Treatments for Meniere's Disease - Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Disorders

Treatments for Meniere's Disease

Nutritional Therapies.     Michael Glass-cock, president of the Ear Foundation in Nashville, Tennessee, has found that 85% of patients with Meniere's disease can be treated with a low-salt diet and diuretics, both of which reduce the amount of fluid in the inner ear. Ear specialists in Toronto have also been able to eliminate vertigo in 89% of patients using several doses of gentamicin each day for four days. Hearing was improved and vertigo eliminated in 35% of the patients; 39% remained unchanged; and 25% of the patients got worse. These findings were reported in the November 3, 1992 edition of the San Jose Mercury News.

According to Feinstein's Symptoms: Their Causes & Cures , a low-calorie, low-fat, low-sugar diet also relieves vertigo. Feinstein cites a study by ear specialist Dr. Joel Lehrer in which 100 patients with dizziness and hearing loss or ringing in the ears relieved their symptoms with a weight-loss diet. Many of the patients, according to Lehrer, were overweight and had high blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. They were also insulin resistant, in which their cells had trouble utilizing insulin, even when normal amounts were present in their blood. Lehrer notes that most of his patients in the study remarkably improved on his diet, and for many, nutritional therapy was the only treatment they needed.

Vitamin, Mineral, and Botanical Therapies.     Balch and Balch report in Prescription for Nutritional Healing that patients with vertigo symptoms may benefit from vitamin and mineral supplements which increase circulation of oxygen in the brain, including vitamins B ₃ , B ₁₂ , C, and A. They also suggest that coenzyme Q-10, calcium with magnesium, germanium, and kelp may be helpful. In addition, botanicals such as butcher's broom, cayenne, chaparral tea, dandelion extract or tea, and ginkgo biloba extract have been used effectively to treat vertigo. People who manifest the symptoms should also restrict their intake of nicotine, caffeine, salt, and fried foods.

Balch and Balch stress that some cases of dizziness and vertigo are caused by poor cerebral circulation. For these symptoms, they recommend the following botanicals treatments: butcher's broom, cayenne, green tea, and ginkgo biloba.

Homeopathic Therapies.     Dr. Milne reports in Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide that many patients with Meniere's disease also complain of migraine headaches, which suggests that their hearing disorder is partly dietary in origin. Depending on a patient's specific symptoms, he treats Meniere's with homeopathic remedies such as Carboneum sulphuratum and Salicylicum acidum , in addition to ginkgo biloba. He also prescribes vitamin B ₆ to decrease fluid build up and restricts sodium, caffeine, and chocolate intake. Finally, he determines whether the patient is sensitive to dental amalgams.

Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy.     A new type of exercise therapy has been used to successfully treat some patients suffering from Meniere's disease and other forms of dizziness caused by inner ear disorders. According to Melinda Henneberger, writing in January 26, 1994 edition of The New York Times , approximately 50 vestibular rehabilitation centers now treat inner ear disorders. The therapy combines several home exercise programs custom-designed for each patient, including jumping on a mini trampoline, sitting up and lying down rapidly, and turning in circles. Patients are also given eye exercises to do at home which retrain the vestibular ocular reflex (a nerve reflex of the inner ear) to allow the eyes to maintain a steady field of vision as a person moves. The eye exercises, in which patients repeatedly move their heads from side to side or up and down while focusing on specific objects, help patients steady their gaze and regain their equilibrium. Most inner ear disorders such as Meniere's disease require between six weeks and 18 months of treatment. Studies show that 85% of patients with inner ear problems achieve partial relief from the therapy, and 30% recover completely.

Ayurvedic Medicine.     In Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide , Dr. Sodhi describes an Ayurvedic treatment for Meniere's disease that uses albad oil in the ear to draw out excess fluid. He also internally administers albad oil in a solution with sesame oil and ghee (clarified butter), and prescribes rest and lymphatic drainage massage.

Surgery.     Patients with Meniere's disease who do not respond to noninvasive treatments may need to undergo surgery (vestibular neurectomy), which generally involves spending five to six days in the hospital. Risks of post-surgical complications include some hearing loss, infections, headaches, and small leaks of brain or spinal fluid, as reported in an article that appeared in the San Jose Mercury News on November 3, 1992.

Helium-Neon (HN) Laser Treatments.     Homeopath Dr. Arabinda Das reports in the May 1994 Townsend Letter for Doctors that he has successfully used helium-neon lasers to treat Meniere's disease. A one-time application of laser for 10 minutes can effectively remove mild symptoms, while two to five treatments are needed for patients with severe symptoms. Five-year follow-up studies show no recurrences of the symptoms. He suggests that laser treatments inhibit the DNA and RNA of bacteria which causes the disorder. According to Das, laser surgery is a noninvasive holistic treatment which constitutes the “fourth generation of homeopathic remedies.”