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General Information on Meniere's Disease / Syndrome Meniere's Disease Success Stories Meniere's Disease Triggers & Causes

Overcoming Meniere’s Disease

By Mike Spencer

Founder of Meniere’s Help

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

Is overcoming Meniere’s disease possible?

The official line on Meniere’s disease is that it is treatable but there is no known cause and no known cure. This is what the vast majority of sufferers are told and of course most believe; why wouldn’t they? Tell a patient who has been suffering for many years and believes they have tried everything, that actually there are known causes and therefore known solutions and you could be met with disbelief, disdain and even anger.

This is understandable considering what the sufferer has had to live through and the fact they have constantly been told health professionals that there absolutely is no cure. The literature and online medical websites agree, there is no known cause and no know cure, so it must be true right?

Not exactly!

How do I know? Well read on below, but for starters…..

At the time of writing, I have had a 21 year association with Meniere’s.

  • I suffered the worst Meniere’s has to offer for 7 years and thought I had tried everything, including very costly, damaging and unsuccessful surgery.
  • For 10 years I lived 95% symptom free through simple but profound dietary and lifestyle changes.
  • Since 2012 I have been completely free of Meniere’s.
  • For 13 years I have been supporting other sufferers.
  • For 7 years I have been a full time independent researcher and writer on Meniere’s. In that time I have corresponded and spoken to thousands of sufferers, doctors, scientists and other health professionals in regards to Meniere’s.
  • Most importantly I have watched thousands of sufferers regain their life, either by reducing or eliminating their symptoms or actually eliminating Meniere’s from their life completely. Many  of these people had been suffering for many years and most of these people had been told there was nothing more to be done.

So I humbly state that I think I may know a thing or two about Meniere’s by now and I state more strongly that you CAN overcome it, one way or another.

True, there is no ‘miracle cure’, ‘magical super drug’ or any one ‘silver bullet’ that can cure you of Meniere’s but I can confidently say that you absolutely can overcome it.

While nothing is written in stone with this condition and there is no one size fits all, there are some universal truths that apply to all sufferers. You need to gain a true understanding about what you are really dealing with, correlate this with your own individual circumstances, then take the appropriate action and this often needs diligence.

If there were some magical miracle cure I wouldn’t have had to spend so many years researching, communicating with so many sufferers and health professionals or write two books totaling 475 pages to help people overcome this.

In addition to the two self help books published since 2013 , I have been running Meniere’s Help for 13 years, the main website has over 20 pages and this blog over 100 articles and posts. The aim of Meniere’s Help is to help sufferers recover from this horrendous condition or to put it in terms sufferers understand most, help them get their life back.

The sheer numbers of people who have contacted Meniere’s Help alone who have overcome Meniere’s successfully stand as testimony that this can be done, not to mention my own personal case which you might find interesting to read about.

Click here to read Mike’s Meniere’s Story

In the past 4 or 5 years, the vast majority of sufferers who have contacted Meniere’s Help, beaten this condition and regained their lives have read Managing Meniere’s Disease and The Need for Balance. Prior to my writing these books, it was often the sufferers themselves who were the greatest sources of helpful information, through both their successful experiences and their problems. Some of their stories are in the books. I correlate their experiences with scientific medical studies, data and statistics to back everything up and prove it is never a case of simply hearsay much less placebo effect.

It can sometimes need a quantum shift in perception and attitude towards Meniere’s in some people before this becomes obvious.

  • The first two steps in overcoming Meniere’s is to change your perception of what you are dealing with and refuse to accept the entrenched dogma of drugs to ‘treat symptoms’, surgery and the all too often spouted “learn to live with it“.
  • The next step is to manage your condition, stabilizing your symptoms so you can at least function normally again.
  • The final step is to identify and eliminate or correct your own individual root cause(s) so you never have to worry about the symptoms returning.

You need to educate yourself, take that knowledge, correlate it with your own particular case then take action, be that something you need to do yourself or take the information to an appropriate health professional to get checked and/or treated.

If you strip away the label ‘Meniere’s‘, see this idiopathic condition for what it is, simply a set of symptoms, then investigate the pathology of these symptoms you soon find both the root causes and more importantly solutions are indeed known. It may be surprising to some that these possible root causes are actually documented in scientific peer reviewed medical studies, data and statistics. Which begs the question then why are treating health professionals not aware of this?

Some are.

It just depends on which health professional you ask. On average, an ENT doctor or a so called  “Meniere’s specialist” will be very compartmentalized and concentrate only on a narrow area of expertise surrounding the ear, nose and throat.

Very few will have comprehensive knowledge of and understand the implications of gut issues, a misaligned musculoskeletal frame, immune system disorders, dental and jaw issues, toxicity or allergies. Fewer still will have any real in depth knowledge of nutrition.

Yet any one of these areas could be where the root cause for Meniere’s symptoms begin in any one individual. This is documented fact in studies cited in many articles on this blog and the evidence of testimonials from sufferers who have contacted Meniere’s Help over the past 13 years, you could say are further proof of this.

The simple fact is that everything within the body is connected and once something becomes out of balance or dysfunctional it can lead to a domino effect or knock on effect and result in dysfunctions and conditions that at first glance may seem totally unconnected.

Health professionals who understand this and take a more holistic approach are still relatively rare but the numbers are certainly growing. It surely must be the obvious common sense approach and how medicine should be practiced. Prevention and correcting root causes rather than the perpetual writing of prescriptions for drugs to simply try to treat resulting symptoms.

The problem with this condition is, simply because of the general perception of “Meniere’s” and its definition as “idiopathic” it means if you do find your root cause, correct or eliminate it and no longer suffer from any symptoms then you will be told you didn’t have “true Meniere’s“. 

There can never be a definitive cure because there is no definitive cause.  So then what is needed is to find your own cause, or causes (there can be more than one) in your own particular case. Do that and you have found the key to your own particular cure. The question is, do you stubbornly stick with the official line and continue to suffer or do you take things into your own hands and free yourself from this horrendous set of symptoms?

You might ask, “but where do I start once I have changed my perception?”

This is one of several reasons why I spent 7 years researching and writing books on the subject. There are too many variants and differences in each sufferer to do anything else. If there weren’t we could be shouting “we have the cure” and write it in one blog post. That is not the case though.

Meniere’s Disease has several possible root causes, many triggers and contributing factors in each individual case. Find your cause and you have in effect found the key to your solution, cure, answer or what ever words you want to use to describe eliminating these symptoms from your life.

Make no mistake, this can be done, it has been done and is being done all the time. Thousands have done this to my knowledge alone, including myself of course.

The need for Balance is not only true for the inner ear but everywhere in your body, from micro cellular level to musculoskeletal level.

When something is out of sync elsewhere inside the body, this can lead to a knock on effect, or domino effect that ultimately can result in inner ear dysfunction. This is in fact must be true for many disorders and diseases. You do not have to dig that deep to discover this is a simple biological fact.

The problem both doctors and patients face is that modern medical culture is geared almost exclusively to treating the end results, treating the symptoms; never looking for the cause.

Dr Amy Myers, New York best seller with her book ‘The Thyroid connection‘ explains this very well regarding how autoimmune disease is treated. You can read her comments in the article: Can Meniere’s disease be caused by Autoimmunity?

To paraphrase her: autoimmune disease attacks different organs. The sufferer will be sent to a doctor or specialist connected to that specific organ. Treatments will then be administered to stop the symptoms. These drugs will often have side effects in other parts of the body and then the sufferer will go through the same process again. Yet the root problem is what is causing the autoimmune response. Autoimmune disease is a dysfunction of the actual immune system, not the targeted organ. So if the sufferer wants to free themselves from the symptoms completely, the immune system in general is what should be concentrated upon.

The same goes for Meniere’s. The ear is the targeted organ, or the dysfunction of the inner ear is the end result. You need to find what the root cause of that is in your particular case. And it may be rare that it is in or around the actual ear.

From the endocrine system, metabolism and thyroid, the gut, blood flow, the back, the neck, the jaw, dental issues and importantly the immune system in general. Any one of these and more, if dysfunctional or out of balance, may lead to the symptoms of Meniere’s eventually manifesting. Balance in your lifestyle and diet is also important. Poor diet can lead to many dysfunctions and disorders, while prolonged stress can manifest poor health in many different ways, including Meniere’s.

When you have Meniere’s disease, you lose balance in inner ear equilibrium but, as stated above, this loss of balance can be a result of imbalances elsewhere within your body or even your life. Learn how to bring your body and lifestyle back into balance, regain homeostasis and you can stop the symptoms of Meniere’s.

Given the right conditions, the human body can be the best hospital possible. It needs you to create the right conditions and be the best doctor.

Can you really reduce or stop your symptoms? Moreover, can you free yourself from Meniere’s completely?

The evidence from thousands Meniere’s Help has supported over the past 13 years shows us without doubt that yes, absolutely you can.

The answer to this in your own case, can very much depend on you. As stated above, it may take a quantum shift in perception and attitude to what you are dealing with, so then the next question is……..

Do you think you are ready or prepared to do whatever it is you need to overcome Meniere’s?

What value do you really put on regaining your health and your life? Are you willing to actually do what it takes? You may be thinking to yourself, “of course I am ready, why wouldn’t I be?”

Consider the fact that a huge percentage of smokers, when told they have lung cancer continue to smoke. Why is that? We really can be our body’s own worst enemies sometimes, and I do not exclude myself when saying that.

When readers of  ‘Managing Meniere’s’ and ‘The Need for Balance’ email Meniere’s Help and say things like, “You saved my life“, this is something money cannot buy.

To me such words are priceless. Not the somewhat over the top flattery of these words but the fact that yet another sufferer has beaten this condition. I suffered horribly for 7 years, I know how you feel if you are a sufferer and I would not wish Meniere’s on my worst enemy.

I rarely publish these types of emails on Meniere’s Help for fear of giving the impression of hype and sensationalism. Trust and integrity is very important in what I do. After all, this is a condition where most fear they are stuck with Meniere’s and often get told they have to learn to live with it, there is nothing more to be done.

The fact is, nothing could be further from the truth.

These flattering messages are slightly embarrassing for me and not really true; it was the sufferer who refused to accept they would just have to ‘learn to live with it”, they got proactive, took the appropriate action in their individual case and got themselves healed . They just needed the right information and pointers in the right direction.

You can read some messages from readers I actually do publish here and here.

If you are suffering from Meniere’s, I know you feel like you would do anything to get your life back; to feel normal again, right? There came a time when I would have drunk kitchen bleach if I thought it would have helped; I was that desperate. I also know how you feel if you are somewhat skeptical or your BS detector is flashing. I was once in the same mindset as you and I have seen a lot of nonsense so called ‘cures‘ come and go on the internet over the years.  Healthy skepticism is a good thing in my eyes, but at the same time a closed mind will never free you of Meniere’s or any other ‘dis’ ‘ease’ either.

Simply put, you need to know the how and why, then the what you can do about it. This is what the Need for Balance is there for. Ultimately to give you the information you need to free yourself of Meniere’s.

It may sound like a strange question, but are you really, honestly, ready to do whatever is needed in your case, to live symptom free or even overcome Meniere’s completely, despite all the negativity and naysayers surrounding this condition?

Many sufferers are convinced overcoming Meniere’s disease is simply not possible. This is what they have been told, what they have read. So the very first hurdle to overcome is this understandable, yet wrongly held belief.

How about you?

Albert Einstein allegedly once said, “The one who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The one that walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been.

If you simply accept the commonly held belief that there is no known cause or cure and that there is no getting over Meniere’s then that is exactly where you will remain, stuck in a cycle of vertigo attacks, brain fog, tinnitus and everything else that comes with this condition. You will be stuck with too many other sufferers going round in circles dependent on drugs that at best give negligible levels of relief and possible side effects, or worse, you will end up gambling with intrusive or destructive surgery as I once foolishly did. You will be entrenched in hopelessness.  In short, you will be stuck with Meniere’s ‘disease’.

If you are ready to stop accepting the little to no hope dogma of treat the symptoms with drugs, “nothing more to be done” and “learn to live with it“. If you are ready to educate yourself and take the appropriate action needed in your own case. If you are ready to take your life back, you are in the right place to start.

If your treating health professionals have told you there is nothing more to be done, then it is down to YOU to get proactive. As stated above overcoming Meniere’s completely can be done, has been done and is being done all the time.

Are you ready to start getting your life back? Contrary to popular misguided belief, overcoming Meniere’s disease is very achievable. 

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

Related articles:

Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Do you have a success story to tell? Have you reduced, managed or completely freed yourself of Meniere’s symptoms?  Email Mike at: meniereshelp@gmail.com or tell us all about it in the comments box below

Categories
General Information on Meniere's Disease / Syndrome Meniere's Disease Success Stories Meniere's Disease Triggers & Causes

Can Chiropractics cure Meniere’s disease?

Can Chiropractics cure Meniere’s disease? Two real accounts from sufferers

Can chiropractics cure Meniere’s disease?  For many sufferering the symptoms of Meniere’s, it does seem to be a solution. 

After being told by three separate doctors that she had Meniere’s disease and being given the usual mix of diuretics and Serc (betahistine), nobody mentioned to Ana how she could actually free herself of Meniere’s completely, only treat it. Which of course they very rarely do.

Options such as Chiropractics, that can actually help you overcome Meniere’s completely, are not usually on the radar of the average ENT’s or audiologist. And not all chiropractors are able to help the symptoms of dizziness/vertigo, deafness and tinnitus. 

Each individual case of Meniere’s disease may be slightly different, sometimes very different in its overall pathology or root cause. The need soon becomes very apparent for the sufferer to identify their own cause and deal with it accordingly.

If you have been told, “There is nothing more to be done, take the drugs and learn to live with it” then of course it is down to you to take things into your own hands.

Learn how to do this by reading: The Need for Balance – Dealing with the Causes of Meniere’s

Ana’s case

In Ana’s case, she was lucky enough to find her root cause within months and now says she feels cured.

Here below is her first email (used with permission):

In Ana’s case she found her cause to be related to neck issues. Excerpt from Ana’s mail:

“I want to share my experience. I am a Mexican 40 years old mother of two kids. I was diagnosed with Menieres early April, I had a very strong vertigo episode, lost 30% of hearing and had this noise on my left ear. I was with the medicine for almost three months (Serc, and a diuretic), of course no sodium, no alcohol, very little caffeine.

I read your page in April and saw all the alternative medicine but I am a University teacher so I had to wait until the semester was over to have some time and go visit the chiropractic. And as soon as I went to the first visit I felt the change, I stop taking the medicines and I eat normal, no sodium restriction, I have not exaggerated but eat normal food and feel great.

My ears are perfect, I am back to me.

I would not had visited the chiropractic if it wasn’t for your information so Thank you very very much! You guys gave me back my life. I wish more people would know about this, because I visited three doctors and they didn’t tell me anything about this possibility and I know they didn’t know because two of them were my relatives.

Thanks a lot!”

I asked Ana if I could use her story on this blog to encourage other sufferers. Below is her response:

“Hi Mike,

Sure please do so. And send a huge hug to the person that wrote about the chiropractic….I didn’t find it anywhere else.
I have a PhD in biotechnology so I am used to read scientific literature, but when it is about myself it is kind of depressing read stuff about Meniere, so I was reading slowly to try no to be overwhelmed. I still can’t believe that none of the three doctors that I visited (and gave me the same Meniere diagnosis) told me about the possibility of having a problem in the cervical vertebrae and that it was possible to fix it. One told me it was probably because I ate too much salt, the other because of too much stress, and the other one it was probably autoimmune, and I believed that it was probably caused because of a medicine (domperidone) that I took and there are two cases that relate it to menieres in the FDA . But I read you article which was straight to the point and started to do a check list on the alternative medicines. Not just mentioning “life style modifications” which I found in other articles and wonder…. WHAT life style modifications. So thank you thank you!

I wish more people knew about the chiropractic and find that solution. Probably that is not the case for all… but it is worth to try it, and of course to go with someone that knows how to treat it, probably not all chiropractics would know how to treat it but this guy is very good.

Million thanks!

Ana Leal”

The point of posting Ana’s story is to encourage you the sufferer to understand Meniere’s is not as hopeless as you may have been led to believe. On the contrary, you CAN overcome this condition completely.

Cervical spine misalignment may or may not be relative to your own condition. If it is, it is important that you get checked by a reputable cervical certified chiropractor or osteopath. This can be fixed. Ana’s story is not uncommon. In fact it is one of the more common themes we have come across over many years. We often get mails from sufferers who have found this to be their root cause, fixed it and overcome Meniere’s.

Kelly’s case

Kelly from US emailed Meniere’s Help with a similar story a few months ago.

Kelly read both of my books Managing Meniere’s Disease and The Need for Balance and we had also corresponded before I received an email from her with her story:

During our correspondence it was clear that Kelly was aware she had both allergies and neck issues.  Kelly dealt both with her allergies and neck issues to free herself of Meniere’s symptoms. She wrote,

“I did some research on Meniere’s & found you (Thank God). I made an appointment with an Allergist & an Atlas Orthogonist. They have both helped me tremendously. I found out I am allergic to dust mites, feathers, cats, dogs, ragweed, weeds, grass pollen, cockroach, molds, tree pollen and pine. The Dr put me on allergy medicine and a nasal spray. I haven’t felt dizzy or had a headache since

In regards to her neck issues, she was shown on her MRI where the nerve was being pinched & the blood flow was being cut off.  She went on to say,

“When I went to the back doctor she discovered I have C1/C2 misalignment, loss of cervical curve, herniated discs in cervical spine. In her words, “You’re one twisted girl”. My x-rays show how tilted my head is. It’s leaning to the right. You can also see on my MRI where the nerve is being pinched & the blood flow is being cut off. I’m on a 3 month treatment plan which includes cervical decompression & cold laser therapy. So far so good. This is the best I’ve felt in a year. Thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction.”

Neck and spinal issues are very common in Meniere’s sufferers, especially C1 and C2 but often further down the spine too. Kelly’s atlas bone being out of alignment and her shoulder being pulled down was very similar to my own case. Although I had lived for 10 years 95% symptom free through dietary changes and supplementation ( I still had slight tinnitus and deafness), it wasn’t until I saw an excellent chiropractor in Japan in 2012 and had my neck misalignment corrected that I was totally freed of Meniere’s and finally regained much of my hearing. 

Kelly’ most recent email to me read:

“Mike, I would love for you to share my story. If it can help just one person that would be awesome. I still cannot believe how great I feel. I feel like my old self again. Which I thought that person was gone forever. I just can’t thank you enough. (My husband thanks you too). So yes, you have my permission to share my story.”

Do not let lack of knowledge or lack of belief cause you to suffer one day more. You too can soon be saying “I am back to me and feel great” or ” I feel like my old self“.

Can Chiropractics cure the symptoms of Meniere’s disease?

It certainly seems a solution for many sufferers. Cervical spine issues can lead to tinnitus, deafness and vertigo/dizziness, so the neck and spine are very relevant to many with Meniere’s disease.

Cervical spine issues may or may not be relevant to your own individual Meniere’s case. If this is not the case with you then there are several other possibilities for you to consider, make a check list and get checked for.

Once you have identified what is relevant to you, you have the keys to your ‘solution’. Knowledge is useless though unless you, yourself, take the appropriate action.

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

Related articles:

By Mike Spencer

Founder of Meniere’s Help

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

Help other Meniere’s sufferers: Have you successfully overcome Meniere’s or do you have experience with Meniere’s and cervical spine? Tell us all about it in the comments boxes below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com

References/Further reading:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21629395/

Categories
General Information on Meniere's Disease / Syndrome Meniere's Disease and Nutrition Meniere's Disease Success Stories

Preventing Deafness and Restoring Hearing in Meniere’s disease

Can you Prevent Deafness and Restore Hearing?

Stopping tinnitus and regaining hearing often seem the two most difficult things to achieve for some Meniere’s sufferers. But it can be done.

Audiologists are now accepting that prevention is possible through the correct diet but restoring hearing is a whole different matter. I was told by ENT doctors and audiologists that restoration of my hearing was impossible. I was told with each vertigo attack the nerve endings inside the ear were being destroyed and I would have to accept the fact I would be deaf. How deaf would depend on the level of hearing at the “burn out stage” of Meniere’s disease.

There is only a ‘burn out’ stage if the symptoms of Meniere’s are allowed to continue long term and even then there is no guarantee it will actually burn itself out. In fact I received an email days ago from a lady who had been suffering for 5 decades! Most of what I was told in the early days of my Meniere’s has been contradicted since or been simply proven to be wrong.

Sufferers who contact Meniere’s Help almost always tell of similar gloom and doom prophesies from their treating medical professionals.

However, before we go into the science and evidence in medical studies that contradict these passively accepted ‘beliefs’, I have to point out that many success stories tell of sufferers regaining their hearing and completely freeing themselves of Meniere’s, period.

In my own case, the return of my hearing was a long time coming, full of contradictions and paradoxes. For the first 5 years of my Meniere’s ‘experience’ my hearing had fluctuated greatly from terrible to almost perfect as pressure, dizziness and tinnitus increased and subsided and full blown vertigo attacks came and went.  I then made the mistake of having an endolymphatic shunt implant. It was not only ultimately unsuccessful (and expensive at around $10,000) but following the surgery my hearing no longer fluctuated but remained at a very low level.

I like many other people found relief from the vertigo and dizziness through dietary changes and the use of a quality supplement regimen. I was free of all the symptoms of Meniere’s except a very slight tinnitus. My hearing was better but nowhere near the levels on good days prior to the shunt implant. This was the case for ten years.

Other people using the same supplement regimen regularly contacted me with their success stories (some of which you can read elsewhere on this blog) and many would tell stories of how their hearing had returned. I was excited for them but rather envious too. I cursed the day I had decided to have that shunt implant. Knowing that so many others were regaining their hearing on the same regimen I was using and knowing how my hearing worsened following the implant, I was certain I was doomed to a life of deafness in my left ear.

The stories of others regaining their hearing didn’t really surprise me. Shortly after my audiologist in London had told me my hearing would never return, I went into remission naturally and suffered no symptoms at all for about 9 months. My hearing returned completely at that time.

Several years later (after the surgery) I suffered a head injury playing football. I broke my eye socket and cheek bone on the side of the affected ear. Within minutes of the injury, blood and clear fluid poured down through my sinus and out of my nose. Very quickly I noticed my sinus and my ear felt clearer than I could ever remember and suddenly I noticed I could hear very clearly through my affected ear. It was strange moment; in agony from the broken bones but elated because I could hear again.

The hearing slid back down again over the following weeks but this experience threw up many questions, the answers to which both challenged and contradicted conventional ‘beliefs’ among the mainstream medical community regarding Meniere’s. Answers that eventually resulted in the understanding as to why there is such widespread passive acceptance by ENT doctors and Meniere’s ‘specialists’ that there was no known cause of Meniere’s and no known cure.

It is important to understand that there is no known ‘definitive’ cause and therefore no known ‘definitive’ cure.  The reasons for this are simple. There are several root causes and therefore several routes to finding your individual cure. Although the resulting symptoms are the mostly the same, the roots of these symptoms can be very different in each individual case. So the answers for each case will be different.

So then, regarding the prevention and yes, the restoration of your hearing – it can be done, has been done and is being done all the time; just as sufferers can free themselves of Meniere’s completely, have done and are doing so all the time.

In my case, after living free of all other symptoms for 10 years through dietary means, it wasn’t until I was worked on by an excellent chiropractor in Japan in 2012 that my hearing returned to normal and I could say with full confidence that I no longer had ‘Meniere’s Disease”. I no longer need that expensive supplementation, though I do eat healthily and help run an organic fruit farm.

If your treating doctor has told you, ‘there is nothing more to be done, take the drugs and lean to live with it‘ then it is down to  you to get proactive, informed, and take the appropriate action needed in your individual case. This could be something you do yourself or by seeking out the appropriate health professional depending on your own individual case. Often, the roots of your symptoms can be where you least expect it and not in the realms of consideration or knowledge of ENT doctors.

After years of supporting sufferers and preaching the benefits of diet, my focus for the past 8 years of research and writing has been almost totally on root causes and how to correct them.

I have over 20 years association with this condition.  7 years of suffering, 13 years of support work and now nearly 8 years of research and writing about solutions for Meniere’s sufferers. I formally studied clinical nutrition for 4 years prior to starting serious research, corresponded with and spoke to health professionals and thousands of other sufferers who were able to live symptom free through lifestyle changes and dietary changes, including supplementation. So I know the importance and significance of what we eat and drink.

The studies and information cited below regarding prevention of hearing loss, restoration of hearing and ear health in general underscore the importance of what you eat.

When asking yourself if it is indeed even possible to restore hearing, apart from the success stories that prove it is, consider the study of epigenetics.  Long before the focus became on modification, epigenetics showed us that DNA can repair itself naturally.

Just as in the study of cellular biology shows us that cells regenerate either healthily or unhealthily depending on their environment. Both of these factors are influenced by what we eat. In fact they rely on it.  The DNA and cells in your ear are no different in this respect. You can restore your hearing, provided no destructive surgery has taken place.

What helps to restore hearing

In 2014 PubMed.gov published the findings of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002 in the USA regarding ear health.

In the paper titled: ‘Healthy Diets, Healthy Hearing’ It was established that “a significant relationship between dietary nutrient intake and susceptibility to acquired hearing loss is emerging.”

The results of the survey showed, “we found a significant negative relationship between dietary quality and thresholds at higher frequencies, where higher dietary quality was associated with lower hearing thresholds.”

It concluded that, “The current findings support an association between healthier eating and lower high frequency thresholds in adults.”

Nutritional imbalances are increasingly thought to be a causative factor in hearing loss, tinnitus and in many cases Meniere’s in general. Nutrients found to be especially beneficial for protecting and improving hearing are astaxanthin, vitamin A, folate, zinc and magnesium.

The nutrients listed above support hearing health by, among other things:

  • Protecting against oxidative stress in the cochlea
  • Preventing free radical damage
  • Improving blood flow, thereby reducing cochlear damage related to a compromised vascular system
  • Improving homocysteine metabolism

Vitamin A and E

In 1984 a European study reported a 5 to 15 decibel improvement in patients with age-related hearing loss when given vitamins A and E. Other research concluded that vitamin A deficiency results in a decline in the number of sensory cells in the nose, tongue and inner ear.

In 2009, Japanese researchers found that adults with the highest blood serum levels of vitamin A and carotenoids have the lowest risk for hearing loss.

In 2014, researchers determined that vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy, especially during the early stages of fetal development ‘may predispose offspring to inner ear malformations and sensorial hearing loss.

Zinc

Research has shown zinc may be useful for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Although this is not considered Meniere’s of course, the interesting thing is, SSNHL is thought to be viral in origin, and over half of SSNHL sufferers regain their hearing.

Zinc has anti-viral properties, and studies have shown it can prevent common cold viruses from replicating or attaching to your nasal membranes. Zinc also has immune-boosting properties, allowing your body to mount a stronger first response at the onset of a viral infection.

A study published in Laryngoscope and on PubMed in 2011 had this to say about zinc:

“There was a significant correlation between serum zinc level changes and post treatment hearing thresholds by correlation analysis, as well as between changes of serum zinc levels and percentage of recovery in the zinc group.

Zinc supplementation may enhance the hearing recovery of SSNHL patients. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects may help reduce the oxidative stress of the cochlea in SSNHL, implying a new direction in the treatment of this disease.”

This is significant for its relevance to the ear in general but also in that the root cause of Meniere’s in some people may be viral related.

Note: Excess zinc can cause problems, so it should be obtained through a well balanced diet and/or the use of quality, balanced  supplementation in the form of multi vitamin/minerals. Indiscriminately taking zinc supplements can lead to nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea, increase the chances of prostrate cancer in men and interfere with your body’s ability to absorb other minerals, which may lead to anemia.

Some good dietary sources of zinc are:  pumpkin seeds, ground sesame seeds, cashews, almonds, crimini mushrooms, spinach, sea vegetables and cheddar cheese.

Magnesium

Magnesium can be a very significant mineral for ear health, Meniere’s and tinnitus. Click here to read about the importance of Magnesium for Meniere’s.

Medical News Today reported in 2014 that a study showed:

48 percent of SSNHL patients achieved recovery after receiving intravenous magnesium in combination with carbogen inhalation (a mixture of carbon dioxide and oxygen gas). Another 27 percent experienced significant improvement.”

It has to be noted in this study it was stated that the effectiveness of the treatment was reduced in patients who had vertigo. The article linked to above explains why magnesium can be so important for Meniere’s none the less.

Folate

Folate (Vitamin B9) has been shown to lower tinnitus. Folate also lowers your homocysteine, and having a high blood level of homocysteine has been linked to ‘age-related’ hearing loss.

Dr Mercola explains,

“There is good reason to consider getting your folate from food rather than folic acid supplements. In order for folic acid to be of use to your body, it must first be activated into its biologically active form — L-5-MTHF. This is the form that is able to cross the blood-brain barrier.

It’s been estimated that nearly half of all adults have difficulty converting folic acid into the bioactive form because of a genetic reduction in enzyme activity. For this reason, if you take a B-vitamin supplement, make sure it contains natural folate rather than synthetic folic acid.”

Good sources of folate are: Asparagus, spinach, turnip greens, broccoli, beans and lentils.

Christopher Spankovich, who has been studying the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002 mentioned above states that,

“Some work that I did (Spankovich et al., 2011) demonstrated a relationship between vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, and lycopene with better auditory function and higher cholesterol and fat with poorer auditory function. Gopinath et al. (2011b) found a significant relationship between increased odds of hearing loss with higher dietary cholesterol intake. There also is research data showing increased odds of hearing loss with higher carbohydrate and sugar intake (Gopinath et al., 2010).”

Spankovich was also quoted in 2013 in the International Journal of Audiology as stating:

“a significant relationship between dietary nutrient intake and susceptibility to acquired hearing loss is emerging.”

An Australian study published in the International Journal of Nutrition in 2010 showed that diets high in sugar and carbohydrates detrimentally impacts hearing.

Research reported in the December 2010 issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery indicates that deficiencies in folic acid and B12 impinge on hearing by harming the nervous and vascular systems and perhaps even damaging the coating over the cochlear nerve.

Studies have shown that resveratrol found in grapes and wine dramatically lowered the amount of COX-2 in the inner ears of rats after exposure to 24 hours of noise. COX-2 is a protein that causes inflammation and may contribute to hearing loss. This may be one reason why Meniere’s sufferers have such positive results with grape seed extract.

The American Journal of Otolaryngolgy published a study in 1993 suggesting Vitamin B12  deficiency can result in tinnitus and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).

The results of the study showed, Patients with tinnitus and NIHL exhibited vitamin B12 deficiency in 47% of cases. This was significantly more compared with NIHL and normal subjects who exhibited vitamin B12 deficiency in 27% and 19%, respectively.

The author concluded that:

“These observations suggest a relationship between vitamin B12 deficiency and dysfunction of the auditory pathway. “

In 2008, researchers at the University of Michigan reported that a study showed the use of Vitamins A,C and E improved hearing loss by 80%.

A 2010 paper from the University of Western Ontario, ‘The effects of magnesium supplementation on sensorineural hearing damage’ concluded that magnesium supplementation is generally associated with a reduction in hearing damage caused by noise exposure and/or idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss in adults.

In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2013 by doctor Yoon-Hyeong Choi and others, they reported that

there was a lower degree of hearing loss in the American population among those who took Magnesium and Antioxidant Vitamins. Though Dr Choi studied hearing loss, his results also apply to tinnitus.”

A 1993 study reported in ‘Science’ found that vitamin A can stimulate the regeneration of mammalian auditory hair cells.

Neurotrophin-3 (NT3)

Medical News Today reported in 2014 that the protein Neurotrophin-3 (NT3) was used to restore hearing in mice.

It was explained:

“This allows researchers to activate genes in particular cells by administering a drug that prompts the cells to ‘read’ additional copies of a gene that have been inserted into them. For this study, the team used the technique to activate additional NT3 genes that had been introduced to the supporting cells of the inner ear in mice that had been partially deafened by loud noise.

The drug tamoxifen was introduced to the supporting cells in the inner ear, which prompted them to produce extra NT3 protein … The researchers found the mice that had experienced boosted NT3 production regained their hearing over a 2-week period, compared with mice that had not had additional NT3 production …

[T]hey now plan to … identify drugs that produce the same effect as the protein, offering the potential to restore hearing loss in humans. The researchers note that the gene therapy technique used in this study has the potential to work in humans, but that a drug-based method would be ‘simpler’ and a drug could be repeatedly administered for as long as it takes for hearing to be restored.”

However, a Chinese study cited in 2012 in The African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology showed that the nutrient astaxanthin raises NT3 expression meaning the need for drugs is not necessary.

The two main sources of natural astaxanthin are the microalgae that produce it, and the sea creatures that consume the algae, such as salmon, shellfish and krill.

One study shows that supplementing with 1,200 mg of NAC per day for two weeks significantly decreased noise-related hearing loss of the subjects.

Another study found that taking a NAC supplement did not completely prevent hearing loss, but it did significantly reduce it after prolonged exposure to noise.

Since NAC does not naturally occur in foods, it would appear that you have to take this  as a supplement if you want to help your hearing. But if you eat poultry or yogurt, you can get a good amount of cysteine your body can use to make NAC.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study in 2010 that suggested that increased intake of Omega-3 fatty acids could reduce age related hearing loss.

What do all these studies have in common?

Virtually all the studies above have three things in common:

  • The growing understanding of the importance of nutrition in ear health
  • How these nutrients promote blood flow
  • How antioxidants tackle the vastly under reported problem of free radicals in inflammation and therefore in disease states.

The fact that so many people regained their hearing while using the supplement regimen I used is therefore not so surprising after all. The regimen is packed with antioxidants and nutrients that promote blood flow and cardiovascular health.

Such a regimen may compensate somewhat for poor lifestyle choices and poor diets but cannot replace a healthy balanced (preferably organic whole food) diet.  The clue is in the word ‘supplementation‘. This form of nutrition is supposed to be used to ‘supplement‘ your diet, not to replace it but rather support it and work in synergy with real whole foods.

The ‘placebo’ effect, at least in my own case and many others is highly unlikely, in fact I believe impossible. Like many, back in 2002 when I first tried supplementation, I did so purely out of desperation, believing I had exhausted all other avenues for relief. I knew nothing of what I know now and frankly didn’t trust or believe in the idea at all. I was so desperate that I would have drunk kitchen bleach if there was a chance it might help.

Ultimately, as I wrote above, it wasn’t until I corrected the root cause of Meniere’s in my case that I regained my hearing. That was not the case for many others though, who regained their hearing purely through the application of nutrition.

Using high end, quality supplements is not cheap and something that usually needs to continue for sufferers to stay symptom free, at least at some level. There are those who would say that is a wise thing because it will help keep you generally healthy, disease free, and full of energy.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the money to even try these supplements in the first place, let alone continue with them long term. It would be very frustrating for me in years gone by when I would get mails from people such as single mothers on welfare suffering so badly with no hope at all of affording such supplements.

When I knew the regimen was helping so many others and yet far more people were either unable to afford them or just didn’t believe in them, something had to done to help these people. This was one of the many reasons 8 years ago I decided to research full time and  make it my life’s work to identify root causes and ways to deal with these causes. Helping sufferers free themselves of Meniere’s disease, regain their hearing and regain their life should not be so selective. Everyone deserves the chance and should receive all the help they can get. I believe and the evidence from readers suggests it is so, that although my research never ends, I achieved my goal somewhat when I published my second book, The Need for Balance – Dealing with the Causes of Meniere’s .

Regenerating hair cells to treat hearing loss – video

Jeffrey P. Harris, MD, PhD, FACS discusses regenerating hair cells in cases of hearing loss.

Success stories

You can read success stories elsewhere on this blog but below are a selection of email extracts from people who have overcome Meniere’s and specifically regained their hearing. You can do the same, and don’t let anyone tell you “there is nothing more to be done, learn to live with Meniere’s.”  I say, learn to live without it.

“After 3 days my attacks went from one per day to none, after 2 weeks my hearing was back and after 4 weeks my tinnitus could only be heard barely at night.”

“Approximately 8 months  I have had no symptoms  –  have hearing test results that show my hearing loss has improved

“For the first time in years I can be in loud places, train hard, play Candy Crush and so forth, two tinnitus tones are gone and my hearing improved.”

“Thanks Mike. I’ve been symptom free for 3 years now. So far so good

“I bought your 1st book and learned a lot from it. Symptom free for about a year and a half.

“The “fog” I was living with has subsided and my tinnitus has decreased as well.  Earlier this year my hearing was so bad that I was unable to hear the fan that is placed right next to my head at night.  For years I have not been able to speak on the phone with my right ear and now I am able to.”

“My husband is now living symptom free.

“My mother has been very lucky, her Menieres has been cured.

Thank you Mike. All of my symptoms have gone away.

“The pressure did indeed back off which resulted in more low range hearing coming back.

“I turned to locally grown herbs which are cheaper and I came across morning herb. Using it made a big improvement helping me regain my balance, a good percentage of hearing and no vertigo but slight tinnitus.”

“Duane has noticed that his hearing fluctuates (occasionally) but has improved greatly.

“By the way, something I did not expect was the fact that I have regained some of my lost hearing. It has been four years since I was able to listen to a telephone conversation in my left ear. I had a conversation with my wife several weeks ago and at the end of the conversation I told my wife I listened to her with my left ear, she could not believe it. I am scheduled for another hearing test and I am excited about the upcoming results. I was not a candidate in the past for a hearing aid, I hope I don’t even need one now.”
 
“Within one week i had a massive remission of the deafness in my right ear”

All emails used with permission.

So, is preventing deafness and restoring hearing in Meniere’s disease possible?

From the experiences of many Meniere’s Help readers and my own personal experience, I have to say yes it is possible, but it is obviously dependent on many factors and each individual case is different.

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

Related articles:

By Mike Spencer

Founder of Menieres-Help.Com

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

Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Do you have experience of your hearing returning? email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com or tell us all about it in the comments boxes below.

References/Further reading:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16374064/

Categories
General Information on Meniere's Disease / Syndrome Meniere's Disease Success Stories

Can Salovum or SPC-Flakes Stop Vertigo in Meniere’s Sufferers?

Can Salovum or SPC-Flakes Stop Vertigo?

On May 7th 2017 an article was published by The Express newspaper online with the headline,”Ménière’s disease sufferer: Getting my life back

In the article a British Meniere’s sufferer explained mainly how her positive attitude has helped her.

The mind can be very powerful as we can see from a positive point of view in the placebo effect with many illnesses and conversely how stress, worry and anxiety can increase the symptoms of Meniere’s.

In the Express article Kelly Boyson described how the drugs given to her did not help and how she became like prisoner in her own home for eight months.

Kelly said, “I have left-side Méniere’s rather than in both ears so for me, the first indication is losing pressure in that ear, similar to when you’re landing in a plane. Next, I can’t hear anything and then tinnitus starts. By then, my head’s spinning, I’m feeling sick, I can’t stand up, my coordination goes and I lose control of my body.

I get about two minutes’ warning before the full attack occurs. There is nothing I can do to prevent it.

I just have to let it run its course, which can be up to three hours.

There is no cure for Ménière’s, just treatments you can try to ease symptoms. After my diagnosis, I was treated with steroid injections and in November 2015, I had a grommet placed in my ear to help reduce pressure. That worked for a while until it dropped out. But nothing’s worked particularly well so I don’t take medication now.

I’ve changed the way I eat, as a low-salt diet can help reduce the amount of attacks. I also take Salovum, which is concentrated egg yolk powder, to help reduce inflammation and it seems to be working. Although I still get tinnitus, I haven’t had a severe attack for months. It’s brilliant because I feel like I’m getting my life back on track.”

Tackling the inflammation that is causing the symptoms is something discussed at length in The Need for Balance – Dealing with the Causes of Meniere’s  where identifying the root cause of that inflammation and resulting Meniere’s symptoms in general then how to deal with it.

The use of Salovum and its partner product spc-flakes are made by a Swedish company. The claims are that it is a treatment for patients who suffer from various inflammatory conditions and are presumed to have a low amount of AF, therefore normalizing fluid flow.

This is of clinical significance for Meniere’s, Vertigo and Migraine. It has also been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect which was seen in studies of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) like Colitis Ulcerosa and Crohn’s disease.

What is “AF” and why is this significant to the Meniere’s sufferer?

A 2010 clinical study published in Acta Otolaryngol and listed on PubMed.gov came to the conclusion:

“Intake of antisecretory factor (AF)-inducing SPC-flakes significantly reduced vertigo in patients suffering from Ménière’s disease (MD). The positive effect may be due to a modulation of the transport of water and ions in the endolymphatic space.”

Whenever I do research into any possible cause or solution for Meniere’s (and there are several of both: see here ) I always check how many of the emails I have received from sufferers over the past 13 years mention them. In this case only one email discussed SPC-Flakes. That said it is a very useful email. Howard who lives in Japan wrote this in 2015:

Dear Menieres Help.com,

My main complaint now with Menieres is distorted visual signals. Damaged oculomotor reflex due to distension of the inner ear labryinth by endolymphatic hydrops.  Oscillopsia.  Dizziness when I move the head.  Visual objects move to the right when I move the head to the left.

At first I thought that the previous attacks of rotational vertigo had depleted the population of vestibular hair cells
to the point where I am no longer able to regain a proper oculomotor reflex. But since I sometimes seem to have some degree of improvement, and then I lose it again, this cannot be a permanent cellular defecit.  I think it is better explained by a fluctuating endolymphatic volume.

It would appear that the No. 1 thing to do to prevent total loss of vestibular function when “burnout” eventually
comes along, i.e., to prevent total destruction of the membranous labyrinth due to swelling of the canals, is to collapse the labyrinth back to its normal size and shape by doing either one, or both, of 2 things.

1) remove excess endolymph by attempting to reabsorb the excess fluid,

2) stop over-production of endolymph.

I think we’re more interested in 2), stopping the overproduction of endolymph. If it could be done permanently, that would have to be far, far more effective in restoring the balance.

As you know, in Sweden, it was found that when Menieres patients consumed SPC flakes for 2 or 3 months, the hydrops temporarily resolved in about half of the patients. When they stopped consuming, the symptoms returned a few weeks later, but further consumption for a few days brought things back to normal again.

Since SPC flakes up-regulates anti-secretory factor (AF) in the blood, it is clear as crystal that up-regulation of AF must be our primary therapeutic target. But not temporarily. Permanently.
Further Internet research reveals that the hormone vasopressin retains water in the semicircular canals by acting via aquaporins. It is evident that if production of AF were to stop, there would be no brake on vasopressin and so the canals are bound to distend and swell. Both vasopressin and AF are apparently produced by the pituitary gland.

The pituitary gland is the part of the human body damaged most easily by background, low level radiation.  So it comes as no surprise to learn that there has been a 600% increase in Ménière’s disease in Fukushima Prefecture here in Japan in the 3 years following the nuclear disaster:

I believe that this indirectly gives us a pointer to the way in which we should try to permanently resolve this insidious condition.  Namely, permanently restore serum levels of AF by permanently re-balancing pituitary hormone secretions.”

Howard makes good points about the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is part of the endocrine system and both the endocrine system in general and particularly the thyroid gland (also affected by radiation) have been linked to causing Meniere’s symptoms.

I cannot state with any authority whether Salovum and SPC Flakes have helped or can help Meniere’s symptoms or not. I never personally used either during the 7 years I suffered ( I have been free of Meniere’s since 2012 – read my story here ) and from 13 years of correspondence with sufferers I have not received any reports, either positive or negative.

Salovum is now available in the UK on prescription and SK Flakes can be purchased in the US.

Whether this treatment is legit or not, whether the results are real or placebo, as suggested by some, the fact is it is a ‘treatment’. If this treatment can eliminate vertigo then it should be taken seriously and must be worth trying.

Is it possible that Salovum or SPC-Flakes Stop Vertigo in Meniere’s Sufferers?

It seems possible given the above but there are simply not enough first hand accounts known to Meniere’s Help to comment more than that.

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

Related articles:

By Mike Spencer

Founder of Meniere’s Help

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

Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Have you had any experience with Salovum or SK Flakes? email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com or tell us all about it in the comments box below.

Categories
Meniere's Disease Triggers & Causes Meniere's Disease Success Stories

Meniere’s Disease and Anxiety

Meniere’s disease, anxiety and panic attacks

With many sufferers, Meniere’s and anxiety go hand in hand. The sheer stress of constant symptoms and the worry that vertigo attacks can strike unexpectedly is enough to bring anyone down to lows they had never experienced before pre-Meniere’s. But if you already suffered from clinical anxiety and you now have Meniere’s it can be a different story. It becomes a chicken and egg scenario and can be too much to take.

If you suffer from both Meniere’s disease and anxiety then you will want to read Sarah’s story below. The links to Meniere’s and stress are perhaps underscored in her story and it is always nice to hear success stories like this to give sufferers hope.

Also see below Sarah’s story the connection between anxiety disorders and gut health, which can be a very important though often overlooked factor.

Sarah’s success story with Meniere’s disease and anxiety

Why My Story Will Shock You…And How After What Seemed To Be An Endless 3 Year Battle, I Eventually Rid Myself Of Anxiety And Panic Attacks Within Days. Soon afterwards my Meniere’s was a thing of the past too.

I am now healthy again and have my life back.

If you’re thinking about using outdated anxiety techniques like deep breathing, supplements, drugs, or any other product to get rid of anxiety, I’m extremely relieved that you’ve found my story because not only will my story shock you, it’ll almost certainly save your health, your money as well as a lot of time and heartache.

I suffered from anxiety disorder and I had the added horror of suffering from Meniere’s disease. The Meniere’s I did mostly control with supplements and diet but it wasn’t until I rid myself of my problems with anxiety that I fully recovered from that too. The anxiety and Meniere’s became a vicious circle and it was impossible to know which was causing which. I thought I would go over the edge crazy with it all. Perhaps I did at times.

Below I will tell you exactly why over a 3 year period I tried  but was forced to give up with Paxil, Seredyn and a range of other products and programs……and how I finally managed to get rid of my anxiety and panic attacks completely with a unique program called ‘Panic Away’. It was so simple in the end it is hard to believe it be honest.

My Name is Sarah Martin and like so many other people who suffer from panic attacks and general anxiety, I spent so much time and money desperately trying to find a cure.

Until 3 years ago I’d never had any emotional problems at all. I had always felt I was a pretty easy going balanced person who didn’t really fret over anything. Suddenly a few years ago my husband’s business started to have problems and our income dropped dramatically. I wouldn’t have minded but we had recently bought a house and the loan was just a little more than we could really afford.

My own job started to become increasingly stressful and my whole lifestyle was altered. I was sleeping a lot less and my diet became quite poor, which was very unlike me.

I Started To Feel A Shocking Sense Of Anxiety

My self confidence and confidence in my home situation both began to slip away, and things that had never bothered me before would eat away at me and I started to struggle continuously with anxious thoughts. I couldn’t believe these minor things could have such an effect on me. But even so, I still didn’t really feel I had problems. I still felt generally healthy and always liked to keep fit.

Then It Really Hit Me

My first panic attack really shocked and scared me. I had just gone to bed. I was very tired but couldn’t sleep. I suddenly felt shaky, nauseous and dizzy. I started to physically panic. My heart was beating out of my chest and I couldn’t breathe properly, my throat felt swollen and thought I was going to die. I know it sounds crazy but I really thought I was going to pass out and die. I shook my husband trying to scream but my voice had no power and I started sobbing. He woke up and hugged me and calmed me down. I couldn’t believe what had just happened to me and thought I was really starting to lose my mind.

I started having anxiety attacks like this at the strangest of times and would panic over the slightest little thing. I couldn’t find the sugar or remember someone’s telephone number. I just couldn’t understand what was wrong with me. But  I knew I had to get some help and soon. The final straw was not being able to face the idea of looking after my sister’s little daughter, who I absolutely adore.

Soon the first symptoms of Meniere’s appeared, tinnitus and and blocked ear. That is another long story altogether though. I honestly feel this was brought on by the anxiety.

I found it hard to go and see my doctor and felt embarrassed to talk to him about what was happening to me. He said I had “general anxiety disorder” and was suffering from “panic attacks”. Well I think I could have told him the latter.

I Tried Paxil But Had To Stop

The doctor told me if I took Paxil I would probably be okay within 3 weeks. I was very apprehensive about taking an anti-depressant and felt ashamed about it. I was right to feel apprehensive. It didn’t agree with me at all. I began to feel like a zombie. I had always loved exercise and had a “healthy appetite”, I loved cooking and loved eating even more. On Paxil, I felt so weak I could hardly be bothered to get out of bed, let alone get up for my morning jog, forget that. I had no appetite at all and to top this I would break out in sweats and would shake all the time. I had other side effects that I am too embarrassed to even mention and my love life suffered greatly.

I was a totally different person, and my husband was so worried he begged me to come off the Paxil and try something else. I was scared and insisted we wait at least three months. After two months I realized I had to give up on this and try something else. It was not easy coming off it though, so be warned.

Then I Tried Zoloft And Suffered Added Side Effects

I only lasted a month on Zoloft.  I suffered more embarrassing female problems and still felt drained all the time, would break out in sweats and had the added problem of feeling more dizzy than before with Meniere’s and my joints would ache all the time, sometimes swelling up. Sometimes I had this really strange feeling, as though electric shocks were shooting through my body. I know it sounds odd, but it is the only way I can explain it.  With the help of my husband I quickly got off the these drugs. It wasn’t easy though. Again I felt scared. After quitting I felt like I had a horrible Flu and my body ached. And my Meniere’s was getting worse and worse.

I Tried Seredyn And Failed

After my experiences with Paxil and Zoloft I wanted to get away from the idea of drugs. I found information on the internet about a supplement called Seredyn. It is supposed to be natural so seemed like a much better alternative. I had a few side effects but nothing like as bad as the drugs. I still felt tired all the time and sometimes had headaches and an upset stomach. I could live with these but ultimately it didn’t really help me. I still found myself having attacks and felt pretty anxious all the time. It didn’t help being anxious about about a vertigo attack striking any moment. Ironically while my condition was getting worse, my original worries, financial worries, were getting better! My husband’s business picked up again and my own workload decreased to a sensible level again. You’d think the anxiety and panic attacks would go away with this but it didn’t. I just couldn’t understand it.

I started getting all kinds of health problems and the horrors of Meniere’s disease could fill a book. In fact I am thinking of writing one.

Finally I Tried Therapy But It Just Didn’t Help

Finally I tried a “therapist”, who was suggested to me by a friend. Her “talk therapy” sessions and deep breathing were of absolutely no help at all. She was a very nice lady but unfortunately she couldn’t help me. This was all starting to get me seriously depressed.

Eventually, I Found Something That Worked

Having spent so much time, money and energy desperately trying to succeed with pills, supplements and therapy that ultimately had very little effect except make me feel worse in other ways was a big regret and made me very pessimistic and negative. This negativity only made my Meniere’s worse I am sure. However the next thing I tried was called Panic Away and to my surprise it actually worked.

I had read a little about it before while searching on the internet, but because of my recent experiences, despite all the apparent credibility in the media, I thought it sounded a little dubious. After reading some extremely complimentary reviews though, and learning that the cost was minimal compared to everything else I had tried, I decided to give it a go.

Here’s Why I Recommend It

The reason why I recommend Panic Away is because I followed their instructions for a matter of days and the results were almost unbelievable. The happy go lucky Sarah everyone knew before is back 🙂

Although it did take a little longer for me to feel better than it says on the web site. I did manage to completely rid myself of anxiety and feel better in a few days, which if you suffer like I did, I am sure you’ll agree is pretty astonishing. I am now at a stage where my confidence has fully returned and I can go about my day happily and go to bed without the fear of another panic attack and I no longer have Meniere’s symptoms. I wake up happy and feeling positive and I am back in the gym and running again in the mornings, something I wouldn’t have thought possible just short time ago. And best of all I get to spend quality time with my niece again.

In my opinion, this was safer, easier and  far far more effective than the other products I tried. I guess everyone is different but it worked wonders for me. The best part for me is that it is so simple, quick and effective and they even give you other really helpful advice, for example on what to eat and what not to eat with this condition. The exercises are so simple and easy and you don’t even have to order any special pills or drugs from a website or anything like that.

Anyway, I hope you have found this information useful, whatever your situation because if I had known about Panic Away 3 years ago I could have rid myself of the horrible anxiety I was feeling and the panic attacks long ago and without wasting so much of my time and money on these other things I tried.

When Mike Spencer from Meniere’s Help asked me if he could use my story to help others I was very eager to get writing and help.

I read through a lot of the Meniere’s Help website and read Mike’s amazing book, The Need for Balance and I have to say that helped me recover from Meniere’s. It also made me understand the very real links between stress, anxiety and Meniere’s. I wouldn’t want anyone to suffer with Meniere’s or Anxiety disorder like I did. I thought my life was over. But I want you to know you really can get over it. Look at me, here I am now back to the old happy go lucky me. I hope my short story helps others the way other people’s stories helped me find my way.

I wish you every success and happiness.

Sarah

Click here to learn more about Panic Away

The important connections of gut health and anxiety

The origins of depression and anxiety can often be traced to gut health, or rather the lack of it.  Considering gut health has also been linked to Meniere’s disease in at least some people, understanding this and knowing how to keep your gut healthy must be an important factor in keeping both anxiety and Meniere’s out of your life.

As far back as the 1900’s scientists and health professionals emphasized the relationship between gastrointestinal health and mental health. At some point in the following three decades this opinion was flipped upside down and it was thought that mental health influenced gut health.

However, interest and knowledge of the importance of gut health is now at an all time high. The understanding of gut bacteria has increased greatly in recent times. Studies and exploration into gut health has revealed that gut bacteria imbalances are related to mood and behavior issues.

Diet, environment and the state of the immune system are all influential in gut health and therefore mental health and indirectly the health of the ear.

Dr Group of the global healing center explains how the gut is connected to the brain:

“The gut is connected to the brain via the vagus nerve, the enteric nervous system, and the gut-brain axis. The vagus nerve extends from the brain stem down into the neck, thorax, and abdomen. The nerve exits the brain stem through rootlets in the medulla that are caudal to the rootlets for the ninth cranial nerve. The vagus nerve supplies motor parasympathetic fibers to all organs except adrenal glands, all the way from the neck down to the second segment of the transverse colon. It helps regulate heart rate, speech, sweating, and various gastrointestinal functions.

The enteric nervous system connects with the central nervous system. It contains 200-600 million neurons. Local and centrally projecting sensory neurons in the gut wall monitor mechanical conditions in the gut wall. Local circuit neurons, on the other hand, integrate this information. This enables motor neurons to influence the activity of the smooth muscles in the gut wall and glandular secretions such as digestive enzymes, mucus, stomach acid, and bile.

The enteric nervous system has been referred to as a “second brain” because of its ability to operate autonomously and communicate with the central nervous system through the parasympathetic (i.e., via the vagus nerve) and sympathetic nervous systems.

Finally, the gut-brain axis consists of bidirectional communication between the central and the enteric nervous system, linking emotional and cognitive centers of the brain with peripheral intestinal functions. There is strong evidence from animal studies that gut microorganisms can activate the vagus nerve and play a critical role in mediating effects on the brain and behavior.”

Research has shown the gut microbiota influences brain chemistry and behavior. For example, people who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and the associated cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation, commonly suffer from depression and anxiety as well.

How to help or Restore Your Gut Flora

A healthy diet is one way to encourage a healthy gastrointestinal tract. Base your diet on fruits and vegetables. Add fermented foods, such as kefir and yogurt, to your diet for a good, natural source of probiotics.

If you don’t consume probiotic foods, consider taking a high-strain probiotic supplement.

Ashwagandha for anxiety

The stress hormone cortisol constricts blood vessels and affects blood flow. Impaired blood flow has been connected to the symptoms of Meniere’s disease. The human body is wired so that ‘fight or flight’ stress both shuts down the immune system and send the blood to the legs and arms.

Normally the body is in a constant state of cell regeneration but in times of extreme stress, anxiety and fear the energy is  sent to the limbs in order for the escape danger. The energy is taken from regeneration mode to fight or flight mode. This is a mechanism hard wired into us over millions of years of evolution.

In today’s world we have constant drip  feeding of stress and anxiety and often this drip  feeding turns into a gushing river.  This constant state of fear and anxiety is making for a very sick population.

Studies have shown that ashwagandha extract is able to lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in people with chronic stress. The herb also eases self-reported anxiety, depression, and stress.

Clinical studies have shown ashwagandha to be very helpful to calm anxiety.

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By Mike Spencer

Founder of Meniere’s Help – Supporting sufferers since 2004

Researcher and writer 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 Meniere’s and anxiety, depression or stress. Tell us all about it using the comments boxes below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com

References/Further reading:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30110010/

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