Tag: Vertigo

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General Information on Meniere's Disease / Syndrome

Can Lymphatic Drainage Therapy Relieve Meniere’s Symptoms?

Can Lymphatic Drainage Therapy Relieve Meniere's Symptoms?Lymphatic Drainage Therapy for Meniere’s Symptoms

 
 
Can Lymphatic Drainage Therapy Relieve Meniere’s Symptoms?
 
If you have been diagnosed with having Meniere’s, then you have probably heard the term “endolymphatic hydrops”.
 
 ‘Endolymph’ is the fluid that can be found in the labyrinth of the inner ear. In study’s done in 2001 it was concluded that the inner ear has a lymphatic drainage system connected to the lymph nodes close by in the neck.
 
The lymphatic system is the body’s drainage system.  It is a complex network of vessels throughout the body that is designed to drain fluid from the tissues of the body and return the fluid to the circulatory system. The lymphatic system is also an integral part of the immune system.
 
If there is a build up of fluid inside the ear causing hydrops (inflammation or swelling) then it would make perfect sense to assume taking action to help the fluid drain away would reduce or relieve the symptoms that result from this excess fluid. After all the whole concept of an endolymphatic shunt is ‘drain’ the excess fluid away.  Is it necessary to have such invasive surgery or can this fluid be drained into the lymphatic system as it should be through other means?
 
 In the ‘Compendium of Dr Vodder’s Manual Lymph Drainage’  Renato Kasseroller is quoted as saying in relation to Meniere’s Disease:
 
“Experience has shown that improving the rheology (the ability to flow or be deformed ) and Lymphatic drainage flow also improves the symptoms. These patients usually exhibit clearly discernable paravertebral muscle tension in the neck region.
Treatment always begins with draining the cervical Lymph nodes of the neck, beginning with the nape, and head. After that specialized therapeutic techniques are applied to the ear, inner ear along with internal oral drainage.
 
The extensor musculature of the back is also treated. Treatment time is around 45 minutes, with daily sessions at first. After about two weeks 2-3 sessions per week are enough. The attacks will become less frequent and less severe.”
 
I have serious personal doubts over the claim, “After about two weeks 2-3 sessions per week are enough. The attacks will become less frequent and less severe.” I can find no studies showing this and more importantly in my eyes I have seen no evidence from the thousands of sufferers who have contacted Meniere’s Help in the past.
 
That said, if I  have learnt one thing in my years of support work and research it is to not discount anything off hand. Just because nobody is talking about it, just because I cannot find studies, it doesn’t mean it is not a valid treatment option. There are plenty of solutions to Meniere’s disease that we spoke of and were laughed at, discounted or attacked in the early years of Meniere’s Help. Now I see them spoken of commonly in online support groups and even by medical professionals.
 
So with that said, MLD may have some very beneficial  effects and provide relief to  the sufferer.
 
It is claimed that scientific studies have proven that the immune system is supported and even boosted as a result of receiving regular MLD treatments.  A sluggish lymphatic system increases the chance of chronic illness and disease.
 
In addition to helping relieve Meniere’s, It is also claimed that MLD treatments can relieve tinnitus and sinusitis . Tinnitus is one symptom of Meniere’s and the sinuses are an important factor in many sufferers.
 
Among the emails sent to Meniere’s help from sufferers over the past 13 years, I could only find one that mentions Lymphatic drainage therapy or MLD and in this person’s case it didn’t prove successful.
 
 
So I went online to see if I could find anecdotal evidence from sufferers, either good or bad.
 
The first case I found  was a lady who claimed she had reversed the symptoms of Autoimmune Inner ear Disorder (AIED) including regaining her hearing. In addition to AIED she also had several other conditions and had this to say:
 
“I have systemic autoimmune problems affecting my joints, thyroid, digestive tract and I’ve been diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome which is autoimmune and affects eyes, mouth etc. The lymphatic drainage therapy positively affected all of these to a lesser degree.

After one year, I returned for a hearing test. My left ear was completely normal. I could hear in my right ear at 25 decibels and could distinguish words at 98%. I continue to have mild tinnitus in the right ear.

At two years, I have maintained the improvement. The downside is that I find I must continue the lymphatic drainage therapy to maintain the improvement—although on a greatly reduced schedule. And, insurance won’t pay for it.”

I trawled the FB Meniere’s groups to see if anyone was commenting about Manual Lymphatic drainage. I found a few posts but not many comments. The comments were mixed in terms of results:

One post showed a video regarding a self MLD technique (see video below). Some comments on this post were:

“ Just gave it a shot while I was watching it. First up, I did feel a relief of pressure in my ears. Prior to starting I had a lot of pressure but low level dizziness. The pressure seems to have reduced but dizziness has increased a lot.”

“I tried it and it took a lot of pressure off my ears they don’t feel as full and my tinnitus has eased off a little And my head doesn’t feel as foggy.”

“I have, for the past year or so. I use it whenever my ears feel too full. It seems to help.”

FB Comments regarding MLD therapy on other posts:

“I already get MLD for a lymph condition I have in my arms and legs. No help for my MD.“

“I tried it and had terrible headache might Ave just been a coincidence.”

From Menieres disease UK forum:

“About a month ago I entered the best vestibular health I have ever had (with Vitamin supplements, massage, osteopathy, low salt diet and manual lymphatic drainage)”

The Lymphatic system drains and filters lymph circulating around the body. Unwanted contaminants are cleansed and clean fluid re-enters the blood stream. Primary lymphoid organs include the thymus, bone marrow and fetal liver.

Bone marrow and the thymus are vital to the immune system. Dysfunction in the thymus leads to problems with T-cell regulation. T-cell regulation has been linked to Meniere’s disease. Read more on T-cells and Meniere’s here.

If lymphatic fluid, lymph, is not drained and filtered properly it will re-enter the blood stream contaminated. Its primary re-entry point is in the base of the neck on the left.  If contaminants are not drained they will accumulate locally around the body and can cause states of dis-ease.

Could the endolymphatic sac be one of these accumulation points?

Could the constant elevated immune response to that accumulation of contaminants in the endolymphatic sac be what results in Meniere’s symptoms? Could the fluctuations in symptoms be a result of partial drainage at times and more accumulation and blockage at others? Could natural remission be a result of enough of these contaminants being drained properly at that time?

After all it is believed that approximately one-third of Meniere’s disease cases seem to be of an autoimmune origin. It is generally accepted that blockage or over production of endolymph within the ear is the cause of hydrops. If, as studies show the inner ear has a drainage system to the lymph nodes then ‘drainage’, or the lack of it, would seem an obvious candidate for cause and treatment.

It would make a lot of sense, and something to consider despite the somewhat hypothetical nature of the questions.

You can look at all science and possibilities but the simple fact that if there is an accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the inner ear and manipulative massage can help drain that fluid away then pressure should reduce within the ear.

In theory and from the claims of therapists who practice MLD it would make perfect sense that this could help reduce symptoms. But as yet we have very little evidence of this available in the way of first hand accounts from sufferers.

MLD is a specialized technique but you can also practice self lymphatic drainage massage. Watch the video below for self massage for the ear.

(see comments from FB above regarding this video)

Some comments on youtube under this video:

“this worked great!!! i first boiled a pot of water and let the steam cover my face and ear for 5 min allowing the steam to open things up a bit then followed massage techniques on this video, (doing 2 rounds of the massages in one evening).. My ear was feeling full and had tinnitus.. ALL has cleared up!! AND tinnitus gone!!! Thanks so much for posting this video :))”

“Absolutely amazing! I was able to clear my clogged ear by following your instructions.”

“It worked for me! I get tinnitus because of stress and tension in the neck area, and this definitely helped a lot with that.”

“This worked for me! I can hear much better now. Thanks!”

“Thanks, now I’m not dizzy anymore. My ear was bothering me because of my allergies. Now, if I can only stop my ears from buzzing.”

There are many more comments, many positive, some negative and some moronic. None actually mention ‘Meniere’s‘, but several mention sinuses and tinnitus.

The video below is not directly related to the lymphatic system, but claims this technique can help reduce tinnitus headache, vertigo and sinus congestion. Perhaps by combining the two techniques in these videos you can find some quick relief from your symptoms in times of increased pressure.

NOTE: It would be well worth reading the comments under this video on youtube for advice and perspective and some less positive remarks. It seems technique is important.  You could make things worse if you pull too hard, but below is a small selection of the many positive comments.

Not a cure for Meniere’s and highly unlikely to be a permanent fix for tinnitus related to Meniere’s. However, if this can give relief when allergies and sinuses are increasing your symptoms, it is well worth trying. Strangely enough, there is certainly more positive feedback found regarding this odd little trick than for MLD.

“absolutely brilliant. Suffering with Migraines and vertigo for yrs and now I feel much better.”

“My ear crackled or popped, it did not hurt at all. Immediately my sinus’ started draining! I always have thick drainage in my throat, constantly clearing it… NOTHING is hanging back there for me to clear! This is freaking incredible.”

“Vertigo is the worst thing ever! Used the techniques and stopped it!”

“I haven’t been able to really breathe through my left nostril for years. My sinuses are terrible. It worked almost instantly! Thank you!”

“I’m a truck driver and have had tinnitus for some time. I tried this technique and it calmed the tinnitus in my right ear almost immediately. Thank you”

“I have suffered with Ménière’s disease for years. I’ll try anything. I did feel a pressure release and something draining. Hopefully this is what I needed.”

“It worked for me! Thank you”

“Holy crap it works!”

“I tried this and the tinnitus volume immediately lowered. That’s quite amazing.”

“Dr. Mendel thank you this has helped get rid of my vertigo. Wow!”

One final note that may give credence theoretically to the benefits of manual lymphatic drainage, the importance of the lymphatic system, the fact that there may be a blockage and also the relevance of the sinuses.

Below is a short excerpt from my own Meniere’s story.  I had been almost symptom free for several years. I say almost because I still had hearing loss at that time but then this happened:

“While playing football I broke my cheek bone and eye socket in a clash of heads. It was on the same side as my affected ear and after the initial stunning blow and minutes of intensely heavy  pain, blood started pouring down through my left sinus and out of my nose.  The blow severed nerves between my eye socket and cheek bone and that left my teeth numb. I was very lucky that the nerves somehow fixed themselves.

The shock was that only minutes after the clash of heads my sinuses felt clearer than I could remember and all my hearing returned! I was so happily surprised that I almost forgot about the painful injury.

For four or five years I had believed, ever since my endolymphatic shunt implant that the hearing in my left ear had been damaged permanently.  The hearing only lasted for a few weeks but it had me asking more and more questions.

I had been hearing of so many others regaining their hearing while on the supplements and knew it was possible but in my case, after years with the worst symptoms it had fluctuated then abruptly after the shunt operation it seemed doomed to a permanent low level.

Had the blow moved some skeletal alignment, had it unblocked some tubes, what was going on?”

The blood that was pouring out of my nose was mixed with a clear fluid – lymph!

Click here to read my full story of recovery from Meniere’s disease

So, Can Lymphatic Drainage Therapy Relieve Meniere’s Symptoms?

I believe it is worth considering as a valid treatment option. As always with any treatment or therapy, it can depend very much on the practitioner as to whether you get results or not. So second and third opinions are always worth it.

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

Related articles:

Can Meniere’s Disease be caused by Autoimmunity?
Dealing with Tinnitus
Sinuses and Meniere’s Disease

By Mike Spencer

Founder of Menieres-Help.Com Supporting sufferers since 2004

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

Help other sufferers. We have no first hand accounts that any of this helps so if you have experience with MLD or either of these techniques, email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com or tell us all about it in the comments box below.

Further reading: 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7167932/

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

Fasting with Meniere’s Disease

How does fasting affect your condition when you suffer with Meniere’s Disease?

Fasting with Meniere’s disease, is it a good idea? Can it help or can it make things worse?

What you eat and do not eat, the regularity and size of your meals can make a difference both positively and negatively if you are a Meniere’s sufferer. 

Dietary considerations are important for the Meniere’s sufferer and there are many posts and articles on this blog and the main site (Menieres-Help.Com) related to this. (see bottom of page for links)

I recently received two emails that both mentioned fasting, one suggesting it produced good results while the other suggested it might have affected her condition in a negative way.

Fasting with Meniere’s disease – the Pros and Cons

Positive:

Hey Michael,
I’m doing pretty good. I’m taking more of the grape seed extract to stop dizziness. And thankfully it does help me. I have cut salt out of diet even with prepared foods. Sodium is so my enemy. I fasted for 3 days recently and had no dizziness at all. So I know it is food. I continue to be careful. God I miss potato chips.
I recently realized that I may be harboring candida yeast in my body–saliva test positive…….
Thanks very much for asking after me. I do appreciate your emails.

Negative:

Mike,

Thanks for answering. I kept telling the doctor this thing started out in my digestive system. I had very minor symptoms at the time in regards to hearing, and then the vertigo was so slight as to be interesting is all. But the GI system was definitely an issue, but I tended to dismiss it in hopes it would pass.
I noticed the diet link from the outset, and remember telling the doctor I felt fine when I fasted and/or went longer periods in between meals. Unfortunately that has changed a bit now, and fasting became a bit of a problem in that it induces the menieres. that nausea and such was he precursor to any vertigo/dizziness, and not the result of it. I had neck tension that accompanied it, and at one point the tension and vertigo hit simultaneously or in concert, and the tension so powerful that it virtually strangled blood supply to the back of the head. You could tell by when it wore off, the tingling of circulation resuming. that cycle has stopped for now, but I’ve noticed a hint of it again, and the associated GI issues are popping up again. I’ve been keeping a log of sorts as to my diet and symptoms for a little short of 6 weeks now. Although I’ve detected some interesting information, I still haven’t got a definitive culprit yet.

On the one hand, if toxicity were an issue, gut problems or food allergies were present it would seem logical that fasting could help detox and as a result help the symptoms of Meniere’s. On the other hand, it is recommended that Meniere’s sufferers keep to regular eating times and not overindulge.

In terms of clinical studies I only found one listed that was any way related to fasting and Meniere’s on PubMed.gov dated 2006:

‘The effect on health of alternate day calorie restriction: eating less and more than needed on alternate days prolongs life.’

In the study it was stated that,

“Restricting caloric intake to 60-70% of normal adult weight maintenance requirement prolongs lifespan 30-50% and confers near perfect health across a broad range of species.”

It went on to state,

Since May 2003 we have experimented with alternate day calorie restriction, one day consuming 20-50% of estimated daily caloric requirement and the next day ad lib eating, and have observed health benefits starting in as little as two weeks, in insulin resistance, asthma, seasonal allergies, infectious diseases of viral, bacterial and fungal origin (viral URI, recurrent bacterial tonsillitis, chronic sinusitis, periodontal disease), autoimmune disorder (rheumatoid arthritis), osteoarthritis, symptoms due to CNS inflammatory lesions (Tourette’s, Meniere’s) cardiac arrhythmias (PVCs, atrial fibrillation), menopause related hot flashes.

This may be of greater significance than realized at first glance as, although Meniere’s is mentioned directly, it also mentions conditions that have been linked to Meniere’s: seasonal allergies, viral, fungal and bacterial infections, sinusitis and autoimmune disorders.

Regular fasting in general is believed to be very beneficial to human health.

Dr  Ed Group of the Global Healing Center explains the benefits of fasting for health in general, while some points can be directly related to Meniere’s. (see the emboldened below)

“Therapeutic fasting dates back to Hippocrates, who prescribed it for many ailments. At the time, it was the only successful way to reduce seizures in epileptic children and remained so until the 20th century.

Many people find that fasting sharpens their mind and provides mental clarity. Interestingly, many of the benefits of fasting don’t result directly from fasting itself, but from the effects of reduced calorie intake, decreased fat composition, better sleep, less diet-related inflammation, and lower intake of salt.

Blood pressure tends to fall during the fasting state, primarily during the first week of fasting. This effect seems to result from a lower salt intake and a detoxification of accumulated salt through the urine. Since excess sodium causes your body to retain water, lower sodium levels lead to better fluid balance in your tissues.

Fasting and calorie restriction inhibits the production of free radicals and irritating proteins like inflammatory cytokines.

Fasting triggers the recycling of old white blood cells—the cells that comprise much of your immune system. Recycling these immune cells leads to a more competent immune system. It works by triggering the regeneration of the stem cells that become your platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells when you begin eating again.

Researchers found that the effects of fasting on blood sugar and insulin levels also improves the brain’s response to mental stress and protects it from stress-related damage.”

Fasting is not starvation and there are many types of fasting depending your required results or reason for doing so.

The obvious problem for some with Meniere’s may be the need to eat at regular intervals. I did not find much in terms of fasting from the 9000 odd emails to Meniere’s Help from sufferers, so I posed a simple question in three online Meniere’s groups on FB.

The responses were an interesting mix of positive and negative experiences with some somewhat neutral, though not all were from experiences of what you might call true fasting, and not fasting related to Meniere’s, they were revealing none the less:

Question posted: “Has anybody tried fasting? What were your experiences, positive or negative?”

Positive comments:

“I don’t eat a lot as it is and I have never had a problem with fasting.”

“It definitely helps me, however I haven’t found any food triggers. It’s mainly stress and poor sleep that affect me.”

“If the MD in you has an autoimmune component, it should help. If it helps, then when you reintroduce the trigger foods, the MD will rear its ugly head again. Keep a food dairy. That will help you identify the food triggers.”

“I only eat fresh fruits and vegetables, and meat. Mostly chicken and turkey. I do not eat processed foods, fast foods, carbs, sugar and limit sodium intake and caffeine. I drink a gallon and a half of water every day. I exercise riding a stationary bike and lifting weights. With this and the meds I am taking…I am attack and dizzy free now for going on 3 weeks. Was having 1-2 attacks everyday for a month.”

“I do an intermittent fast once in a while. About 500 calories for the day. However, I try to maintain my sodium levels throughout the day for consistency. I drink an electrolyte drink to help with this. I’m doing well with it!”

“I do a fasting diet and it is ok if I’m careful and plan my food and day well. If I take some time off the diet I struggle for the first week back on it so have to do it gradually, e.g. instead of going straight back to a 500 calories day I’ll do some 800 calories days first

(It’s the 5:2 diet, 500 calories 2 days a week and eat normally the rest of the time)”

“I had to fast last week for a medical procedure. Clear liquid diet for 24 hours. I got a headache but no other problems at all.”

“I do fast with MD. Key is to Drink lots of water with electrolytes. If you are going to fast for more than 24 hours, break your fast every 12 with a snack. It’s not recommended to fast more than three days for even a healthy person. This is a true fast. I do this once a month for religious purposes. Of course, there are times, when it’s just not possible.”

“I have an attack… I cut way back on my foot intake only eating very low sodium and next to nothing in general. This seems to make my hearing and symptoms better.”

Negative Comments:

“If I don’t eat something, it seems to make my Menieres worse”

“I used to fast but since menieres do not anymore. Body just doesn’t cope I get very dizzy etc”

“I would be extremely sick were I to fast.”

“I get dizzy if I miss lunch x”

“I wouldn’t try it x”

“I have bad eating habits. Low blood sugar triggered me.”

“I used to be able to fast when I was initially diagnosed about 8 years ago but in the last 3 years or so I can’t fast. I take Serc three times daily and found that I must keep hydrated and eat timelously otherwise my symptoms increase e.g. Pressure in my ears”.

“I can’t fast, I get so dizzy and nausea”

“Very bad”

“I eat as soon as I get up, & take my meds. Or I will……”

“I have to eat regularly, otherwise I feel quite poorly”

“I can’t. If I go too long between meals I will get a vertigo attack.”

reply to above: “Same for me”

“I have to do this on Thursday…. I am concerned. I always get the spins from not eating”

“I have tried twice to have a colonoscopy, but the prep from it – liquids only – made me so sick with vertigo that I won’t be able to have it done. I, too, start feeling off if I haven’t eaten for a long time.”

Neutral Comments:

“I haven’t fasted since MD started.”

“No haven’t tried fasting. Like food too much, but what I eat affects me and if I eat too much with indigestion I become off balance and very sick with lots of burping and then I pee a lot. Body trying to eliminate. Probably need a diuretic bit I feel totally drained and exhausted when I take them bit when I get attack I pee every 5 minutes. It’s the body’s way of telling me you have excess fluid.”

“I am on a very low calorie diet and sometimes I get quite dizzy.”

“I had to when the doctors where trying to figure out why I was so fatigued. It didn’t really effect me. The only problem I had was migraines from detoxing from caffeine. If you do it under doctor’s order it should effect you but everyone is different.”

“It affects all of us differently. If you choose to fast take it easy, increase water intake and decrease sodium.”

“I tried fasting to see if food made me feel worse in the afternoons. It didn’t affect my symptoms one way or the other. But it was only one day.”

“Patients are recommended to eat small meals several times per day. I think blood sugar levels can bring on attacks.”

“I have to eat rite away fasting is done otherwise I’m not in good shape”

“Several small meals seems to be the best for me. Not eating frequently enough is a trigger and heavy meals make me very tired. I have been tested numerous times for diabetes including testing at home but blood sugar is OK.”

What can be taken away from this?

Well it is known already that diet can be vitally important with Meniere’s and gut issues and food allergies can play a role in some people. We have long established that everyone is different, with differing general health states, fitness levels, contributing conditions, environments and mental states. Hence the mixed bag of comments above.

Fasting as a means of improving your condition would depend on many other aspects in your life, not just the fact you have Meniere’s.  The possibility should be considered that if true fasting were to take place over a 3 day period for example, it may be that symptoms could get worse before getting better.

I think it is safe to say that always keeping hydrated is very important.

The advice given in one comment above is sound, and that is it should be done under professional supervision or with at least a good knowledge of what you are doing.

Types of Fasting

There are several types of fasting.

Diagnostic Fast: On the advice of a doctor before surgery or blood test etc.

Dry Fast: dry fasting involves not eating or drinking anything during the fasting period. Considering the need to stay hydrated for the Meniere’s sufferer, this would seem not advisable.

Liquid Fast or Water Fast: only drink fluids and avoid eating solid foods.

Juice Fast: Juice cleansing, is a type of liquid fast lasting 3-5 days. It’s usually conducted with detoxification or weight loss in mind. Juice fasts include organic, cleansing fruit and vegetable juices.

Partial Fast: The two kinds of partial fasting are: 1. similar to liquid fasting except you may eat small amounts of solid food. 2. excludes certain foods for an extended period. Many people give up carbohydrates, alcohol, or red meat during this fast.

Intermittent Fast: Alternating periods of fasting and eating. There are many ways to conduct an intermittent fast.

Alternate-day Fast: fast for at least 24 hours. Some people choose to extend alternate-day fasts up to 36 hours. Make sure to drink plenty of water or healthy fluids in an alternate-day fast.

Extended Fasting: Extended fasts are usually 48 hours without eating, but they can last up to a week or longer.

Ketogenic Fast: Ketogenic fasts push your body into the fat burning state known as ketosis. A ketogenic fast is similar to a partial fast in that it includes a small amount of food. The two differ in the types of food consumed. On a ketogenic fast, you only consume fatty foods to shift your body into ketosis.

Fasting for Meniere’s disease – video

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

Related articles:

Candida Albicans and Meniere’s Disease
Menieres disease and food allergies
Gluten and Meniere’s Disease

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 with fasting and Meniere’s disease? Tell us all about it in the comments box below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com

References/Further reading:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/316014/

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:

Massive increase in Meniere’s Disease in Fukushima
Meniere’s Disease and Thyroid Dysfunction
Endocrine Disorders and 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

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 General Information on Meniere's Disease / Syndrome

Meniere’s Disease or Chiari malformation?

Meniere’s Disease or Chiari malformation – which is it?

In my books I cover at length the idiopathic nature of MD and the fact that ‘Meniere’s’ is simply a label for a set of symptoms, the root cause of which can vary from person to person. By identifying the root cause or causes of your Meniere’s disease symptoms in your individual case and correcting or eliminating these causes, it is possible to reduce or eliminate the symptoms themselves.

I recently received an email from the husband of a long term Meniere’s sufferer looking for answers. His wife had recently had a drop attack and ended up in hospital where she was diagnosed with ‘Type 1 Chiari Malformation’.

Study shows Chiari patients have “Meniere’s like syndrome”

In a four year study of 364 Chiari patients (http://asap.org/index.php/medical-articles/four-year-study-of-chiari-i-malformation/) it was found that 74% patients had “Meniere’s like syndrome “: dizziness, disequilibrium pressure in ears, tinnitus, decreased hearing, true vertigo and nystagmus.

This would perhaps be of particular interest to Meniere’s sufferers who also suffer from Migraines as Chiari often results in headaches.

Muskuloskeletal imbalances in the back, neck or jaw are commonly found root causes of Meniere’s symptoms. After correction or treatment in most cases symptoms are reduced or eliminated altogether. The reason that in some cases symptoms are not 100% eliminated may be that there is more than one root cause present in addition to long term damage to hearing nerves.

As I point out in The Need for Balance and back up with scientific medical data, statistics and the experiences of sufferers, there may be more than one cause in each individual case. So it is important to cover all possibilities and deal with them accordingly.

The connection to Meniere’s and mukuloskeletal imbalances such as in the spine is often dismissed by mainstream medicine however the data proves otherwise. In the four year study of Chiari it was found that, in all 364 patients the most common and reliable finding was compression of the CSF spaces posterior and lateral the cerebellum.

Chiari patients are often not aware of the problem. Meniere’s sufferers are often not aware they have neck or spine issues. When chiropractic manipulation is not successful in reducing Meniere’s symptoms in those aware of neck problems, it may be prudent to get checked for Chiari.

According to Mayo clinic Chiari malformation type I occurs when the section of your skull containing a part of your brain (cerebellum) is too small or is deformed, thus putting pressure on and crowding your brain. The lower part, or tonsils, of the cerebellum are displaced into your upper spinal canal.

Dr. Thomas Milhorat, Professor and Chairman of Neurosurgery University of NY, Brooklyn explains things slightly differently:

“CSF [Cerebrospinal fluid] that is compressed has to go somewhere. In man, under normal conditions, we secrete spinal fluid. We can increase that secretion but we cannot decrease it. It happens at .37 cc every minute of our lives. When we’re upright, sleeping, running, resting. We produce 500 cc a day. It’s formed in the ventricles, circulates down through the 3rd ventricle into the aqueduct of Sylvius, into the 4th ventricle. It exits and then it surrounds all the structures of the nervous system. There is a watery bath between brain, spinal cord, cerebellum and the inner table of the skull. In Chiari patients there is reduced volume. Where does it go? Some of it is distributed up into the head, squeezed up and some is squeezed down and this may very well contribute to the formation of SM in some patients. We believe this displacement of spinal fluid into the cranial cavity may be a suitable explanation for the typical Chiari Symptoms. Distribution of CSF out of the posterior fossa into the semi-circular canals can produce in some a sea-sickness syndrome- dizziness, disequilibrium, pressure in the ears, tinnitus, and so forth. It appears to all begin with a too small posterior fossa that compresses the spinal fluid at the back of the head.

Direct bony pressure can also produce complaints. If the compression of the skull is too great, if the retroflexed odontoid (basilar impression) is too great you can have direct compression of cranial nerves or even brainstem. That can produce problems with swallowing, sleep apnea, hoarseness, tremors, and palpitations. Symptoms of Chiari I appear to be due to two basic phenomena that share in common a small back of the skull, a bony dysplagia of the base of the skull and cervical-medullary junction. These are increase of CSF pressure both in the head and in the spinal canal and direct compression of nervous structures. It is not a malformation of the brain itself.”

You can take three things from this article. One, that Chiari should be on your list of possible root causes to investigate. Two, musculoskeletal imbalances are a very real possibility for you to consider.

It would seem Chiari malformation is quite rare and there are many other reasons you may be suffering the symptoms of Meniere’s. That said it may be worth getting checked for this possibility.

Video: What are the symptoms of Chiari Malformation?


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

Chiropractics for Meniere’s disease
Meniere’s disease – Cervical Spine and TMJ
Mike’s Meniere’s Story

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 with neck/spine issues and Meniere’s or Chiari? Tell us all about it in the comment boxes below or email Mike at meniereshelp@gmail.com

References/Further reading:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30610307/

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

Meniere’s disease – Cervical Spine and TMJ

Meniere’s disease,  Cervical Spine and TMJ – How are they connected?

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?

You can read more information on links to Meniere’s symptoms and the neck and spine on this page: Chiropractics for Meniere’s disease

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.

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

Related articles:

Improving Posture to Alleviate Vertigo: A Comprehensive Guide
Cervicogenic Hearing Loss and Tinnitus
Chiropractics for Meniere’s disease

By Mike Spencer

Founder of Menieres Help -Supporting sufferers since 2004

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 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

Further reading:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12555932/

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