An attack of Meniere’s disease might feel as if it has come out of nowhere. Suddenly, you feel as though the world is spinning around you, your sense of balance is disturbed, and your hearing is affected. This can be alarming, frustrating, and even scary. For people suffering from Meniere’s disease, there are a few things to try that might help to avoid or reduce the severity of future attacks.
- Be sure to drink plenty of water
- Take your meals at the same time each day, even on your days off
- Restrict your salt intake and avoid MSG containing foods
- Avoid caffeine
- Limit alcohol consumption
Your Spine and Meniere’s Disease
The vertebrae of your spine are designed to protect your spinal cord, which is vital for every single function of the body. Along the nerves of the spinal cord, messages are constantly being sent and received between the brain and body. The atlas, which is the uppermost vertebra in the neck, can shift out of alignment because of an accident or injury. This can cause pressure near your brainstem and cause an obstruction of these signals that can potentially lead to vertigo, ringing or a sense of fullness in the ear, and other Meniere’s disease symptoms.
In order to address this, we must first reduce the pressure on the brainstem by correcting the misalignment of the atlas. As an upper cervical chiropractor, this is the exact area of focus for my practice. Using an extremely gentle and very specific adjustment, we are able to realign the atlas, which reduces tension on the brainstem and spinal cord. This creates the conditions under which normal signals can be sent between the brain and body, oftentimes leading to the reduction of Meniere’s disease symptoms. In a research study conducted on 139 patients with Meniere’s, 136 experienced a significant reduction in their symptoms and were able to resume their normal daily activities after receiving specific corrections to the atlas.
References:
http://american-hearing.org/disorders/menieres-disease/
Burcon M. Upper Cervical Specific Protocol and Results for 139 Patients with Medically Diagnosed Meniere’s disease. J Vert Sublux Res. 2010 Nov 14;1-10.
