Meniere's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that can cause the most severe vertigo episodes of any known condition. Vertigo attacks are often sudden and at times they are so severe that they are referred to as "drop attacks" because they can cause the person fall to the ground from a complete loss of balance.

Meniere's disease is usually the result of an abnormal amount of fluid that builds up pressure in the compartments of the inner ear called the labyrinth. Within the labyrinth of the inner ear, there are parts that control your body's ability to keep a sense of balance and also your sense of hearing. Part of the labyrinth is filled with fluid called endolymph.  When your body moves, the endolymph moves with it, prompting the receptors in the inner ear to send messages to the brain about your body’s position. For Meniere's disease sufferers, any extra endolymph leads to a distortion of normal signals that are on their way to the brain, which is why vertigo attacks happen along with other Meniere's disease symptoms.

Four Primary Meniere's Disease Symptoms

There are four primary indicators and symptoms associated with Meniere's disease:

• Vertigo – episodes of vertigo happen over and over again and can be overwhelming for those suffering from Meniere's disease.  Vertigo attacks may start and end spontaneously, and their duration can last anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours.  During the more intense vertigo episodes, the person may experience nausea or vomiting.
• Loss of hearing – in the affected ear, a fluctuation in the ability to hear may occur.  Over time, it could develop into permanent hearing loss.
• Tinnitus – ringing, roaring, whistling, hissing, or buzzing sound in the ear can be experienced, sometimes to a large degree, by people with Meniere's disease.
• Fullness or pressure in the ear – due to the buildup of fluid within the inner ear, pressure may increase, causing a feeling of fullness in the ear or on the side of the head.

What Is the Cause of Meniere's Symptoms?

We know that the issues that are characteristic of Meniere’s disease are caused by excess fluid in the ears. However, we don’t know for certain why the fluid buildup happens in the first place.  There are several ideas on the causes of Meniere's disease. Here are a few of the more commonly considered potential causes:

• Anxiety or stress
• Allergies
• Inner or middle ear infection
• Recent viral illness
• Respiratory infection
• Smoking
• Head injury
• Fatigue
• Family history of the condition
• Alcohol consumption
• Stress
• Migraines
• Autoimmune reaction
• Medication side-effect

Following an episode of Meniere's disease, symptoms may noticeably improve and perhaps go away entirely.  In fact, some Meniere's sufferers may go weeks or even years between episodes.

To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and vertigo, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.

Getting Relief from Meniere's Disease

If you are searching for options that will relieve your Meniere's disease symptoms, there are a number of things that you may find:

• Medication – motion sickness and anti-nausea medications are frequently recommended
• Vestibular rehabilitation therapy to help improve balance
• Diuretics to reduce overall fluid retention in the body
• Low-sodium diet to also help reduce fluid retention

For intense cases of Meniere's disease, it may be recommended that you get injections of an antibiotic or steroid into the middle ear. Even surgery might be considered as a treatment option.

A Natural Treatment That Actually Works

As you become more informed about the way that the spine can affect the balance system in the body, you will understand how the option of upper cervical chiropractic care is a promising treatment for Meniere’s disease sufferers. There is an important job that your spine has, right at the base of your skull at the very top of your neck.  This is where the upper cervical vertebrae encase and protect the spinal cord. The role of the spinal cord is to act like a message board for communication happening between your brain and body. It is imperative that the vertebrae of your spinal column perform their job effectively by providing a tough layer of protection to prevent any disruptions to their normal ability to function.

The uppermost vertebra in your neck, called the atlas, is unique because it's the most freely movable bone in your entire spine.  If you were to be involved in an accident or sustain an injury that caused it to misalign even a little, it could irritate the part of the spinal cord that it is meant to protect.  The atlas is also located in close proximity to your inner ear. Any misalignment can have impacts on normal ear drainage and communication along the nerves that connect your inner ear and brain.

In recent studies, there has been evidence found that indicates an atlas misalignment as being a major contributor in the development of Meniere's disease. Researchers monitored 300 Meniere's disease patients over a 6-year time span for their outcomes after receiving a course of upper cervical chiropractic care.  A whopping 97% of the patients showed significant improvement. These improvements looked like returning to work, having a normal social and family life, being able to drive again, and returning to living independently. For the remaining 3% of patients, they still experienced some symptoms, but their episodes were less severe and occurred less frequently.  All 300 showed signs of an atlas misalignment upon examination, and most of them remembered getting some type of injury to their head or neck caused by an auto accident, sports injury or other trauma.

Upper cervical chiropractic care is not only effective but also very gentle and extremely precise.  We use low-force adjustments when necessary to correct atlas alignment, which gives your body the ability to heal naturally and function optimally.  This can lead to completely diminishing Meniere's disease symptoms altogether.

References:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menieres-disease/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20374916

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/menieres-disease

Burcon MT, Health outcomes following cervical specific protocol in 300 patients with Meniere's followed over six years. J Upper Cervical Chiropr Res 2016; Jun 2:13-23.

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