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When the world spins ...
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A lifestyle change can also bring Meniere's disease under control
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PHOTO: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
EAR TROUBLE Meniere's Disease affects the ear
Do you wake up one not-so-fine morning and feel that the world around you is spinning? Medically, this sensation is called vertigo and affects an individual so much that he is unable to perform even day-to-day activities since even the slightest movement or jerking of the head worsens the vertigo.
Any motion would result in loss of normal balance or equilibrium. What makes life worse for this patient is that he would not know how long this would last. . This is one of the major symptoms of Meniere's disease.
Apart from vertigo, patients experience loss of hearing during this episode but normalcy is restored soon. But over a period of time there is a gradual loss of hearing in that particular ear. Whistling or roaring sounds in the ear, termed as Tinnitus, and a sensation of fullness are the other features of this ailment. These are also temporary.
What is Meniere's disease?
The external ear is the area through which the sound waves pass through and reflect on the tympanum or the eardrum. There are three tiny bones in the middle ear called the malleus, incus and stapes, which transmit the waves as vibration through to the inner ear.
There are two sacs in the inner ear filled with fluid, which then pass these vibrations into the brain through the auditory nerve. This helps us process sound and hearing, senses posture, rotation, deceleration and acceleration.
But for some people, the walls of the inner ear tend to get inflamed leading to accumulation of fluid.
The fluid exerts pressure against the membranes rich in nerve endings and thereby symptoms like vertigo, tinnitus and loss of hearing. This disease tends to run in phases when there is an acuteness of all symptoms and when it subsides the patient is always under a fear when it would recur, hurting his confidence.
Stimuli like noise, light and travel can lead to an attack apart from stress.
Lifestyle changes
Since sodium intake is directly related to fluid accumulation, when salt intake is restricted the frequency of attacks comes down.
* Foods like pickles, chips, and cheese rich in sodium should be avoided.
* Smoking reduces the perfusion of area and increases attacks and hence should be avoided.
* Caffeine has tendency to irritate the nerve endings and so should be avoided.
Remedies
Homoeopathic medicine has good remedies to markedly reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. Conium is probably the first remedy that can alleviate an attack of vertigo.
When it is associated with deafness, and tinnitus with noises in ears, Natrum salicylicum helps.
If a chronic ear condition leads to changes in the bones of the ear and thereby Meniere's Silicea clears out the problem.
Phosphorus reduces the frequency of attacks. Theridion helps any attack worse by closing of eyes to normalcy.
DR. VENUGOPAL GOURI
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