Putting my money where my mouth is: NUCCA

You know, it's a very strange phenomenon going on, Hank. I woke up this morning feeling some fullness and my hearing was very distorted. I went to the chiro and had my treatment, and as mentioned above experienced tinnitus in the right ear for about 15 minutes directly after the adjustment. The rest of the day my hearing remained pretty bad. I then had an acupuncture session at 5:30 PM and my hearing still remained bad.

I just got off the elliptical trainer at home, and immediately after my vigorous cardio session my hearing is sharply improved. This is the most notable pattern I have had over ther last 3 weeks. Right after vigorous exercise, the fullness and distortion disappear. I have been going to bed just fine, but then when I wake up in the morning it's like the pattern starts all over again. I keep getting drawn to the conclusion that there is something about the blood flow at play here. Whether it's a matter of volume, pressure, nutrients, etc., is another question entirely. But the underlying constant is that I hear objectively better right after I exercise.

 

My response is going to sound bitter, but it is not, it is just some thoughts that came to mind while responding to Henry’s statement above.

Since the Upper Cervical adjustments had no affect on my Meniere’s it would have had no effect on the issues I have today which is a damaged balance system. If I had listened to my doctor and had surgery 2 years before I had it, it would have cut down the damage dramatically but I wanted to try as many non-invasive treatments that were promoted on this forum as I could. So I would have to say that I should have listened to the real expert (my doctor) instead of the pseudo doctors on this website

Henry, do you want to take responsibility for my damaged system or maybe JOH should since none of your treatments worked even though they are heavily promoted and pushed here and of course if it’s not working both of you push the notion that “you need to give it more time”. If you are going to take responsibility for any successes with the treatments you promote you then must be willing to take responsibility for any failure of those treatments along with the long term damage they caused by delaying treatments recommended by real doctors that will take the responsibility for their treatments.

I started AO Chiro 1 year after my symptoms flared up again. I went on a lo-salt diet & diuretics after my first 2 attacks in 2005 and I went into remission for 2 years. I followed my doctor’s advice on treatments after they flared up and became extremely frequent & violent. I started with oral steroid treatments and then Dex.

So according to your NUCCA schedule I should have only had 1 month of treatments because I only had attacks for 1 year (not counting the 2 year remission)before I started treatments with an AO Chiro. I started Upper Chiro in 2008 and still go when I feel my back or hips are out of wack and only once since my adjustment held has my C-1 been out of alignment and that was 2 weeks ago and I wasn’t having any Meniere’s symptoms while it was out of alignment. So 1 year of treatments should account for 12 years of being out of alignment. My Meniere’s was still raging full speed which is why I chose surgery because nothing else was working and my doctor, even though he was open to alternative treatments was puzzled why I was letting myself be tortured while “waiting” for these alternative treatments to kick in.

When you say "I say chiropractic first, because it is the only one of these treatments which even has a chance to completely eradicate the cause of one's symptoms." are you back to advocating that there is no other cause of Meniere's, that other treatments like JOH regime is a waste of time, that viruses can’t cause Meniere’s? I’m not advocating that Upper Cervical treatments don’t help with Meniere’s but I’m definitely against the advocating any treatments that are promoted as the only one that can eliminate the cause when there is no way to find out what the cause is, just because your neck is out of alignment doesn’t mean it is the cause of one’s Meniere’s.

 

If I had listened to my doctor and had surgery 2 years before I had it, it would have cut down the damage dramatically but I wanted to try as many non-invasive treatments that were promoted on this forum as I could. So I would have to say that I should have listened to the real expert (my doctor) instead of the pseudo doctors on this website...

...Henry, do you want to take responsibility for my damaged system or maybe JOH should since none of your treatments worked even though they are heavily promoted and pushed here and of course if it’s not working both of you push the notion that “you need to give it more time”. If you are going to take responsibility for any successes with the treatments you promote you then must be willing to take responsibility for any failure of those treatments along with the long term damage they caused by delaying treatments recommended by real doctors that will take the responsibility for their treatments.

So very well said. An excellent post nwspin.

Scott

 

Bravo nwspin! Excellent post!

 

This post moved to

http://www.menieres.org/forum/index.php/topic,26360.msg473791.html#msg473791

 

My belief is that there may be many causes and cures for Meniere's. Or there may not be one at all. What I so appreciate about this board the most is the wide range of treatments--when every doctor says "not much we can do". And, everyones' willingness to share their personal information! It has given me hope when I feel hopeless. I have yet to find a "cause/cure" for my Meniere's. But, I will keep working it along with the help provided by this board, and the people who open their hearts and share their stories.

All I can say is thanks nwspin, Henry, JOH, Papajoe, Jordan, June, just to name a few............

KT

 

This post moved to

http://www.menieres.org/forum/index.php/topic,26360.msg473791.html#msg473791

 

Normally, you are pretty reasonable, but I see no sense that you could have, or should have undergone surgery while you had no symptoms manifesting. I really do not know what you were thinking in this post... I give you a lot of credit from time to time

Why is it Hank that you can't just answer a question or someone's reply from their heart without always passing some sort of Hank judgement like your everybody's father? It's nauseating. Nwspin's post is rational and reasonable. Someone needs to pop that big bubble of yours with a pin.

S

 

Here we go again...

 

Thanks, dad--uh, Scott. This is getting away from Wino's post, and would better be served in Science based v. Results based treatments thread. So if anyone else has a commentary on the principles at work here, I expect that the thing to do would be to copy your reference there and speak to it.

Right now, as I understand it, Wino's aural fullness and tinnitus are subsiding correlating to his exercise routine. That is intereting information to consider. I'd like to ask Wino to check in here a couple of times a day with symptom updates. Because they seem to vary a good bit over short periods, that will help us follow along.

 

Absolutely agree with this, Hank. That was the idea behind doing a "real time" thread, or at least to the best of my ability to deliver a blow-by-blow account (real life and business have a nasty habit of side-tracking me )

So, this morning I woke up and my hearing was slightly worse than it was at bed time. However, it was overall better than it was all day yesterday. I am functional today in the sense that I can listen to the radio in the car and carry on conversations. But my hearing is not "normal." Also, I seem to have developed a muscle spasm just above my left shoulder blade and it's bothering the heck out of me in terms of feeling tight. But I see the chiro tomorrow and I'll have him address that.

 

Thanks, Wino, what about fullness or pressure in the ear, how's that doing? I am surprised if you don't have some noticeable soreness to speak of after the adjustments you've had. Am I correct in believing that no soreness?

 

The fullness is not there today. At least not yet. Moreso the problem is muffled hearing and distortion.

I had noticeable soreness the day after the first adjustment. That soreness was relegated to the actual neck. Dr. Gumberich has advidsed me -- and I have been doing as told -- that I should apply an ice pack to my neck at frequent intervals while at home. I have been doing that. Interestingly, I feel the soreness right after I remove the pack. Today I feel very sore, but it's located moreso in the area of my left trapezius and down into the scapula. My neck only feels sore if I start bending my neck from side to side.

 

Thanks for the response on that. Others may need to know that when the atlas misaligns, then all others below it misalign to compensate. That whole spinal misalignment works against holding an adjustment. But also, as the adjustment takes an increasing hold, the spine below it compensates back to a more normal alignment. This can cause soreness, the kind Wino is experiencing. But it goes away with time and maintaining an adjustment.

Thanks, Wino. Glad no fullness today. In my mind, that is the major of the two symptoms you are presently dealing with. The fullness results in damage to inner ear tissues, which can make all other symptoms worse--and even permenant.

 

Wino,

My new chiro gave me an ice pack also--it helps a lot. And, my left side of my neck into my shoulder are always way tight and sore after an adjustment. He told me to slowy bend my head to the left a couple times a day to keep the atlas in place. Seems like with the tightness, I should strecth/bend my head to the right. But he is helping me, so I listen. My headaches are almost gone, neck aches not as intense--love the ice. I can work without being aware that it is "there." Ya' know?

It has only been a month, but he is helping me. As far as my ear fullness and hearing--they still suck Also, still have light-headedness and some dizzy thrown in throughout the day.

Continued good luck to you! And, thanks for the continued updates.........it helps so many of us still working all the angles!
KT

 

I believe that the kind of treatment that works the best is integrative or complementary treatment. It doesn't have to be either/or.
See your regular MDs and complement their treatment with alternative practices making sure ALL doctors/practitioners/massage therapists etc. know what your full program is and what is involved. Personally, I feel it is the most responsible way to approach illness.

 

Are you the moderator now?

 

Maybe I'm just an organizer.

 

I see. Ok thanks.

 

quote author=Henrysullivan link=topic=26882.msg473863#msg473863 date=1278008651]
Maybe I'm just an organizer.
[/quote]


Wow...