (high in vitamin C) to keep the sailors alive. Hence the nickname.

If you think scurvy is only a thing of the past, an 18th century sailor’s disease or something from the history books about Victorian England, you would be wrong.

A multitude of reports over the past few years have revealed the return of this most avoidable condition. 2009 Daily Mail: “Scurvy is making a comeback among England’s children“,  2013 The Telegraph: “Cases of scurvy and rickets have been on the rise in parts of the UK“, 2015 CNN: “Scurvy. TB. Scarlet fever: They’re all back”, 2015 The Express: “Gout, scurvy, rickets and more: Victorian diseases are coming back”, 2015 The Independent: “Cases of diseases rife in the Victorian era including scurvy, scarlet fever, cholera and whooping cough have also increased since 2010″, 2016 BBC: “scurvy is on the rise in England”.

The return of such easily avoidable diseases almost forgotten in the western world in our generation can be put down to many things such as increased poverty through overly harsh austerity measures from governments, malnutrition as a result of modern eating habits, the saturation of junk foods devoid of substantial nutrition and what I would call the criminal demonizing of Vitamin C (and other important nutrients) in certain elements of the media. Media that are funded through constant advertising of drugs.

The result being,  as with other vital nutrients RDA’s are lowered, supplementation is scoffed at and the unsuspecting public is horribly deceived and often it would seem undernourished as a result.

Evident from the studies cited below, many people are not getting enough Vitamin C.

A 2004 government study published in the American Journal of Public Health reported that “vitamin C deficiency and depletion were common” and concluded  that, “Health professionals should recommend consumption of vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C and should recommend supplementation for individuals at risk of vitamin C deficiency”.

The Journal of General Internal Medicine published a 2008 study titled ‘Scurvy Is Still Present in Developed Countries’ and pointed out that both Vitamin C and Zinc deficiency are a problem.

Both nutrients are very relevant to Meniere’s Disease, especially when related to thyroid dysfunction.

The point of this article is not so much to point out deficiencies as to bring attention to the importance of Vitamin C to Meniere’s sufferers on several different levels.

One of the most famous proponents of high dose vitamin C treatment for colds and other disease was Linus Pauling, a physical chemist and peace activist who won two Nobel Prizes, one for chemistry in 1954.

The New Scientist magazine ranked him as one of the 20 greatest scientists to ever live.

While the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin C had been established at 40 to 60 mg per day — an amount more than sufficient to prevent scurvy — Pauling advocated amounts of 1,000 mg or even higher. Much of the scientific literature published on vitamin C in the two decades since Pauling’s death has supported his claims.

One point to remember is that RDAs are MINIMUM recommendations, NOT MAXIMUM LIMITS. This is an important misperception.

Dr. Frei, a researcher at Harvard University’s Department of Nutrition said in an interview with Dr Mercola (one doctor who specializes in nutritional health) that interest in vitamin C was renewed when it became known that many degenerative diseases involve oxidation, “and it is clear that vitamin C can very effectively prevent many of these oxidation processes, because it is a very strong antioxidant,” he said.

Preventing oxidation and inflammation is what is believed to be the key element in the concept of how nutrition keeps sufferers symptom free using the supplement regimen discussed on Meniere’s Help.

A large, decade-long research study led by Dr. James Engstrom at the UCLA also found that men who took 800 mg of vitamin C per day — which is more than 10 times the RDA — had less heart disease and lived up to six years longer than those following the conventional guideline of 60 mg/day.

Another study published in Life Extension Magazine in 1996, found that seniors who took high-potency vitamin C and E had an overall reduced mortality rate of 42 percent.

Low potency “one-a-day” multiple vitamins had no beneficial effect on mortality.  40 studies have also shown that people who eat vitamin C-rich diets have a lower incidence of cancer.

We can establish its importance as an antioxidant and its power to help reduce inflammation therefore helping keep Meniere’s sufferers symptom free simply from the results sufferers have reported to Meniere’s Help over the past 12 years. But is it even more vital than originally thought given its importance to thyroid function and the endocrine system and their connections to both overall immune health and Meniere’s Disease?

There is a relation between oxidation and thyroid dysfunction. Numerous studies have confirmed the presence of excess oxidative stress and a deteriorated antioxidant defense system in thyroid conditions. In fact, a large experimental study published in the BMC Endocrine Disorders journal reported that all subjects with benign or malignant thyroid disease had low levels of antioxidants, particularly with selenium, zinc, and vitamin C.

While low levels of selenium and zinc were not found in all subjects, low levels of vitamin C were.

This confirms an association with vitamin C deficiency and thyroid function. One reason why vitamin C may be deficient in all people with thyroid conditions could be a result of adrenal fatigue. This brings us to yet another link to Meniere’s Disease, stress.

As mentioned above, the adrenal gland contains the highest concentration of vitamin C in the body. In fact, the vitamin plays a crucial role in both the adrenal cortex and adrenal medulla which are responsible for responding to stress.

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vitamin C secretion is part of the body’s stress response. Excessive stress, along with insufficient intake of vitamin C, can create a deficiency that leads to adrenal stress.

Countless studies show chronic adrenal stress disrupts the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Because thyroid hormone is directed by the hypothalamus and the pituitary glands, anything that disrupts the HPA axis will affect thyroid function.

Are you starting to see the cycle of possibilities here? Stress (known trigger or cause), adrenal-pituitary-endocrine-thyroid (all linked to Meniere’s in some people), oxidation and inflammation (linked to degenerative diseases including Meniere’s), Vitamin C (the common nutrient that makes the difference either way.)

If you do not see it yet then read the links between thyroid and Meniere’s  plus endocrine system and Meniere’s linked at the bottom of the page.

Continuing along this theme, in addition to the above, Vitamin C actually helps thyroid medication.

For those who opt for thyroid medication rather than nutrition many still experience symptoms which indicate medication may not fully work towards thyroid homeostasis (balance).

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism studied the effects of vitamin C on the absorption of a synthetic T4 hormone with 31 patients who either had autoimmune thyroiditis or idiopathic hypothyroidism. Prior to the study, all patients were not in good control when taking the synthetic T4. Serum concentrations of T3, T4, and TSH were measured at particular intervals after vitamin C therapy.

All three concentrations were improved while taking vitamin C. TSH decreased in all patients and normalized in nearly 55 percent of them. T4 was higher with 30 of the 31 patients, and T3 was increased with all patients tested. These findings are very significant regarding the role of vitamin C and thyroid function.

Vitamin C has been shown to help thyroid function. One of the leading experts on treating thyroid disease, the late Dr. John C. Lowe, recommended the highest doses of vitamin C to bowel tolerance for four weeks as therapy.

We already know through the experience of multiple thousands over 12 years that using the supplement regimen can lead to a life with little to no symptoms. We have long known that the grapeseed extract, a vitamin C /flavonoid combination is one of the most important elements and can make all the difference.

Given the right nutrients in the right amounts the body has amazing self healing powers. This is the natural role of the immune system.

In the book Managing Meniere’s DiseaseI focus very much on triggers and getting to the root cause of your Meniere’s symptoms then eliminating it.

Supplements are also discussed however. Supplements used are not seen as a treatment nor a cure. The concept is that by feeding your body the correct nutrients in sufficient amount to keep your immune system strong and healthy it will deal with the inflammation causing your symptoms naturally.

It has proven very successful.

Looking at the role of Vitamin C and other nutrients in a healthy thyroid gland and endocrine system, it may be that in some cases nutrition could indeed be classed as a cure.

There are reasons why even eating what you may think is a healthy diet might not be enough but below are some of the best foods naturally rich in vitamin C.

Good sources of Vitamin C:

Mulberries, Strawberries, Acerola cherries, Citrus Fruits (oranges, grapefruits, lemon and limes), Papayas, Black currants, Kiwis, Bell peppers, Guava, Brussels sprouts, Melons, Dark leafy greens, Amalaki Fruit, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Tomatoes, Some herbs ( cilantro, chives, thyme, basil and parsley)

Important factors that affect absorption of Vitamin C

Caffeine

As Vitamin C is water soluble anything that has diuretic effects can possibly cause depletion. Caffeine is also a stimulant and can too much can quickly increase Meniere’s symptoms such as tinnitus and pressure in the ear.

Smoking

Studies show that people who smoke 20 cigarettes a day have 40% less Vitamin C in their blood than non-smokers. At the same time your body needs even more Vitamin C to counteract the damage that smoking causes to your cells.

Stress

Prolonged stress also depletes Vitamin C and this is why you should take extra Vitamin C during periods of stress. A study at the University of Trier in Germany, showed that the stress indicators (both physical and mental) as well as the recovery from stress, were consistently lower in people with high levels of Vitamin C.

Medications

Drugs including aspirin, birth control medications, anti-inflammatory drugs such as PREDNISONE and DIURETICS (source: university of Maryland-Medical Center)

Thiazide Diuretics are one of the most commonly prescribed medicines for Meniere’s treatment. When prescribing diuretics the treating doctor will often advise you to eat plenty of potassium rich foods or even prescribe potassium supplements to offset the side effect of depletion. However what is rarely if ever discussed or considered is that these diuretics also deplete several other minerals AND ascorbic acid  –  VITAMIN C.

So above we see two known triggers, caffeine and stress and two commonly prescribed types of drugs for Meniere’s, Thiazides and prednisone possibly depleting Vitamin C.

Bottom line: Vitamin C is important for everyone, not least for Meniere’s sufferers and the information above should make it obvious that eating foods rich in vitamin C and/or supplementing is essential to help reduce, eliminate or avoid increases in Meniere’s symptoms.

High Dose Vitamin C for Disease States: Video

If you found this article useful Click here to support Meniere’s Help paypal.me/menieres

Related articles:

Stress and Meniere’s Disease – Symptom or Cause?
Meniere’s Disease and Thyroid Dysfunction
Endocrine Disorders and Meniere’s Disease

By Mike Spencer
Founder of Menieres-Help.Com – Supporting sufferers since 2004
Researcher & Author of Managing Meniere’s Disease and The Need for Balance – Dealing with the Causes of Meniere’s

Help Other Meniere’s Sufferers. What are your experiences with or thoughts on what you have read here? Tell us all about it in the comments box below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com

References/Further reading:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12953767/

Categories
General Information on Meniere's Disease / Syndrome

Tympanic membrane retraction or Meniere’s Disease?

Are your Meniere’s symptoms caused by tympanic membrane retraction?

I received this email recently from a Meniere’s Help reader asking were  his symptoms due to Tympanic membrane retraction or Meniere’s disease?

Hi Mike,

It’s nice to hear from you again, I hope you’re well.
Funnily enough, I was going to email you soon anyway with an update with my current health.
As I have mentioned before, this past year saw many of my old meniere’s-type symptoms return after a nearly three-year absence, and after taking on board the suggestions from your book, I began investigating the possible cause for these symptoms.
After several tests, it was discovered that I have an impacted eardrum, or Tympanic membrane retraction, in my right ear which is the cause for the inflammation in my middle ear and hence, symptoms similar to meniere’s. I’m booked in for surgery in two week’s time to have it corrected, which will hopefully sort everything out, as well as restore a good portion of my hearing for good measure. I’ll keep you updated on everything post surgery.

All the best,
Alex

Tympanic membrane retraction may cause some of the same symptoms as Meniere’s but not all.

Tympanic membrane retraction is described as a condition in which a part of the eardrum lies deeper within the ear than its normal position.

The eardrum is a flexible, very thin membrane which separates the middle ear from the outer ear. It is medically referred to as the tympanic membrane.

A retracted eardrum refers to a condition wherein the eardrum gets pulled or sucked into the area behind it. This occurs when the pressure in the middle ear area becomes very low. A retracted eardrum is mostly caused due to infections. However, a rapid change in the external air pressure can also lead to a sudden drop in the pressure within an individual’s ear, and possibly cause a retracted eardrum.

Symptoms are: hearing sensitivity, possibly tinnitus, ear pressure and ear pain, sometimes dizziness and even vertigo hence the confusion with Meniere’s Disease.

It has a completely different diagnosis to Meniere’s. The problem is in the middle ear as apposed to the inner ear with Meniere’s.

One of the biggest differences is the pain in the ear. Meniere’s sufferers do not usually have physical pain in the ear.

Retracted ear drums or Tympanic membranes are fairly common, especially in children but also adults.

If you suffer from pain in the ear and other Meniere’s type symptoms and especially if you suffered from and ear or sinus infection prior to your symptoms it may be worth being checked for this.

If you find this site useful Click here to support Meniere’s Help paypal.me/menieres

Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Do you have experience with Meniere’s disease or Tympanic membrane retraction? Let us know in the comments below or email Mike at: meniereshelp@gmail.com

References/Further reading:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29954003/

Categories
General Information on Meniere's Disease / Syndrome Meniere's Disease and Nutrition Meniere's Disease Triggers & Causes

T Cells Relevance to Meniere’s Disease

T Cells and Meniere’s Disease

Spend any time on Menieres-Help.Com and you will constantly be reminded of the obvious importance having a strong immune system when dealing with Meniere’s Disease or any other disease for that matter.

A healthy immune system can deal with inflammation that would otherwise manifest into disease states such as Meniere’s.  The best ways to strengthen and maintain a healthy, strong immune system is through diet and exercise. What we eat and do not eat makes all the difference and even moderate exercise such as walking promotes immune boosting blood flow.

Many of the foods we eat can contain contaminants and toxins that can actually destroy our immune system or throw it out of sync through the endocrine system.  Water and other fluids we drink are no different.

Clean water and balanced healthy whole food diet (organic whenever possible) backed up by quality supplementation can keep your immune system strong and effective, keeping you free of Meniere’s symptoms.

One specific area within the immune system that has been linked to Meniere’s is T-Cells. T-cells are essential for human immunity.

T cells are a type of white blood cell (a lymphocyte that is produced or processed by the thymus gland).  Defenders that search out and destroy targeted invaders. The “T” stands for “thymus” — the organ in which these cells mature. As opposed to B cells which mature in the bone marrow.

Immature T cells (termed T-stem cells) migrate to the thymus gland, where they mature and differentiate into various types of mature T cells and become active within the immune system in response to a hormone called thymosin and other factors. T-cells that are potentially activated against the body’s own tissues are normally killed or changed (down-regulated) while maturing in the thymus. The thymus depends on hormonal regulation from the thyroid and the thyroid depends on a healthy endocrine system. Metabolism is also relevant. This whole chain of interdependent functions depend on the fuel (food) we give our bodies.

What causes the T-Cell response in Meniere’s Disease?

The connection between T-cells and Meniere’s has been discussed and studied for many years. In recent years a vaccine/drug was produced in Australia to help the body regulate T-Cells as part of a Meniere’s ‘treatment’.

Two or three years ago I had a long “interesting” conversation with the man claiming responsibility for formulating the vaccine. His initial comment was “Meniere’s is caused by T-cells. It is treatable“

In this youtube comments conversation, he at first seemed cordial if somewhat arrogant. The conversation at first appeared constructive until it seemed obvious to me (in my opinion at the time) that the man was nothing more than a corporate shill probably marketing some biotech corporation’s vaccine.

He insisted the likes of Dr Burcon “were finished” (Dr Burcon is a Chiropractic doctor who is a world renowned speaker at Meniere’s symposiums and has helped many sufferers, whose root cause was cervical spine in nature, regain their health – some of which have come through Meniere’s Help.)

The conversation went further downhill when he referred to those promoting the health of the immune system through dietary means for Meniere’s in a demeaning manner as, “the vitamin crowd“.

I pointed out that the whole concept of diet and supplementation is to build a healthy immune system naturally, to enable it to tackle inflammation sufficiently to deal with the symptoms of Meniere’s. I also pointed out that in some people the root cause was neck/spine related, myself included.*

(*As a result of identifying this root cause in my own individual case and correcting it, I am completely free of Meniere’s and have been since 2012 – there are several root causes and everyone is different – hence there being no ‘definitive‘ cure.) Click here to read my own story

He continued to attempt to discredit anyone involved in helping Meniere’s sufferers except himself it seemed, if indeed that is his real motive.

When asked to list the ingredients of his vaccine he skirted the issue and continued to bash others who have been involved in successfully helping Meniere’s sufferers for many years. He was asked several times and never responded with a direct answer.

Why would that be?

He insisted on making the assumption that the diet/supplementation we speak of on Meniere’s Help was some form of “treatment“, even though I continually corrected him and reminded him it was all about supporting the immune system naturally and letting the body take care of itself.

It is NOT a treatment; just plain old common sense.

As there are several possible root causes and many contributing factors with Meniere’s, giving the body the fuel it needs and starving the ‘disease’ enables the body itself to be the best doctor. This is a simple yet fundamental concept based on natural human biology. Not a ‘treatment’ at all. Click here to read more on this concept.

He refused to comment on if he would be financially gaining from the use of the vaccine and could not (or would not) get his head around the fact that if there were a dysfunction in T-cells then that in itself is another result in a chain of events that follow from the initial root cause.

The conversation became rather too negative for my liking and his constant unjustified vilifying of the likes of Dr Burcon suggested to me that he was merely trolling youtube videos to throw doubt on all other methods of helping stop Meniere’s symptoms while promoting his own ‘business venture’.

Finally, I saw no benefit for any reader in what was being said and deleted the whole conversation.

I later discovered his thread on Menieres.org had also been deleted after he was accused of “trolling”  its members there. (Their impression, not mine)

His constant degrading talk of other good people involved in helping Meniere’s sufferers and the demonizing of all other methods but his own stank of someone only interested in the money he might make from his vaccine. I had never heard such talk from doctors or other health professionals regardless of their own opinions of these methods and I have spoken to many health professionals.

This man was no doctor nor scientist.

The Daily Mail ran a story in May 2015 about Michelle Leathem from the UK who was so sick with Meniere’s she was allegedly having vertigo attacks for up to 8 hours a day. She was having to do fundraisers to try and gather the approximate  US $19,000 for this man’s ‘treatment‘.

I will leave you the reader to come to your own conclusions there!

My own personal view is I think it is outrageously taking advantage of people he knows full well are desperate and will do anything to rid themselves of their symptoms. When we know this can be successfully dealt with naturally, through several different approaches and this has been possible for many years now, I find this outrageous yet unsurprising given the man’s arrogance and insistence on trying his best to discredit every other known possibility for sufferers.

Had he come along and said “look I have another avenue to go down to treat Meniere’s” maybe I would view things differently. That is not what happened. It was hard sell rhetoric, insulting to people who have spent years and lots of money and effort helping Meniere’s sufferers and illegitimately discrediting towards concepts he obviously had no understanding of.

I trust my gut instinct, and it didn’t take much to realize what a profiteering opportunist I was talking to.

Having allegedly suffered from Meniere’s himself it astounds me that he can hold the patent to this ‘drug’ and profit from such extortionate charges. I guess with millions around the world desperate with this condition he may well become a very rich man for something that will never become a definitive cure, but rather just another one of many long running ‘treatments’ with varying results.

If you are reading Stephen, (as you have been known to visit this site before) then feel free to comment below and I will continue to prove you wrong and expose you for what you are. How many people can afford the kind of money you are demanding?

As I said to you before, if your vaccine helps some sufferers then great, but we would like to know what the vaccine is made up of completely, every ingredient and what are the possible side effects?

As for T-cells being the root cause, you are simply wrong. It may or may not be that your drug turns out to be more effective than others but at the end of the day it is another ‘drug’ for ‘treating’ a resulting effect rather than tackling one of the several known root causes.

Getting to these root causes and dealing with them, almost always naturally is not only possible, but has been done by countless sufferers and is being done all the time. All the money and tricks you throw at marketing your drug can not change this fact.

The Thyroid factor

Just as inflammation is a causative factor, T-cell irregularities may be a causative factor but regardless, both must be a result of something else at the ‘root‘ cause. Irregularities in the formation and regulation of T-cells must be another domino falling along the route to the symptoms of Meniere’s manifesting.

If T-cells mature in the thymus gland and the Thyroid modulates thymic endocrine activity then a healthy endocrine system and therefore thyroid is needed to maintain healthy T-cells.

As discussed in two previous articles, “Thyroid Dysfunction Connections to Meniere’s Disease” and “Endocrine Disorders Connected to Meniere’s” it is all connected to the immune system and if anything within these systems is out of sync then the immune system will be affected and vice versa.

When considering a healthy thyroid and endocrine system, diet must be the first and most important factor. What you eat or do not eat, the nutritional value of what you eat or any toxic contamination of what you eat is vitally important.

How can healthy T-cells be produced if the thyroid is malfunctioning. Thyroid disfunction can be corrected with nutrition to allow the thyroid to produce and send out the correct hormonal responses needed for T-Cell function.

To just back these facts up, consider the study published from the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in 1986 that concluded, “thyroid status modulates thymic endocrine function in humans.”

In a study published in 1992 in ‘Thyroid’, the official Journal of the American Thyroid Association regarding “T cells and human autoimmune thyroid disease” it stated, “There is compelling evidence that the thyroid cell itself, by expressing HLA molecules, and presenting antigen directly to the T cells, may initiate disease, perhaps after an external insult.”

In other words, something affecting the thyroid can result in the thyroid affecting T cells.

In another study published on PubMed.Gov 1994 (Ohashi H, Itoh M.), it was shown in hyperthyroidism that: “These results suggested that thyroid hormone suppressed the immune response and that a deficiency of this hormone was associated with an increase of activated T cells.”

A study published in ‘Biological Psychiatry’ in 2009 concluded that, “These results show for the first time that thyroid hormones are important neuroendocrine regulators of tumor evolution, most probably acting through the modulation of T-cell mediated immunity affected by chronic stress”

This study is of particular importance to Meniere’s sufferers as the subject of the study was ‘Involvement of thyroid hormones in the alterations of T-cell immunity and tumor progression induced by chronic stress.‘

Stress has long been a highly debated cause of Meniere’s symptoms. There is no debate for most sufferers who know all too well that stress can bring on a vertigo attack or at the very least an increase in pressure inside the ear. The debate in most cases is whether stress is a root cause or a contributing trigger. This study would suggest that in at least some cases it could be a root cause.

The study states that, “Stress alters the neuroendocrine system and immunity”

Stress – endocrine – immunity – ALL have been linked to Meniere’s in separate ways. We can see here by joining the dots and considering the domino effect root causes can have on our health, how stress might be a root cause in some cases.

The study goes on to state, “Thyroid hormones have been related to stress” and “Chronic restraint stress* impairs T-cell mediated immunity”

*Restraint stress is a specific type of stress used in studies and experiments to cause enough psychological trauma and produce a desired effect*

You can read an in depth article on how stress can affect the thyroid and as a result the immune system (including T-cells) here.

When you consider that strengthening the immune system through nutrition has helped so many people live free of Meniere’s symptoms, even if the root cause were stress, then it is obvious that the right nutrition can help greatly.

Whatever the reasons, T-cell irregularities has been linked with Meniere’s Disease in some people at least.

Increases in T-cell, and what are called helper cells have been recorded during acute Meniere’s attacks. This suggests autoimmunity as a contributing cause.

To help Stephen understand the importance of nutrition to the immune system, the thymus gland and T-cells here is some information from the “vitamin crowd“- the US National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health:

1984 study ‘Cell-mediated immunity in nutritional deficiency.‘

  1. Dietary deficiencies of specific nutrients profoundly alter cell-mediated immune responses.
  2. Both moderate and severe deficiencies are associated with significant changes in immunocompetence
  3. Diets with inadequate levels of protein, calories, vitamin A, pyridoxine, biotin and zinc result in loss of thymic cellularity
  4. The production of thymic hormones critical for the differentiation of T lymphocytes is reduced, especially in protein-calorie malnutrition and zinc deficiency
  5. Confirmation of a T cell maturational defect in nutritional deprivation comes from the observations of decreased total (T3 and rosette-forming)
  6. Loss of cutaneous hypersensitivity to mitogens and antigens is a consistent sequela of dietary deficiencies of protein, vitamins A and C, pyridoxine, iron and zinc.
  7. Cell-mediated immunity directed against allogeneic histocompatibility antigens may actually be enhanced by experimental protein and polyunsaturated fat deficiencies

2010 Study: ‘Nutritional imbalances and infections affect the thymus: consequences on T-cell-mediated immune responses’

  1. The thymus gland, where T lymphocyte development occurs, is targeted in malnutrition secondary to protein energy deficiency.
  2. Profound changes in the thymus can also be seen in deficiencies of vitamins and trace elements
  3. In zinc deficiency, there is a substantial thymic atrophy
  4. Importantly, marginal Zinc deficiency in AIDS subjects, children with diarrhoea and elderly persons, significantly impairs the host’s immunity, resulting in an increased risk of opportunistic infections and mortality; effects that are reversed by Zinc supplementation.

I could go on forever quoting from other studies such as:

‘The thymus is a common target in malnutrition and infection’

‘The thymus gland is a target in malnutrition.‘

‘Cell-mediated immunity in nutritional deficiency.’

‘Serum thymic factor activity in deficiencies of calories, zinc, vitamin A and pyridoxine.’

…and so on.

Search on the net for ‘nutrition and immune system‘ and you will see the studies are legion. It is not rocket science, the immune system, as with the rest of the body, needs water, air and nutrition just as a car needs fuel, oil and lubricants.  Never a truer word was spoken when the phrase “We are what we eat” was coined.

Balance your endocrine system, support your thyroid and immune system, all of which is done through nutrition and in most cases the body will take care of itself in idiopathic conditions such as Meniere’s.

In other cases, musculoskeletal adjustments may be needed or toxic sources may need to be removed. Stephen’s extortionately priced drug treatment doesn’t begin to cover the whole picture and is certainly no definitive cure.

Following the 2015 Daily Mail article mentioned above, Professor Bill Gibson, Secretary of the Meniere’s Research Fund Inc. at Sydney University issued a statement addressing his relationship with Stephen Spring and his thoughts on his “treatment”.  Below are some extracts:

“Stephen Spring was vice president of the Meniere’s Research Fund Inc. He has no medical qualifications and works in his own law related company. He has spent years researching the literature and he has hypothesized a plausible theory for the causation of Meniere’s disease.

His theory remains unvalidated and there is a concern that it could even be a placebo event. Ideally we would have liked to have had his theory assessed at the University of Sydney.

But there was a major problem as Stephen applied for a patent of his concept and is charging fees to undertake the treatment. He has developed a course of medication which he calls ‘Menivac’ which he believes controls the disease and will not disclose the nature of ‘Menivac’. The funds of the Meniere’s Research Fund are held and controlled by The University of Sydney and they will not give approval for a clinical trial of Menivac for the following reasons:

Stephen’s treatment has stated that the exact nature of the ‘Menivac’ cannot be disclosed to the recipients. The University cannot provide insurance against untoward events without disclosing the exact nature of the drug(s) and treatment being used to each recipient.

The University would not expend trust funds on a theory developed and remains untested by a person who does not hold any scientific qualification in the relevant field.

The University would expect that the Fund would receive some payment from Stephen Spring in return for expending the trust funds to validate his theory if the validation was likely to financially benefit Stephen Spring.

Unless a properly conducted trial of Menivac and the concept is undertaken, the treatment will remain in the realms of other untested treatments such as acupuncture, homeopathy, etc.

IN CONCLUSION Stephen Spring has developed a therapy for Meniere’s disease which he has made available to Meniere’s sufferers for a fee. The treatment has not been validated and there are obstacles which prevent a proper trial occurring.”

The full statement can be viewed at Meniere’s Disease UK.

I have read that Stephen’s treatment can take up to 2 years. Indeed, at the time of writing, Michelle’s (from the Daily Mail article mentioned above) own fundraising website states she is looking at “two years of treatment” and “tens of thousands of pounds“, for something that has not been validated, not been through clinical trials and is patented by a private individual with no medical or scientific background who will profit from that patent.

I genuinely hope this treatment is successful for Michelle, of course, and anyone else choosing to go this route. At present, with the fees so extortionate there are unlikely to be many testimonials, simply because the vast majority of sufferers would never be able to afford it.

If you have spent much time on Menieres Help you will know that sufferers can get results in months, weeks and even days through appropriate nutrient application to support the immune system naturally, no synthetic drugs with undisclosed ingredients such as “menivac” needed and at a tiny fraction of the cost of this treatment.  Moreover, you will also know that you can find your own root cause, correct or eliminate it and in the process you will have found the key to your own individual solution. There are no profit generating patents on these facts.

Update: Shortly after this article was posted, I came across Stephen Spring again. I had posted a very well received and much shared article in a Meniere’s Facebook group regarding the connections to Meniere’s and the Thyroid. Among the many comments, up popped Stephen with irrelevant comments about this article suggesting I had been ‘unfair and inaccurate’.

Another lengthy debate ensued and when it was very clear that he was doing a great job of distracting the group’s readers from the Thyroid article I suggested we take it to a private conversation and invited him once again to comment on this post.

Following a private conversation Stephen did comment below. Scroll down to the comments box below to read his opinions and see my reply.

Bottom line, T-Cells are relevant in the domino effect that can create the symptoms of Meniere’s in at least some people. The Thyroid and endocrine system are more relevant in that they are responsible for regulation of T-Cells. Cut endocrine disruptors and estrogen mimicers from your life, balance your endocrine system and Thyroid through the correct nutrition and lifestyle and if this is all relevant in your individual case you will stop the first domino falling. There is your cure.

If you found this article useful Click here to support Meniere’s Help paypal.me/menieres

Related articles:

Endocrine Disorders and Meniere’s Disease
Can Meniere’s Disease be caused by Autoimmunity?
Stress and Meniere’s Disease – Symptom or Cause?

By Mike Spencer
Founder of Menieres-Help.Com – Supporting sufferers since 2004
Researcher and author or Managing Meniere’s Disease and The Need for Balance – Dealing with the Causes of Meniere’s

Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Tell us what you think in the comments box below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com

Further reading:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28219165/

Categories
Meniere's Disease Triggers & Causes General Information on Meniere's Disease / Syndrome Meniere's Disease and Nutrition

Endocrine Disorders and Meniere’s Disease

What links endocrine disorders to vertigo, dizziness, hearing loss, tinnitus and Meniere’s disease?

The connection between endocrine disorders and Meniere’s Disease has been discussed and studied since late 1950’s and early 60’s. The thyroid is part of the endocrine system and as I pointed out in my recent lengthy article, Thyroid Dysfunction Connections to Meniere’s Disease , according to studies over one 3rd of Meniere’s sufferers have thyroid issues.

Add to this fact that there has been a 600% increase in Meniere’s cases in Fukushima following the disaster at the nuclear power plant in 2011, adrenal and metabolic issues have been linked to Meniere’s and we see a pattern through the endocrine-thyroid-immune system with many cases of Meniere’s.

In addition to this, we have long preached the importance of dietary considerations, nutrition and keeping the immune system strong and healthy in order to stay symptom free, regardless of the particular root cause(s) of the inflammation within the ear (there are several possibilities and every case is different).

By joining the dots, we can see that it is vital to keep everything in balance. For example, adrenal stressors such as stress, allergies, poor nutrition, toxins, lack of sleep, gut irritating foods, some prescription drugs and caffeine have been linked to Meniere’s either as triggers or root causes.

The adrenal glands are part of the endocrine system. Stressed adrenal glands can result in endocrine imbalances, thyroid dysfunction and can possibly ultimately result in the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease. As with all possible root causes of Meniere’s, it can lead to a domino effect and underscores the difficulty for the medical community in pinpointing a definitive cause. That is because there is no one definitive root cause. There are many, but as I point out in the book Managing Meniere’s Disease, that doesn’t mean you can not find yours and eliminate it from your life though.

Studies suggesting links between endocrine disorders and Meniere’s disease

In a 1977 German study published on Pub Med it concluded “This would result in reduced generation of the receptor potentials as well as in decreased activities of the first order afferent neurons as it was supposed earlier by other authors. This mechanism may be combined with a decompensation of active ion transport processes due to microcirculation disturbances. Finally it will be pointed out that true ruptures of the endolymphatic walls cannot be the usual mode of reversible lesions in Menières disease but a diffuse leakage of the perilymph-endolymph barrier.”

Blood flow is also an issue with Meniere’s Disease. Prescription drugs or supplements have been used to treat Meniere’s symptoms by promoting good blood flow. “Microcirculation disturbances” are an issue with Meniere’s.

A study was published in 2011 from The Department of Otolaryngology, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan titled “The relevance of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical axis-related hormones to the cochlear symptoms in Ménière’s disease”.

The study was done to investigate the association of the HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical) axis-related hormones with the progression of cochlear symptoms in patients with Ménière’s disease.

Their reported conclusion was: “Our results suggest that the cortisol levels influence the endolymphatic homeostasis resulting in a deterioration of hearing at high frequency with upstaging of Ménière’s disease.“

In layman’s terms, the balance of fluids within the endolymphatic system was affected by hormones produced by the adrenal gland and endocrine system.

Why would the endocrine system not function as it should and what can you do about this?

Something that disrupts the endocrine system can affect the adrenal gland, thyroid and metabolism causing all kinds of related health issues that doctors have difficulty finding the root cause of. All of the above have been linked Meniere’s Disease.

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that throw the endocrine system out of balance and as this system is the main hormone regulator, as stated above this can cause all kinds of knock on effects, dysfunctions and disorders, including ultimately the symptoms of Meniere’s Disease.

Chemicals like BPA and phthalates are surprisingly used all around us in daily life and can infiltrate our body in many unsuspected ways. Most people are completely unaware of the toxins and health damaging chemicals that saturate our environment and directly enter our bodies everyday.

One of the reasons for this is the proliferation of plastics used today. Everything from food containers and drink bottles, to cosmetic and skin care product containers. Plastic is one of the main sources of endocrine disruptors. But it doesn’t stop there. Substances and materials used in paper receipts, tin cans, electronics and even money are common everyday items that contain endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Efforts by the European Union have been made to ban endocrine disruptors in all products but with the power of Billion dollar corporations whose only concern is profit the going is very slow.  With the introduction of recent global “trade deals” such as TTP it may become increasingly difficult to control the use of such harmful toxins in our lives.

Endocrine disruptors are commonly found in personal items, medicines, and cleaning products.  Things we use to protect ourselves from harm can actually be harming us in different unintended ways. Sunscreen is a classic example.

The reproductive organs are part of the endocrine system. A recent study found a chemical in sunblock has been linked to infertility in men, and another noted that phthalates in toys cause many of the same issues.

Dr Edward Group of the Global Healing Center in Texas explains how endocrine distruptors are such a huge health problem:

“Constant exposure to endocrine disruptors is like putting a drop of water in the gas tank of a car. One drop may not have a major impact, but drip by drip, the car soon breaks down.

Endocrine disruptors do the same thing to the human body. Unlike the car, before the body breaks down its main systems go haywire and present symptoms such as infertility, weight gain, cardiac disease, dementia, and so much more. That’s because hormones from endocrine organs, such as the thyroid, pituitary gland, testes, ovaries, pancreas, adrenal glands, and even the gastrointestinal tract, control every function in the body.”

Endocrine disruptors to avoid:

  • Organophosphate Pesticides

The overuse of pesticides in modern forced food production is discussed elsewhere on this website. It doesn’t take a genius to put 2 and 2 together to realize that the explosion of degenerative diseases over the past half century or so coincides with the introduction and proliferation of forced farming techniques that have robbed the soils of their mineral content and consequently resulted in the over use of chemical fertilizers and more and more pesticides.

Pesticide residue on vegetables and fruits are one of the most common ways we consume dangerous chemicals. Organophosphate pesticides have been shown to cause infertility in men, slow brain development in children, and have even been shown to affect thyroid function.

The only way to avoid these toxins is to eat organic. If that is impossible then regular detoxing and/or using quality, clean, safe dietary supplementation would seem very wise.

  • 17a-Ethynylestradiol

Estrogen mimickers abound in consumer products these days, causing all kinds of problems but 17a-Ethynylestradiol is a synthetic form of estrogen and the only one that remains active when taken orally. Currently, this synthetic hormone can be found in all forms of oral birth control.

Perhaps its most dangerous side effect is increasing the chances of breast cancer. Even the US government ( not known for over protecting its consumer public much in recent times) has had to acknowledge the dangers of this chemical.

  • PBDEs

PBDEs are fire retardants used in mattresses and other furniture and household goods. Normally exposure is associated with dust but according to a study published in the USA in 2009 one of the major sources of exposure to PBDEs was red meat and poultry!  The study analyzed data from 2004 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

The study found serum levels of 5 different PBDEs were associated with eating poultry. People who ate more poultry  had higher levels of the PBDEs. Poultry fat was the greatest contributor to the body’s burden of PBDEs.

Red meat intake was associated with two of the measured PBDE levels. Seafood and dairy were not associated with any changes in the PBDE levels in serum.

Vegetarians had 23-27 percent less PBDEs circulating in their serum as compared to meat-eaters.

The highest levels of PBDEs were found in males, the youngest age group examined (12-19 yrs old), the poor and the underweight (subjects with lowest BMI).

This study indicates that food is a more important route than previously thought. A number of scientific studies have suggested that PBDE levels in food supplies are rising.

The toxic garbage that ends up on our plate in the form of meat is the subject of a whole book but why is this all significant to the Meniere’s sufferer?

PBDEs, or polybrominated diethyl ethers, disrupt thyroid function by blocking the uptake of iodine, eventually taking its place in the thyroid.  Because of this action, they also mimic and disrupt thyroid hormones.

As already stated above, over a 3rd of Meniere’s sufferers have thyroid issues and this may contribute to the root cause. Read about the importance of iodine and thyroid dysfunction connections to Meniere’s Disease here.

  • Phthalates

Phthalates are chemicals used as plastic additives for durability and flexibility. The negative health effects of these chemicals have been constantly reported in various studies all across the world. They can easily leach into water so people drinking water from pet-bottles are the most susceptible to chronic exposure. Again the proliferation of pet-bottle use for water over the past 30 years can be correlated to the rise in so many serious diseases and health conditions.

These chemicals have been linked to infertility in men, obesity, diabetes, and thyroid conditions. Returning to the old ways of storing foods and liquids in glass whenever possible would seem wise, or choose phthalate-free varieties if possible.

  • BPA

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well known health hazard yet they still manage to permeate their way into our food and environment.  Its use has continued in plastic bottles, dental sealants, cell phone protectors, water pipes and it even coats store receipts.

This toxin easily leaches from containers and can absorb through the skin on contact; studies have found people who handle receipts have this chemical in their urine just a few hours later.  According to government research, 93% of Americans have detectable levels of BPA in their bodies.

Exposure to BPA is a concern because of possible health effects on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.

First synthesized in 1891, bisphenol A came into use as a synthetic estrogen in the 1930s. Later, chemists discovered that, combined with phosgene (used during World War I as a toxic gas) and other compounds, BPA yielded the clear, polycarbonate plastic of shatter-resistant headlights, eyeglass lenses, DVDs and baby bottles.

BPA is another estrogen mimicer. When it enters the body the endocrine system thinks it is estrogen and this throws hormonal balance out of sync.

Geneticist Patricia Hunt wrote in ‘Scientific America’ in 2008 of her studies into BPA, that with one dose of exposure in lab mice, “We’re actually affecting three generations simultaneously.”  She explained, “With hormones (and estrogen mimicers like BPA), she says, high doses can sometimes “shut down” the body’s response, and low doses are enough to exert effects.”

It would seem wise to choose BPA-free storage containers and use glass whenever possible.

  • Perchlorate

Primarily used in rocket fuel, explosives, fireworks and fertilizers, yet water contains the highest concentrations. According to the Water Research Foundation perchlorate contamination was found in ground water, surface water and drinking water in at least 26 US states as well as Canada. Although at very low levels it can be found naturally occurring, for a number of mainly industrial reasons high levels of contamination have been found everywhere from India to the UK.

Similarly to PBDEs, perchlorate replaces iodine in the thyroid and leads to decreased thyroid activity. Symptoms of decreased thyroid activity include weight gain, poor energy, depression and of course most importantly for readers of this website, decrease thyroid activity is linked to Meniere’s Disease.

The best solution to prevent damage from this endocrine disruptor is to ensure you are getting enough quality iodine on a daily basis and to use a high-quality water filter may also help filter out perchlorate and other contaminants.

  • Arsenic

This highly toxic element naturally occurs in trace amounts deep within the earth’s crust, but can enter water supplies through mining, industrial practices and agriculture.

The World Health Organization (WHO) clearly states that it is hazardous to human health. Scientific American published an article in 2011 with headlines, ‘Many U.S. Drinking Water Wells Contaminated with Arsenic, Other Elements‘ stating it is a national problem, scattered in every region.

Exposure to arsenic can result in insulin resistance, immune system suppression, slowed cognitive development, cardiovascular damage, and weight gain/loss. The best way to protect against arsenic is to install a water filter, one that specifically contains the ability to remove arsenic.

  • Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs)

It’s estimated that 99% of Americans have PFC accumulation in their bodies. PFCs are commonly used to make non-stick pans. During cooking, some of these chemicals escape into your food and have the power to accumulate in your body. Once it’s there, it can be very difficult to remove.

PFCs disrupt hormone function and have been tied to infertility, ineffective sperm, heart disease, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, and low birth-weight in babies. In a study for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2010 it was confirmed PFCs, especially PFOA and PFHxS, negatively affect thyroid hormone levels.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at the CDC, PFCs can among many other things,  alter thyroid functions and the immune system. They state that completely preventing exposure to PFCs is unlikely, however, if you live near known sources of PFC contamination, you can take steps to reduce your risk of exposure to PFCs. Minnesota, Michigan, and Alabama have issued advisories cautioning consumers to either stop or limit eating fish from waters contaminated with PFOS or other PFCs.

Avoiding non-stick cookware, checking packaging and clothing labels may help you to avoid PFCs, and a deep and thorough cleansing may be helpful for removing built up levels of PFCs in the body.

  • Mercury

Mercury toxicity is a well known possible root cause of Meniere’s Disease, usually from leakages in amalgam fillings.

Mercury also attacks the pancreas in the endocrine system, thereby affecting insulin production. It can also result in headaches. Many people with Meniere’s symptoms also suffer from Migraines. High mercury counts have been found in fish in recent years and the type of new CFL light bulbs contain dangerous levels of mercury. In fact, if one of these light bulbs break, it’s recommended you evacuate the area to prevent exposure.

A whole host of health problems can occur from mercury exposure depending on the source, if it is organic mercury, inorganic mercury or elemental and vaporized mercury. Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, the immune system and cause hearing loss.

Mercury is known to be the most poisonous, non-radioactive, naturally occurring substance on our planet and The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that there is no safe level of mercury. Mercury toxicity from amalgam can take a long time to accumulate. It’s a scientific fact that toxic mercury vapor can continually be released from amalgam fillings. 80% of it enters the body and accumulates in it.

Many people have stopped all Meniere’s symptoms after removing amalgam fillings and detoxing. Exposure to mercury in general is known to cause nausea/vomiting, dizziness, ringing in ears, sinusitis, lack of concentration/brain fog, allergies and water retention (edema). All of these are known Meniere’s symptoms or triggers.

It is also connected to these diseases related to the endocrine system: Hormonal dysfunction, Immune system disorders, Metabolic encephalopathy, Thyroid disease.

Dr Tom McGuire, a “Mercury free’ dentist has campaigned for years for the banning of the practice of using amalgam fillings and written several acclaimed books on the subject, including how to detoxify naturally.

  • Dioxin

Dioxin is recognized by the US government as an endocrine disruptor, yet the environment continues to be polluted. Research connects dioxin, a by product of many industrial processes, with heart disease, diabetes, reduced fertility, poor sperm activity and low sperm counts.

Meats and other food products which contain animal products provide the majority of exposure to Americans. It accumulates in fat and can remain for years, slowly poisoning us and slowly resulting in disease states.

  • Alcohol

Even if you never drink, alcohol can still be a relevant endocrine disruptor for you to consider. Alcohol has the power to negatively affect glands associated with the secretion and regulation of hormones, like the pituitary gland, possibly leading to complications with the body’s ability to maintain normal hormonal balance.

The pituitary gland, for example, synthesizes and secretes essential healing and repair hormones, such as human growth hormone (HGH). This gland has been shown to experience noticeable impairment from alcohol exposure.

Insulin, an important hormone that regulates blood sugar, can be severely impacted from prolonged alcohol consumption. Alcohol can also potentially impede the body’s ability to regulate and absorb calcium.

Even if you do not drink, topically applied alcohol can enter your bloodstream. The proliferation of alcohol (ethanol) hand cleansers means that more and more people are exposed to this endocrine disruptor.  Consider the rubbing alcohol in your medicine cabinet as another example.

Other common sources include body lotions, cosmetic oils (even baby oils), aftershave, air fresheners, eye makeup, shampoos, insect repellants, hair dyes, dishwasher and laundry detergents, paint, perfumes, deodorants, and cooking oils.

In the case of hand sanitizers, one study that focused on hospital employees found that over 30% exhaled low levels of ethanol just one minute after using hand sanitizer.  In one case, a one-month old baby suffering from lethargy was found to be intoxicated from an alcohol-soaked gauze used to treat the umbilical cord.

We already know that alcohol is a massive trigger for Meniere’s attacks so it would be prudent to avoid it completely, at least until you have recovered from Meniere’s.

The best way to minimize exposure is to avoid alcoholic beverages and check the ingredient lists of other products for alcohol, ethanol, ethyl alcohol, ethyl hydrate, ethyl hydroxide, and methylcarbinol. There are plenty of other non-alcoholic options available.

What can you do with so many toxins attacking your endocrine system?

While difficult, it is possible to take steps to avoid endocrine disruptors. If you eat meat or fish, choose organic, free-range, or wild sources. Buy fresh, organic produce as much as possible, and choose glass for food storage. Supplementing with the correct iodine to protect the thyroid can have dramatic results.  Regular cleansing to help the liver remove toxin accumulation would also seem prudent given the information above.

If you found this article useful Click here to support Meniere’s Help paypal.me/menieres

Related articles:

Amalgam mercury and Meniere’s disease
Meniere’s Disease and Thyroid Dysfunction
Metabolism and Meniere’s Disease

By Mike Spencer

Founder of Menieres-Help.Com – Supporting sufferers since 2004

Researcher and Author of Managing Menieres Disease and The Need for Balance – Dealing with the Causes of Meniere’s

Help other Meniere’s sufferers. What are your experiences with Meniere’s and endocrine/thyroid issues? What made it worse and what helped? Tell us all about it in the comments box below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com

References/Further reading: Endocrine aspects of Meniere’s disease

Exit mobile version