Meniere’s disease, Cervical Spine and TMJ – How are they connected?
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Misalignment in the cervical spine, neck and jaw (TMJ) have all been linked to the symptoms of Meniere’s disease.
Many people who have had chiropractic readjustments and manipulation of the cervical spine have freed themselves of Meniere’s symptoms, notably C1 through C6.
The most commonly found misalignment in the neck is C1 in sufferers of vertigo, which it has slipped out of place. This is usually due to trauma of some kid such as whiplash or sudden jerk like movement.
This can go years without being detected, and years before causing disturbances with equilibrium and the ear.
Treatment for TMJ/TMD has also been successful in stopping Meniere’s disease symptoms in some people. Such testimonials are common in emails to Meniere’s Help. Neither cause is recognized by ENTs and GPs in general but the numbers speak for themselves. When researched, the science also backs this up.
This message was posted in a Meniere’s group on Facebook recently (May 2017) regarding TMJ and Meniere’s:
“Hey y’all, just a treatment update. I’ve been in treatment for TMJD with Dr. Foskin and Adelina in Oklahoma City since November 2016 and I’ve been symptom free since December 2016. I just had a check up this week and it looks like my jaw is stabilizing!
Please, please, please get an assessment to rule out TMJD!!! I would have never thought I had it, but I did! An amazing thing about this last visit, when I was first assessed, I had a tremendous amount of neck and shoulder pain. I had Dr Foskin do the same assessment and the pain is gone! I also used to have a lot of headaches and they are gone too! If you are having random neck and shoulder pain, this is a telltale sign of TMJD. Good luck to you all in your journey to health!”
Video: Meniere’s disease – TMJ and the Spine
Have you had your neck, back and jaw checked for irregularities?
On the page linked to above you will read in one section about the work of Doctor Michael Burcon and his peer reviewed paper in 2010 after performing a study on 139 patients. In March 2017 a press release was published and circulated on social media with the headlines “
Video: Dizziness and TMJ Is There a Neck Connection?
“After 155 Years, the Cause of Meniere’s Disease has Finally Been Discovered?”
The headline is rather misleading in that yes, although neck and spinal issues are very significant in a many Meniere’s cases, it cannot be claimed to be “THE” definitive cause, just as nothing else can be claimed to be the outright definitive cause.
The reasons for this are simple, there are several possible causes and possibly more than one cause in each individual case. This is discussed at great length, how to find your own particular cause(s) and how to eliminate them from your life (therefore eliminating Meniere’s from your life) in the book, The Need for Balance – Dealing with the Causes of Menieres.
The significance of this press release is that Doctor Burcon’s work has now extended to 300 patients over 6 years.
“Six years of treatment on 300 patients demonstrated a 97% improvement in the intensity and duration of vertigo attacks,” Journal of Upper Cervical Chiropractic Research.
The paper was actually released in 2016 and is discussed in The Need for Balance. Dr Burcon explained: “Seven hundred and twenty one consecutive patients diagnosed with Meniere’s disease have entered my clinic, most denying a history of a head/neck injury,” .
In the press release, The Journal went on to state: “Most patients are diagnosed with Meniere’s in middle age. That’s because they were injured in high school or college, when they were learning to drive, playing sports or attempting to do something they came to regret. Luckily, it’s not too late to benefit dramatically from upper cervical specific care. These doctors take post graduate training to get certified in their technique. They spend more time testing to create an adjustment, based on x-ray analysis, tailor-made for the patient. This translates to faster, safer results, especially with patients with one-sided neurologic disorders like Meniere’s disease or Trigeminal neuralgia.”
Having communicated with Dr Burcon on several occasions I cannot imagine he was responsible for the sensational headline. But that said, his work is significant and should not be ignored or ridiculed as it is by some who have alternative (and potentially lucrative) treatments.
Dr Burcon says: “The reason it took so long to discover the cause of Meniere’s disease is simple, it takes an average of 15 years from the time of the trauma, a whiplash/concussion injury caused by a vehicular accident or significant blow to the head, before the onset of symptoms.”
Ligaments are damaged allowing an upper cervical subluxation complex to slowly develop over time. Additionally, the brain slips lower into the foramen magnum, slowing the flow of cerebrospinal fluid out of the skull, creating normal pressure hydrocephalus. Since the skull acts as a closed hydraulic system, less blood flows into the head. This syndrome is often missed on supine MRIs. These films should be taken upright, seated or standing, and should include the upper cervical spine in addition to the head.
So is Meniere’s disease – Cervical Spine and TMJ relevant?
Yes, absolutely.
Whether it be the neck, the spine, the jaw or teeth, Musculoskeletal imbalances are an important possibility that you should get checked for and corrected if need be.
Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Do have experience with Meniere’s, the spine, neck or jaw? Tell us all about it in the comments boxes below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com
Food allergies and gut issues have been linked to Meniere’s disease.
This is one of several possible causes you can correct or eliminate in your life. Studies have shown that up to 30% of Meniere’s sufferers have food allergies and/or intolerances. Intolerance to gluten and candida overgrowth are common.
The gut has more neurons than the central nervous system and the bowels are where serotonin is stored. The proliferation of chemicals in foods and the environment that destroy good gut bacteria is having an effect on human health in many ways. Meniere’s disease is one possible result in some people.
Watch the video below for more on food allergies and gut issues.
Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Do you have experience with Meniere’s disease and gut issues, food allergies or intolerances? Tell us all about it using the comments boxes below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com
How are the Thyroid and the Endocrine System linked to Meniere’s disease?
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Both the endocrine system and thyroid have been linked to Meniere’s. Up to 38% of Meniere’s disease sufferers have thyroid issues
The thyroid is part of the endocrine system and metabolism, which is also linked to Meniere’s, is regulated by the thyroid. Have you been checked for thyroid dysfunction?
The thyroid is one one of the most overlooked possible root causes of Meniere’s symptoms. Consider the fact that endocrine disruptors saturate our environment, food, drinks, household goods, personal hygiene products and cosmetics. Anything throwing this hormone system out of sync can affect the thyroid and metabolism. It may be wise to consider this as a serious factor in your own individual case and get checked. Either eliminate this as a possibility or take action if needed.
Video: thyroid and endocrine links to Meniere’s.
Video: Meniere’s Disease: Relationships to Thyroid, Autoimmunity, and Allergy
In depth article on Meniere’s disease and thyroid dysfunction
To read more in depth information on the endocrine system and how this may be related to the symptoms of Meniere’s disease, click the links below.
Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Do you have experience with Meniere’s related to the thyroid, endocrine or metabolism? email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com or tell us all about it using the comments boxes below.
Is there a role for manganese in either the treatment or as a causative factor with Meniere’s Disease? Some nutritionists and doctors specializing in cellular nutrition may believe it can help relieve symptoms while most ENT doctors will probably know nothing about it or dismiss it. If it doesn’t show up on peer reviewed studies or papers in PubMed then most doctors may dismiss it, regardless of any other reports or evidence.
Timothy Haine MD, who writes on the internet about Meniere’s, dismisses the use of manganese as just another in his long list of “placebo effect”, claiming there are zero peer reviewed studies published on PubMed. This is the man who refers to the bioflavonoids from lemon and vitamin C in Lipoflavonoid as a, “mysterious substance” as he consigns that too to his list of ‘Placebo’ effect probabilities.
Both vitamin C and flavonoids combined with other nutrients have been used with great success over the years for Meniere’s and to so flippantly dismiss their successful use as “placebo” shows a lack of understanding, or willful ignorance as to the importance of both reducing inflammation and improving micro-circulation through nutrition in Meniere’s disease. It also shows a complete disdain and ignorance of the importance of nutrition in general. Shocking perhaps, but unsurprising considering the almost total reliance on synthetic drugs in mainstream medicine.
The easy answer to this attitude is to ask the question, how many Meniere’s sufferers has mainstream medicine actually “cured”? Moreover, how many Meniere’s sufferers can live even partially symptom free through synthetic drugs? Ask a medical doctor how much they studied nutrition in their years of medical school and you will be lucky if they answer that it was more than one afternoon. Which drugs are used for treating what condition will be well known or easily accessible yet a significant understanding of nutritional biology, the very foundation of human health, is often sadly lacking. Many drugs block or prevent natural biological processes while the right nutrition can help the body balance these processes and correct them when there is dysfunction.
In the experiences of Meniere’s Help readers who have contacted us over 12 years, for many the right nutrition has helped them stay symptom free and lipoflavonoid is best used in conjunction with other supplements ( See more about supplementation here )
Unfortunately the testimonials of real sufferers who are the very people who experience every symptom, pain, relief and cure, are too often discarded as mere “hearsay”. The fact is that very few clinical studies will ever be done to prove the effectiveness or curative powers of anything natural because this cannot be patented and profited from by the huge pharmaceutical corporations. Research into synthetic drugs will receive multi million dollar funding simply because these drugs can be patented and profited from.
With all this said, regarding peer reviewed studies on PubMed that Haine bases his opinions on, there is indeed a south American study (translated from Spanish) indexed: ‘Efficacy of the treatment of Ménière’s disease with oligoelements’
Oligoelements are trace elements including manganese and magnesium.
The 2003 study published in the Anales of Otorrinolaringologicols Ibero-Americanos stated:
“There are significant differences of better results in Ménières treated with olygoelements.”
The study did a split test of 68 Meniere’s sufferers. 34 were treated with drugs and 34 treated with oligoelements.
The reported results were: “In the descriptive statistics we find better results in the Ménières treated with olygoelements than in those that were not treated”
Manganese was used in this Meniere’s Disease study
[Oligo Elements are bioavailable forms of trace minerals that can be rapidly absorbed. Oligo Elements unlock the various metabolic processes which generate functional or infectious diseases. These bioavailable elements work by normalizing enzyme and hormonal functions in order to regulate homeostasis (balance) in the body.]
There is little to no literature about manganese deficiency being related to Meniere’s directly, so why might it help?
Doctor Laurent Bannock. author of The Clinical Nutrition Desk Reference recommends manganese in his supplementation regimen for Meniere’s and states that , “Deficiencies have been linked to ear problems”
Manganese is a component of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) which has been shown to be a powerful antioxidant that fights inflammation. Reducing inflammation by supporting the immune system with powerful antixodants is one of the main functions of the supplement regimen talked about on Meniere’s Help that has worked so well for well over a decade for thousands of sufferers.
Manganese plays an important role in a number of physiologic processes as a constituent of multiple enzymes and an activator of other enzymes.
Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is the principal antioxidant enzyme in the mitochondria. Because mitochondria consume over 90% of the oxygen used by cells, they are especially vulnerable to oxidative stress. The superoxide radical is one of the reactive oxygen species produced in mitochondria. MnSOD catalyzes the conversion of superoxide radicals to hydrogen peroxide, which can be reduced to water by other antioxidant enzymes. [Mitochondria is found in large numbers in most cells, in which the biochemical processes of respiration and energy production occur. Often known as the powerhouse of the cells]
Although manganese deficiency is not common, deficiency has been linked with several serious diseases such as osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes and epilepsy but not directly linked to Meniere’s. It has however been linked to some symptoms of Meniere’s and other conditions with links to Meniere’s.
Conversely, at very high levels of exposure manganese can be toxic, and has been linked to several conditions including Parkinson’s Disease and thyroid dysfunctions.
With that in mind, the importance of balanced nutrition rather than stand alone supplementation can not be underestimated. As vitamins, minerals, trace elements and enzymes all work in synergy it is important that the balance is right.
Comprehensive supplementation
Dr Tim Wood Ph.D explains in ‘Comprehensive Supplementation Delivers What Stand-Alones’ Can’t‘:
“Many people approach nutritional supplementation in piecemeal fashion.
For instance, some use stand-alone vitamin E products to promote cardiovascular health. Others buy stand-alone calcium supplements to protect against osteoporosis. Some use vitamin C and zinc to reduce cold and flu symptoms. And still others change their supplement regime every month, according to the latest magazine articles they have read.
None of these approaches –focusing on one or two essential nutrients and ignoring all the others–is satisfactory. In fact, they run counter to the most basic principles of nutrition and health.
Our bodies, and each of the cells that compose them, are complex, living systems comprising diverse structures (organs and organelles) that carry out a multitude of integrated biological functions.
At the cellular level, membranes, mitochondria, ribosomes, and the nucleus work in concert to regulate the conveyance of materials into and out of the cell; metabolize carbohydrates and fats; synthesise proteins; and guide cellular growth, division, and differentiation.
Similarly, our bodies’ organs have distinct but integrated functions. Our digestive, circulatory, nervous, skeletal, and immune systems collaborate to allow us to acquire and break down foods, absorb and transport nutrients, detoxify metabolites, and fight infections.
All these processes, at both the cellular and whole-body levels, are intimately linked in the web of interactions we call “life.”
The well-being of the whole depends on the integrity and immutable function of all the parts; and in this sense, health is truly holistic.
As complex, integrated systems, our cells and our bodies require a full comlement of essential vitamins and minerals to survive and remain healthy.
The B vitamins–thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, folic acid and cyanocobalamin–for example, are essential to cellular metabolism (energy usage and the synthesis of proteins, DNA, and other biological compounds).
We require vitamin C for the synthesis of connective tissues.
We need vitamin D, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus for normal bone development. Copper, zinc, manganese and selenium are necessary for peak enzyme structure and function.
The list goes on, but the salient point is this: All the essential nutrients are needed all the time.
Withhold just one nutrient, or provide too much or too little of it, and a given aspect of metabolism slows.
And because our bodies are integrated systems, when one component or function slows, our overall health deteriorates.
We also need a diverse array of antioxidants; that is, molecules that neutralize free radicals and prevent oxidative damage.
Vitamins C and E are the best known of the dietary antioxidants.
But for complete, long-term protection, we need broader antioxidant defenses. In other words, we require a more extensive spectrum of antioxidant compounds, some of which are water-soluble, some fat-soluble, some that neutralize one class of free radicals (e.g., hydroxyl anions), and some that neutralize another (e.g., singlet oxygen).
Furthermore, various antioxidants accumulate in and protect different parts of the body.
Vitamin C is thought to accumulate in the lens of the eye where it affords protection from cataracts. Two carotenoids–beta-carotene and lutein–accumulate in the skin and protect it from the sun’s damaging rays. Lutein also accumulates in the macula of the eye, reducing oxidative stress and the risk of macular degeneration. Vitamin E is absorbed into cell membranes, protecting them from oxidative stress. Coenzyme Q10 protects mitochondria (the powerhouses of the cell) from free-radical damage. And some bioflavonoids are thought to be important in protecting the integrity of blood vessels.
In short, comprehensive antioxidant protection requires that we consume not only vitamins C and E, but also a full spectrum of antioxidant molecules, all of which are essential for long-term health.
In summary, then, our bodies’ cells are complex, integrated living systems requiring all the essential vitamins, antioxidants and minerals–in adequate and balanced amounts–to survive and thrive.
Provide just one of the essential nutrients in insufficient amounts, or provide less than broad-spectrum antioxidant protection, and cellular function declines and our overall health deteriorates.
These fundamental principles provide the basis for nutritional approaches to long-term health.
Importantly, they apply both to diet and supplement use. The importance of a balanced and varied diet is self-evident. We know that it is important to eat a diet that supplies a wide array of nutrient-dense foods; a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and one that supplies all the essential micro-nutrients, including the right amounts and kinds of carbohydrate, protein, and fat.
It is just as important to take a comprehensive and balanced approach to nutrient supplementation.
Research has shown that diets in industrialized countries generally fail to supply even minimal levels of many of the essential vitamins, antioxidants and minerals.
These deficits are particularly worrisome for vitamins A, E and B6, as well as for folate, calcium, magnesium, zinc and copper.
Furthermore, we now know that advanced levels of many of the essential nutrients–including vitamin E, vitamin D, and selenium–far in excess of Recommended Daily Allowances, are required to support long-term health.
As such, supplementing our diets with just one or two of the essential nutrients is not enough.
Each of us needs to take a complete vitamin, antioxidant, and mineral supplement as the foundation for our supplementation program.
The nutritional products you choose should provide all the essential nutrients. They should comprise a complete range of cofactors (e.g., choline) and a diverse group of antioxidants (including carot-enoids and bioflavonoids) –nutrients that have not traditionally been considered essential but which are now known to be required for long-term health.
Furthermore, a comprehensive supplement must provide the nutrients in balanced amounts and at doses shown to promote lifelong health.
None of us would think of limiting our diets to just broccoli and green tea just because we have read that both of these foods can help reduce the risk of cancer.
Common sense forbids it. Apply this same common sense and the fundamental principles of nutrition in choosing your nutritional supplements. Choose a high quality, comprehensive nutritional supplement as the basis of your program. Your health depends on it.”
Although there is no direct link to Meniere’s from manganese deficiency, there have been studies showing links to ear problems and the use of manganese as part of supplement regimen is known to be beneficial. Manganese may not hold the same importance to Meniere’s as Magnesium but as an important part of balanced dietary intake it should not be underestimated.
Dietary changes and supplementation is not thought of as either a treatment or a cure. People can live completely or almost completely symptom free as a result of the strengthening of their immune system through supplementation and a healthy balanced diet free of health damaging processed and junk foods.
Identifying and eliminating the individual root cause and triggers is the only way to actually cure yourself from Meniere’s completely. This is something we have been focusing on for the past 7 years and continue to do so.
It can be done, has been done and is being done all the time.
Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Have you used Manganese supplementation with Meniere’s or have you been tested and found to be deficient? Tell us all about it in the comments boxes below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com
Can blue light glasses help stop vertigo during screen time? With my timeline on Facebook plastered in stories about Hillary Clinton wearing special “blue light” sunglasses to stop seizures, it made me wonder if there were anything like this to help light sensitivity and vertigo?
Do you suffer from light sensitivity?
Do computer screens, florescent lights and even the TV trigger vertigo attacks?
This was something that I suffered terribly from when I was really sick with Meniere’s. I am sure many of you find computer screens and TV etc can spark attacks, so I did a quick search on google to see what I could find.
After sifting through page after page of the Clinton story I came up with a study on NIH related to epilepsy:
I looked on Amazon to see if they sell any and indeed they do. Prices range from nearly $90 down to around $10. So these glasses must widely available and easily accessible.
I posted immediately in a Meniere’s groups and the first comment to appear confirmed that these glasses did indeed help stop vertigo attacks:
“I use blue light goggles, and they help . I consulted Consumer Reports and they rated the cheap 8$ ones as filtering out the most blue light ( 70% I think ). They are not attractive but I don’t go into a store with fluorescent lighting without them or use any screen without them . . I would recommend them. In an acute attack reading on my tablet triggers an immediate vertigo. Mine were 8$.”
Other comments made on the subject in Meniere’s Disease supports groups online were as follows (2020):
“Most of the time they work for me but I did have one experience where they added to the problem but I was off balance a bit more that week. They were fine after that day”
“Have blue for office and computer screen and yellow for my progressives. No issues at all.”
“Big difference for me personally!”
“Made a HUGE difference for my migraines.”
“I love mine! Been using them for years now. I also have the blue light filter set on all my tech that has it, and I have a chrome extension that allows me to adjust the light/dark of websites.”
“Therespecs… they’re a miracle worker for me. When I go into stores or offices I no longer get dizzy when I wear these.”
“Mine have helped”
“I use a blue light filter on my phone and it really helps me”
“They help take that pressure off my eyes and forehead so decrease the chances of a migraine.”
“I used to be an optical consultant for a UK wide opticians.
Blue light filters were and remain controversial, with many denouncing the benefits due to lack of science.
My personal experience is that they make unnatural lighting significantly more comfortable daily and reduce eye strain.”
“They’ve been great for me. I suggest getting looser fitting frames that you use only @ home for comfort.”
So, Can Blue Light Glasses Help Stop Vertigo?
To my knowledge there are no cited studies relating to vertigo or Meniere’s disease. However, there are studies indicating that blue glasses help computer vision syndrome (CVS), a condition resulting from focusing the eyes on a computer screen. Two of the listed symptoms of CVS are dizziness/vertigo and Migraine.
In addition to possibly preventing vertigo, blue light glasses are also beneficial for those who suffer from insomnia.
Help other Meniere’s sufferers. Do you use blue light blocking glasses or goggles? Do they help? Let us know in the comments section below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com
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