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 canovercome 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.
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 “trueMeniere’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 theNeed 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.
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
Can Meniere’s Disease be caused by Autoimmunity? And if so what can you do about it?
In October 2014 a study paper on autoimmunity and Meniere’s was published from the University of South Florida: ‘Autoimmunity as a candidate for the epiopathogenesis of Meniere’s Disease’
The study concluded:
“The findings of this study suggest that autoimmunity could be one of the pathologic mechanisms behind Meniere’s disease. Multiple autoantibodies and antigens may be involved in the autoimmune reaction.
Specific antigens that caused immune reactions with patient’s serum in Protoarray analysis can be candidates for the diagnostic biomarkers of Meniere’s disease.
Further studies with mass screening using candidate antigen-antibody reactions are needed to identify future treatment modalities and to determine the true prevalence of autoimmune pathologic mechanisms underlying Meniere’s disease.”
For a long time autoimmunity was often overlooked as a possible cause of Meniere’s symptoms in some cases. That said, it seems in recent years there is more awareness both among treating doctors and many sufferers that this may be the case, at least in a significant number of people.
In a different study it has been claimed that 6% of patients with unilateral Meniere’s disease and 16% of patients with bilateral Meniere’s disease show signs of autoimmunity.
Are the symptoms of Meniere’s a result of an autoimmune response?
It is certainly a possibility to consider for at least some sufferers.
Have you been checked for this possibility?
If not, ask your doctor for a “Functional Immune System Evaluation” . You can present the studies linked from this blog as evidence that you need to be checked.
You may think that if only 6 – 16% of sufferers show signs of autoimmunity this doesn’t prove it is the definitive cause of your symptoms. Herein lies one of the problems in finding the causes of idiopathic conditions such as Meniere’s.
Tests and studies may focus on trying to find the causative factors when we now know without doubt that there are several root causes and it can be very different in each case. Therefore such studies will always have inconclusive results. Nevertheless these findings prove useful in creating a list of possible root causes to tackle in your own particular case.
There is no one size fits all with Meniere’s and nothing is written in stone, but with knowledge and a process of elimination you can find your cause or causes and deal with them. Autoimmune factors should be on your list of possibilities to consider.
This may well lead you to other factors that are causing autoimmunity and therefore the symptoms of Meniere’s. These causes may seem to have no obvious link to Meniere’s unless you are aware of how everything is connected and how the knock on effect can mean the resulting symptoms may, at first glance, seem far removed from the initial problem.
What causes autoimmunity in Meniere’s sufferers?
Autoimmune diseases refer to problems with the acquired immune system’s reactions. In an autoimmune reaction, antibodies and immune cells target the body’s own healthy tissues by mistake and attack them. This is part of the reason irregular T-cell activity is also a suspected cause. In both cases, this has to be a result of something else triggering this response, something else at root cause making the immune system act in such a way.
When unwelcome material or an ‘intruder’ invades your body your immune system protects you. It tries to identify, kill and eliminate these unwelcome invaders . But sometimes problems with your immune system cause it to mistake your body’s own healthy cells as invaders and then repeatedly attacks them. This is called an autoimmune disease. (‘Autoimmune’ literally means immunity against the self.)
The classic sign of an autoimmune disease is inflammation or swelling. How an autoimmune disease affects you depends on what part of the body is targeted. If your immune system is attacking your inner ear then the resulting swelling is causing the symptoms you feel.
For you the sufferer, it is a matter identifying the cause or causes in your individual case and correcting it or eliminating it from your life. (see below). It is generally accepted that it is unknown what causes autoimmune diseases.
In most cases, a combination of factors is probably at work. For example, you might have a genetic predisposition to develop a disease and then, under the right conditions, an outside invader like a virus might trigger it. Below you will read how the gut is the vital link to all of this and what you can do to correct it.
Regardless, you can re-balance your immune system naturally by getting to the root cause of the autoimmune response that is ultimately resulting in your Meniere’s symptoms. Drugs are aimed at suppressing your immune response and this can result in all kinds of side effects and more poor health.
Medical doctor and New York best seller with her book ‘The Thyroid Connection’ Amy Myers, herself a ‘former‘ sufferer of autoimmune disease, generally agrees with the above statement. She says,
“There is a huge disconnect between what actually causes autoimmunity and how conventional medicine treats it. The first thing to understand about autoimmune diseases is that they are a disease of the immune system. No matter what part of your body is under siege, the culprit is your immune system. This means that in order to treat, prevent, and reverse autoimmune disease you’ll need to get your immune system back under control.
However, under our current medical system, autoimmune diseases are not recognized as diseases of the immune system as a whole. Instead they are treated as diseases of particular organs. If you have multiple autoimmune conditions, as many people do, you will see several different specialists, each of whom will likely prescribe a different medication. And, there is a good chance that none of these specialists will look at how to strengthen and support your immune system, which leads me to my next point.
In conventional medicine, the belief is that once you have an autoimmune condition, there’s nothing you can do to reverse it, only ways to manage the symptoms. While medications can be effective at reducing some of the symptoms of the disease, since they suppress the entire immune system.
In contrast, functional medicine sees the body as a whole and works on the principle that the health of one system impacts the health and function of the others. Instead of focusing on disease symptom management, we focus on supporting and strengthening the immune system by getting to the root of why the immune system went rogue in the first place.
I have been able to successfully help hundreds of patients lower and reverse antibodies, get off their harsh medications, and become symptom free.”
Doctor Myers believes there are 5 underlying causes of autoimmune disease. All five of which can be linked to Meniere’s disease and are written about elsewhere on this website and discussed at length in the book The Need for Balance – Dealing with Causes of Meniere’s
Leaky Gut 80% of your immune system originates in the gut, and you can’t have a healthy immune system without a healthy gut. See more on gut issues and Meniere’s disease here and here
Gluten Gluten contributes to autoimmune disease in three key ways: it is the primary cause of leaky gut, it is highly inflammatory, meaning it stresses your immune system and the gluten protein has a similar chemical structure to some of your body’s tissues (specifically your thyroid). See more on gluten and Meniere’s from the two links above.
Toxins Toxic molds (mycotoxins) and heavy metals such as mercury are the two main toxins Dr Myers sees in those with autoimmune conditions. You will see many articles on this blog and on the main website regarding toxins and Meniere’s. Read more on mercury and Meniere’s disease hereand also in an article on thyroid and Meniere’s disease here.
Infections There are now a number of infections, including Epstein Barr, Herpes Simplex 1 and 2, E. coli, that have been linked to autoimmune diseases.
Stress Dr Myers says, “Levels of stress-related illnesses are on the rise, and stress, both of the emotional and the physical variety, has been shown to trigger and intensify autoimmune disorders. Stress disrupts immune function through several distinct pathways. Stress is the body’s response to a threat–a wound, injury, or infection. Chronic stress (the kind we face in this day and age) leads to long term inflammation that never really shuts off, creating autoimmune disease. Once the autoimmune response is in place, immediate stress only exacerbates it.” The links between stress and Meniere’s are well known and well documented on this site and in the book ‘The Need for Balance’.
All of the above are correctable.
Having spent many years hammering the fact on this website, in emails, conversations and having written two books on the subject, that getting to the root cause or causes of Meniere’s and correcting or eliminating that cause from your life can allow you to overcome this condition completely it is nice to have such a prominent health professional singing the same tune. It is all about “root causes“.
If you’re looking to calm down an overactive immune system that continually attacks healthy body tissue, then you must address the underlying causes for cellular inflammation. Ask your doctor about tests for hidden infections like yeast, viruses or Lyme disease. Have you been checked for any food allergies and heavy metal toxicity? You may be surprised at what you find.
As mentioned above when autoimmune factors are suspected, immune suppressing drugs are usually prescribed. Apart from the fact that suppressing the immune system can obviously lead to more poor health, many come with undesirable and even dangerous side effects.
The steroid Prednisone is often used in treating Meniere’s disease.
The possible known side effects of this drug is too extensive to list in this article. But among them are: dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache and pounding in the ears. All of which would be totally counter to what the Meniere’s patient would want. A decrease in urine, another side effect, would also be the opposite of what the Meniere’s patient needs.
Other listed possible side effects of Prednisone that could be directly damaging to a Meniere’s sufferer are:
Decreased carbohydrate and glucose tolerance
Increased requirements for insulin
Potassium loss
Sodium retention with resulting edema
Hypertriglyceridemia
Hypercholesterolemia
Adrenal insufficiency
Hyperthyroidism
Hypothyroidism
Allergic reactions
Candidiasis
Sensory disturbance
Anxiety
Prednisone is also what is known as a glucocorticoidbecause of the effects on glucose metabolism. Glucocorticoids can cause increases in blood glucose. Long term use of these steroids can result in type 2 diabetes. See more on Meniere’s and diabetes here.
Dr Myers talks about leaky gut being one of the main root causes of autoimmune disease. In this scenario, there is inflammation of the lining of the gut. This leads to a malabsorption of nutrients such as zinc, Vitamin B12, iron and magnesium. The immune system is triggered into a response. This can lead to gastrointestinal issues and many food intolerances and then autoimmune disease.
In this scenario things like gluten, bad bacteria, undigested food particles and toxic waste can leak from the inside of your intestinal wall into your bloodstream causing an immune reaction.
If this were to ultimately lead to Meniere’s symptoms then it could be said that the cause would be the inflammation within the gut. But beyond that, the inflammation in the gut has a root cause and that could be stress, toxins, drugs, pathogens or other organ malfunction.
The most common causes of leaky gut are thought to be poor diet, chronic stress, toxic overload and bacterial imbalance. All of which can be linked to Meniere’s disease.
To heal a leaky gut you would need to remove foods from your diet that damage the gut, replace them with healing foods and rebalance your gut bacteria with probiotics.
What to do about it
The immune system needs to be balanced and functioning as it should for you to be healthy and for it to deal with inflammation within your ear or anywhere else in your body. Detoxing, eating the correct food and supplementing with the appropriate quality supplements can strengthen and balance your immune system so it functions properly.
You may want to get your thyroid and endocrine systemchecked. These are two factors that are also often overlooked. Toxins in foods, drinks, beauty and skin care products and the environment are often major endocrine disruptors and estrogen mimickers that can play havoc with the body’s hormone system thus leading to dysfunctions and resulting in an autoimmune response.
Iodine deficiency is also a chronic problem according to many studies. All of these problems can have a knock on effect, weaken and cause imbalances in the immune system as a whole.
In May 2017 the WHO reported that, “Iodine deficiency is the world’s most prevalent, yet easily preventable, cause of brain damage. Universal salt iodization – the practice of adding iodine to salt – is the most cost effective way to tackle iodine deficiency disorders.”
There was a time when this iodine deficiency was recognized and iodine was added to table salt. Somewhere along the line iodine was inexplicably removed in the USA.
In countries such as Japan where iodine is plentiful naturally in the diet, they have much healthier citizens that enjoy the highest levels of longevity .
Iodine can be found in seaweed such as nori and kelp, pure natural unprocessed sea salt and in season, fresh organic cranberries. Supplementing with the purest form of Nascent Iodine has proved very beneficial to immune system function and overall health.
Autoimmunity is only one of several possible causes for you to get checked for and as stated above, can be a result in itself of a different root cause.
Among others, amalgam fillings that are leaking mercury into your body, TMJs, neck and spinal misaligments and metabolic problems are all things you should investigate and check off your list of possible causes.
All are fixable.
Just like Meniere’s itself, autoimmunity is another ‘health’ condition generally believed to have no known cause and no known cure. However, as you have read above this is not the case. Despite the fact that mainstream medicine is usually of this ‘opinion’, it is simply a case of awareness. The more you are aware, the more you know, the easier it becomes to seek out the right medical professionals and make the right lifestyle choices.
The book ‘Managing Meniere’s Disease – How to Live Symptom Free’ gives comprehensive details on how to suppress the symptoms through nutrition and allow your immune system to function as it should, how to avoid triggers and other factors that may be contributing to your condition. The Need for Balance – Dealing with the Cause of Meniere’s is a much more in depth look at all the possible root causes, how to identify them and eliminate them from your life, giving you the opportunity to overcome Meniere’s completely.
It is a message we repeat ad nauseam on Menieres Help: “It can be done, hasbeen done by thousands and isbeing done all time.” Unfortunately, it may take a quantum shift in attitudes towards Meniere’s among many treating health professionals and patients alike before we see overcoming Meniere’s as the norm. For now I will have to keep hammering away and making baby steps with the undeniable truth, and that is: You CAN overcome Meniere’s and get your life back.
Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Have you been told your Meniere’s is due to autoimmune disorder? email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com or tell us all about it in the comment boxes below
Are the two connected at all, is it all coincidence or are the two a result of the same root cause in some people?
A sizable number of Meniere’s sufferers who contact Meniere’s Help also suffer from Diabetes. Glucose metabolism, and insulin irregularities have both been linked to Meniere’s in some way or another.
The biggest problem with trying to link diabetes and Meniere’s is that the huge number of people suffering from diabetes means that by law of averages there will naturally be a sizable number of people suffering from both conditions.
According to the WHO: 422 million adults worldwide have diabetes. That is 1 person in 11. While type 1 is thought of as genetic, 90% of sufferers are actually type 2. These statistics are predicted to double over the next 2 years. Since 1980 the number of adults living with diabetes has almost quadrupled.
In the USA 2012 figures show us that at least 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3% of the population, had diabetes. 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year. In 2012, 86 million Americans age 20 and older had prediabetes; this was up from 79 million in 2010. These statistics are staggering; clearly this is not going away soon.
Although the main focus on the tackling of this rise of diabetes is aimed at the obesity epidemic, and rightly so, it has to be taken into account that diabetes is on the rise in places like Asia where obesity isn’t so prevalent. The rise of forced farming practices in recent years practically runs parallel with the increase of diabetes and many other avoidable diseases.
In the 2016 WHO ‘Global Report on Diabetes’ the director general of the WHO points out that diabetes is, “No longer a disease of predominantly rich nations, the prevalence of diabetes is steadily increasing everywhere, most markedly in the world’s middle-income countries.”
The globalization of fast food chains, growing global demand for wheat grown on soils depleted of its mineral content through the overuse of NPK artificial fertilizers and the demand for overly polished rice must all play its part.
White bread can turn to glucose inside the body faster than sugar! White, polished rice can turn to glucose very quickly also if not balanced with fats or proteins. Add to this the empty carbohydrates being proudly stuffed down kids throats throughout Asia where it is a sign of wealth to go to the most unhealthy fast food chains simply because they symbolize the monetary richness of the west.
Sugary sodas, alcohol, candies and the prevalence of processed foods are all contributing greatly to this problem. This bombardment of sugars strains the pancreas so much that it cannot keep up with the demand for insulin to regulate blood sugar levels.
There are several aspects that link all of this to Meniere’s without looking at the diabetes connection itself. Firstly the pancreas is part of the endocrine system. Endocrine dysfunctions have been linked to Meniere’s. The thyroidis part of the endocrine system and has been linked to Meniere’s. T-cellregulation has been linked to Meniere’s. T-cells are regulated by the thymus which in turn is regulated by the thyroid. Metabolism has been linked to Meniere’s. High triglyceride and cholesterollevels have been linked to Meniere’s.
Are you seeing a pattern here?
Diabetes and Meniere’s Disease – studies
A multitude of studies can be found on each of the individual links stated above but not enough focus on the obvious solution to most of this. Diet. It really is that simple.
What you eat and do not eat makes all the difference in every case, and of course the same is true of diabetes.
Both hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) have been linked to and investigated in Meniere’s and vestibular diseases. This suggests that any alterations in insulin can cause issues. Insulin regulates both sodium and potassium retention, something very relevant in the functioning of the inner ear.
A 2009 study in the Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, ‘Blood glucose and insulin levels in patients with peripheral vestibular disease‘ found that:
“The four-hour glucose-insulin index showed 87.7% of patients with dizziness and suspicion of peripheral vestibular dysfunction having glucose and insulin metabolism alterations.”
The International Tinnitus Journal published a study in 2005, ‘Glucose and insulin profiles and their correlations in Ménière’s disease.’ It stated that:
“Changes in carbohydrate metabolism, admittedly one of the most prevalent etiologies of Ménière’s syndrome, can be diagnosed early by 5-hour glucose and insulin curves with a 100-g glucose load, a test more sensitive than those traditionally used in investigating impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus. This study investigated carbohydrate metabolism characteristics in 64 patients with typical Ménière’s disease. We demonstrated that 72% of them had some variable degree of hyperinsulinemia as shown by their plasma insulin curves, whereas alterations on the glucose curve (reactive hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia) were found for only 21%.”
It concluded that:
“These findings confirm the need to include 5-hour glucose and insulin curves in the diagnostic routine when investigating Ménière’s disease. In that way, an early diagnosis of hyperinsulinemia, the metabolic change most often involved in the pathogenesis of cochleovestibular disorders, can be made.”
An earlier study published in Acta Otolaryngologica in 1984, ‘Blood levels of glucose and insulin in Meniere’s disease‘ stated the following:
“It has been reported that a very commonly overlooked cause of vertigo is disorder of glucose metabolism. This may not be reflected in the glucose tolerance test alone, but becomes obvious when the insulin levels in blood are evaluated simultaneously.
Thirty-one patients with Meniere’s disease underwent a 5-hour glucose tolerance test with radioimmune assay of insulin. It was found that 67.7% of our patients showed some abnormality in the relationship between the blood levels of glucose and insulin.”
The studies above, in addition to several others connecting insulin and glucose to Meniere’s are all cited on PubMed.
More specific to diabetes is the 2013 study published on Science Direct from the Journal of Otology, ‘Effects of Diabetes on Hearing and Cochlear Structures’.
“Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic systemic disease characterized by hyperglycemia, with various pathogenic mechanisms. From absolute or relative insulin deficiency, patients with DM often demonstrate various levels of metabolic disorders. Major clinical manifestations of DM include metabolic disorders, vascular lesions, circulatory disturbances and neurologic complications. Along with advances in DM research, reports of DM related tinnitus and hearing impairment have increased continuously.
DM is closely linked to hearing damage. Both large and microscopic size blood vessels are affected in DM. Metabolic disorders, atherosclerotic changes and micro vessel diseases result in ischemia and hypoxia in neural tissues, leading to nerve damage. When such pathological changes involve the cochlea and auditory nerve, cochlear and/or neural hearing loss follows.”
Although this study does not mention ‘Meniere’s disease’ it shows us how blood flow, insulin and metabolic disorders can affect ear function.
It is a fact that Meniere’s help has received many emails from people who suffer from both Meniere’s disease and diabetes. In some cases diabetes preceded the symptoms of Meniere’s, while with others it was the other way round. So proving a link between Meniere’s and diabetes itself is hard to do. However, several of the factors that lead to diabetes can also be linked to Meniere’s.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to what you eat and do not eat. If the onset of Meniere’s is related to metabolism, endocrine disorders or thyroid dysfunction for example then the same reasons these problems occur could be the same reasons at root cause that Meniere’s symptoms manifest. Poor diet and lifestyle causes dysfunctions throughout the body that can lead to various conditions including both Meniere’s and diabetes.
We have received updates from Meniere’s sufferers in the past where, when they changed their diet, lifestyle and in many cases used a specific supplement regimen they not only reduced or eliminated their Meniere’s symptoms but also improved their condition related to diabetes.
This underscores the importance of the right nutrition. No remedy or drug can compensate for a poor diet. However a good healthy whole food (organic where possible) diet supported by quality supplementation can reduce the symptoms of, reverse or eliminate many conditions, Meniere’s and diabetes among them.
At precisely the same time I was writing this article The Express news paper online published a report, ‘Removing bread and pasta from diets ‘can reverse Type 2 diabetes’
Diabetes.co.uk, the world’s largest community of sufferers revealed that 7,000 Type 2 patients using a low refined carbohydrate dietary program saved £6.9 million on medication in a year. They claimed that,
“Slashing consumption of rice, potatoes and sugar has the potential to halt one of Britain’s biggest health epidemics. Switching to a healthier lifestyle could save the cash-strapped NHS £10 billion a year – the amount spent treating the condition – and change people’s lives in just 12 months.”
Co-author of the book this study is published in, Dr Aseem Malhotra said,
“The good news is it’s entirely preventable – but also reversible – and simple dietary changes through cutting refined carbohydrates can at the very least help patients come off medications. Simple diet changes have rapid and substantial benefits not just for patients with Type 2 but for high blood pressure and heart disease too.”
Charlotte Summers, of Diabetes.co.uk said,
“We are seeing phenomenal results from people taking a lifestyle first approach on the low carb program which is saving NHS budgets and lives.”
Type in “diabetes diet” or something similar into your search engine and you will find a plethora of diet plans online for diabetics.
Can type 2 diabetes be reversed?
In a simple 12-minute presentation to the U.K. Parliament, Zoe Harcombe, Ph.D., who spent years researching dietary guidelines as they relate to nutrition and obesity, succinctly demonstrates how bad science supports rising rates of diabetes and other nutritionally triggered diseases.
For Meniere’s the right diet and supplementation can help the immune system deal with the inflammation causing the symptoms. Dealing with the cause of the inflammation on the other hand often needs more than simply the correct diet. This depends on the root of the problem and there are several for you to consider.
Finding the root cause or causes of Meniere’s in your own individual case can be done though. If you find your root cause, you have found the key to your cure or solution, whichever words you choose to use. Eliminate or correct the root cause and you can overcome Meniere’s completely. This is something we have constantly seen among sufferers over the past 13 years of support work.
Finally, it is important that if you are both a diabetic and have Meniere’s you should be careful using steroids as a treatment for your Meniere’s. Increases in blood glucose are common among people taking prednisone and other steroids. These steroids are referred to as ‘glucocorticoids’. Perhaps of even more significance is the fact that long term use of these steroids can produce “Steroid induced diabetes” and a host of other very serious conditions.
According to a study ‘Steroid-induced diabetes‘ cited on PubMed.gov in 2014, “Glucocorticoids have various common metabolic side effects including hypertension, osteoporosis and diabetes. As the therapeutic benefits of glucocorticoids continue to expand across medical specialties, the incidence of steroid-induced or steroid-exacerbated diabetes will continue to rise.”
There are plenty of ways to reduce inflammation naturally to tackle your Meniere’s symptoms. If you have the choice of steroids or the right foods, which will you choose?
Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Do have experience with Meniere’s and diabetes? Tell us all about it in the comments boxes below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com
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.
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.
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
It is said that If you eat a high fat, high carbohydrate and/or a sugary diet cholesterol could be depositing plaque on your blood vessel walls. If this is the case, then your blood flow could be restricted. Poor blood flow in and around the ear is the very opposite to what you want. The ear needs a smooth flow of blood in and out of the ear or complications can occur. If you suffer from Meniere’s disease, could high cholesterol be making things a lot worse for you?
It must be remembered that not all cholesterol is bad. The brain is the most cholesterol dense organ in the body. Your brain accounts for 2% of your body weight yet contains 20% of your body weight. Moreover, there is no conclusive evidence that proves dietary cholesterol through dairy products changes the amount of cholesterol in the blood stream.
Triglycerides
High triglyceride counts may be significant for the same reason as cholesterol. Large numbers of people suffering from Meniere’s are found to have elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The deeper significance of this as a causal factor may be misleading in that the average diet and lifestyle in most industrialized countries now produces a population that may often have these elevated levels but not everyone suffers from Meniere’s.
In addition to this, most Meniere’s patients will be on diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide. One side effect of these drugs can be an increase in triglycerides and low density lipoprotein (LDL) or ‘bad’ cholesterol.
On the other hand, as you will read in the last section of this article, high triglycerides may be a sign of other dysfunctions within the body that can indeed impact on the condition of a Meniere’s sufferer.
For 50 years doctors have been telling patients that eggs increased cholesterol, but an extensive study published in JAMA ( Journal for the American medical association) in 2014 showed that it turns out that advice was wrong and that excess sugar in fact is much worse for cholesterol. The study highlighted soda as one of the biggest culprits.
Regardless, if there is plaque buildup, this can affect blood flow. Blood flow is very important. While build up of cholesterol can also trigger the immune system into an inflammatory response. Inflammation is a major reason for Meniere’s symptoms.
The right nutrition to help the immune system fight inflammation and promote blood flow has produced the best results in reducing symptoms of Meniere’s that we have seen. We have constantly seen all the evidence of this for 13 years. While the two most recent drugs to be lauded as treatments for Meniere’s, OTO-104 and SPI-1005 are aimed at reducing inflammation.
In addition to this, researchers at the University of Colorado claim they may have a plan to “disable” Meniere’s Disease through improving blood flow.
So you have the choice of reducing inflammation and increasing blood flow naturally or by using drugs. Either way, whether you have Meniere’s or not, it is acknowledged by almost everyone now that reducing ‘bad’ cholesterol is a wise choice for your general health. How we do that is the debate.
Is Cholesterol relevant in Meniere’s Disease?
PLAQUE
Plaque is a collection of excess cholesterol covered by a scar that is deposited on artery walls. In most cases, this buildup results after years of having high cholesterol. The largest buildups are most likely to cause angina. Small buildups of this substance are thought to be unstable and more likely to rupture, releasing their contents into the bloodstream, possibly causing a blood clot that may trigger a heart attack.
What Is Plaque? When talking about cholesterol, it is helpful to understand plaque. The effect of plaque buildup in the arteries is the main cause of heart disease, heart attacks in people with high cholesterol and many other ‘health’ conditions.
How Does It Develop?
Cholesterol is a major ingredient in the plaque that builds up in the arteries.
Excess cholesterol is deposited on the artery walls as it travels through the bloodstream. Then, special cells in the artery wall gobble up this excess cholesterol, creating a “bump” in the artery wall. This cholesterol-rich “bump” then is covered by a scar that produces a hard coat or shell over the cholesterol and cell mixture. It is this collection of cholesterol covered by a scar that is called plaque. The buildup of plaque is known as atherosclerosis
Impact of Plaque
The plaque buildup narrows the space in the coronary arteries through which blood can flow, decreasing the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the heart. If not enough oxygen-carrying blood can pass through the narrowed arteries to reach the heart muscle, the heart may respond with a pain called angina. The pain is often felt during exercise, when the heart needs more oxygen. It is typically felt in the chest or sometimes in other places, like the left arm and shoulder. This same inadequate blood supply, however, may cause no symptoms.
This plaque buildup does not occur over days, weeks, or months. Plaque buildup, in most cases, occurs over many years. If the heart is not receiving oxygen and nutrients, therefore not functioning as it should, then blood flow throughout the body will not be as it should. If there is a constriction in the veins and capillaries in and around the ear for some other reason then the added burden of plaque both in the coronary arteries and elsewhere will only compound the problem.
Reducing Plaque Buildup
Lowering cholesterol levels can slow, stop, or even reverse the buildup of plaque. This can reduce your risk of a heart attack by lowering the cholesterol content in unstable plaque, making it more stable and less prone to rupture. This is why lowering your LDL cholesterol is such an important part of reducing your risk of a heart attack. In the bigger picture, the same may go for reducing the risk of increased Menieres symptoms or even eliminating your symptoms, depending on your root cause.
Reducing triglycerides
To reduce your triglyceride levels, limit high starch foods, reduce or cut bad fats, reduce sugar intake, limit alcohol intake, limit fructose, eat omega 3 rich foods such as fish and nuts and limit refined carbohydrates such as white bread.
In fact one of the most commonly overlooked causes of high triglyceride levels is too many carbohydrates, especially in heavily refined foods. If your triglyceride levels are elevated, it can likely represent a severe abnormality of insulin balance in your body.
This is important in more ways than one. It is known that insulin in diabetics creates a sodium retaining effect. Insulin is involved in the regulation of both sodium and potassium. Both relevant to inner ear function.
So this takes us way beyond simply worrying about cholesterol. Now we are concerned with metabolism, glucose and insulin. A study published in The International Tinnitus Journal and PubMed in 2005 ‘Glucose and insulin profiles and their correlations in Ménière’s disease.’ highlighted this fact.
Quote:
“This study investigated carbohydrate metabolism characteristics in 64 patients with typical Ménière’s disease. We demonstrated that 72%of them had some variable degree of hyperinsulinemia as shown by their plasma insulin curves, whereas alterations on the glucose curve (reactive hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia) were found for only 21%. More advanced hyperinsulinemic conditions (i.e., glucose intolerance or diabetes mellitus) were usually associated with changes in lipid profiles and with a central pattern of fat distribution and systemic hypertension.”
In an earlier study it was found that:
“67.7% of our patients showed some abnormality in the relationship between the blood levels of glucose and insulin.”
Sugars not metabolized into energy within the body are stored as fats. Unused fats are stored as fats. Carbohydrates turn to sugars, the sugar not used is stored as fat. Highly refined carbohydrates give a sugar rush to the body and cause insulin irregularities. Insulin irregularities can cause sodium and potassium level irregularities.
You can see how everything is connected within the body and how seemingly unrelated issues may either result in Meniere’s symptoms or at least influence in some way what is happening within your ear.
Good blood flow is important to prevent Meniere’s symptoms. Anything affecting this is most likely affecting your Meniere’s condition. Anything that triggers inflammation is most likely affecting your Meniere’s condition and anything that is causing imbalances in the regulation of the electrolytes sodium and potassium and metabolism is most likely affecting your Meniere’s condition.
The root causes and triggers of any health condition can often be found not in the actual organ affected but rather elsewhere in the body.
What can you take away from this? Quite simply a good balanced diet, high in nutritious whole foods and very low on health damaging processed foods is not just some fanciful idea or a passing fad. It is essential for both overall health and can be life changing to the Meniere’s sufferer.
Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Tell us all about your experiences with cholesterol and Meniere’s. Use the comments boxes below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com
