Embed Doc
Copy Link
Readcast
Collections

CommentGo Back

Download



visitisathadleywoodhealthcare.co.uk

Naturalapproachestoinnereardisorders;Meniere’sdisease,vertigo&tinnitus

Peripheralvasculardisordersarethemostcommon.Theyfallintofivecategories:1.

Meniere'sdisease

‐aninnerearfluiddisorderthatcausesvertigo,hearingloss,tinnitusandfullnessintheear.2.

BenignParoxysmalPositionalVertigo(BPPV)

‐abrief,intensesensationofvertigothatoccursbecauseofaspecificpositionalchangeofthehead.3.

Labyrinthitis

‐aninfectionorinflammationoftheinnerearcausingdizzinessandlossofbalance.4.

Vestibularneuronitis

‐aviralinfectionofthevestibularnerve.5.

Perilymphfistula

‐aleakageofinnerearfluidtothemiddleear.Thebalancesystemworkswiththevisualandskeletalsystemstomaintainorientation.Visualsignalsaresenttothebrainandcomparedtoinformationfromthevestibularsystemsandmusclesandjoints.Anorganintheinnerear,thelabyrinth,isacentralplayerinthevestibularorbalancesystem.Insidethelabyrintharethreesemicircularcanalswhicharefilledwithfluid.Astheheadmoves,thefluidinsidethesemicircularcanalssignalstothebrainitsrelativemotion.Eachsemicircularcanalhasabulgedendthatcontainshaircells.Rotationoftheheadcausesthefluidtoflow,whichinturncausesdisplacementofthetopportionofthehaircells.Theendolymphaticsacisafluidreservoirthatkeepsthefluidsinaconstantvolumeinthesemicircularcanals.Twootherorganswhicharealsopartofthevestibularsystem,theutricleandsaccule,areresponsiblefordetectinglinearacceleration,ormovementinastraightline.Thehaircellsinthesesorgansareblanketedwitha jelly‐likelayerwhichcontainstinycalciumstonescalledotoconia.Whentheheadistiltedorthebodypositionischangedwithrespecttogravity,thedisplacementofthestonescausesthehaircelltobend,providingproperbalance.





visitisathadleywoodhealthcare.co.uk

ManagementapproachesLowSodium(salt)diet.

ThereisnodoubtthatrestrictionofdietarysaltdoeshelplargenumbersofMeniere'spatients.Reducingsaltintakehasmorecomplexandfar‐reachingeffectsthanthatofsimplychangingplasmaorendolymphsodiumlevel.Inordertomaintainaconstantcompositionofbloodplasma,thekidneysadjusttheircapacityforiontransportactivityaccordingtotheamountofsaltintake.Theseadjustmentsareachievedbyanumberofhormones,includingaldosterone,whichcontroltheamountofiontransportperformedbythekidney.Itisthoughtthatchangesinhormonessuchasaldosteronemayalsoaffectiontransportprocessesintheear,insomewayalteringthewayendolymphisregulated.

Othersuggestions.

Somesufferersreportthatbylimitingsugar,MSG(monosodiumglutamate)caffeineand/oralcoholtheirattacksoccurlessfrequently.However,theseexclusionstendtobeavariable,soeachindividualneedstomaketheirowndecisionofwhatisappropriate.Itisimportanttobeasobjectiveaspossibleinthisassessment.Ifdietaryrestrictiondoesnotalleviatethesymptomsthendonotadoptanincreasinglyrestrictivediet.Itmaybethatyourformofthediseasemaynotbealleviatedbydietalone.ItisunrealistictoexpectthateventhestrictestdietarymanagementwillpreventMénière'sdiseaseinallpatients.Thebestapproachistokeepadiaryinwhichsymptomsareratedasobjectivelyaspossible.Also,itisimportanttoavoidmaking"spurious"associationsbetweeneventsandsymptoms.Forexample,anattackfollowingaspecificfooddoesnot

necessarily

meanthatthisfoodproducedtheattack.Perhapstheattackcouldhaveoccurredanyway,evenwithoutthattypeoffood.Thekeyistobeobjectiveandtomonitoryoursymptomsoveraprolongedperiod.Ifanystrategyreducesthefrequencyoftheattacksitislogicaltomaintainthatstrategy.However,Ifyoumaintainacontrolled,healthydietandattackspersist,youshouldnotfeel"guilty"thatperhapsyourdietwasnot"strictenough".Somepeoplewillnotrespondsimplytodietarymanagementandnoamountofrestrictionswillhelp.Thekeyistotrytobeobjectiveinyourpersonalassessment.

GinkgoBilobaExtract

Severalstudiesconductedusingpharmaceutical‐gradeGinkgoBilobaExtract(GBE)havedemonstratedit'ssuperiorityoverplaceboandequivalencytoapopularanti‐dizzinessmedication.Onestudy,conductedinFranceon70patientswithvertigo,reportedthatovera3monthperiodthat"

47%ofpatientswhoreceivedtheGBEwereridoftheirsymptomsasagainst18%ofthosewhoreceivedtheplacebo

."InanItalianstudy,44patientscomplainingofvertigocausedbyvascularvestibulardisorderswererandomlytreatedwithGBEorwithbetahistinedihydrochloridefor3months.Bothreducedthespeedofvertigobutbetahistinedihydrochlorideconsiderablyreduced,whereGBEconsiderablyimproved,thevisual‐vestibularassociation.APolishstudycombinedGBEandkinezytherapy,atypeofphysicalrehabilitationusedforneurologicallyimpairedpatients,suchasthosewithMS.TheycomparedagroupusingGBEandkinezytherapywiththoseusingkinezytherapyalone.Theirconclusionsstatethat"

Controlexaminationrevealedgradualimprovementinvestibulartestsinbothgroups(withandwithoutginkgoextract)butinpatientstreatedwithGBEtheimprovementwasclearerandfasterindynamicposturography.ItimpliesacentraleffectofGBEthatallowsfullervestibularcompensationsooner

."AnexcellentFrenchcompilationofthebenefitsofginkgoprovidedanoverviewofclinicalstudiestitled"GinkgoBiloba:Stateofknowledgeinthedawnoftheyear2000".Thisoverviewdiscussesallthehealthbenefitsofginkgo