"Researchers may have discovered a plan to disable Meniere's disease"

Very interesting article here

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-12-disable-meniere-disease.html

 

Donamo,
Thanks so much for posting this! I was just saying to a friend today that I bet in 10 years they are going to find it's migraine.Well the article doesn't' say that specifically but migraine activity looks like it can be part of the problem
This is very exciting news!

 

Here is a link and a quote from the study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24199949

''There is a strong clinical association between Meniere attacks and disorders that increase the risk for cerebrovascular ischemia, such as migraine. The excitable tissues in the sensory structures have long been known to be more vulnerable to ischemia than the remaining aural tissues, and are now known to be vulnerable to excitotoxicity induced by ischemia/reperfusion. This correlates well with autopsy evidence of damage to dendrites and hair cells and with strial atrophy in late Meniere disease cases. If this hypothesis is confirmed, treatment of vascular risk factors may allow control of symptoms and result in a decreased need for ablative procedures in this disorder. If attacks are controlled, the previously inevitable progression to severe hearing loss may be preventable in some cases.''

 

Very exciting news for sure, but then how do we explain many of us get relief of symptoms from antivirals?

"The researchers propose that a fluid buildup in part of the inner ear, which is strongly associated with Meniere attacks, indicates the presence of a pressure-regulation problem that acts to cause mild, intermittent decreases of blood flow within the ear. When this is combined with vascular diseases that also lower blood flow to the brain and ear, sudden loss of blood flow similar to transient ischemic attacks (or mini strokes) in the brain can be generated in the inner ear sensory tissues. In young people who have hydrops without vascular disorders, no attacks occur because blood flow continues in spite of these fluctuations. However, in people with vascular diseases, these fluctuations are sufficient to rob the ear of blood flow and the nutrients the blood provides. When the tissues that sense hearing and motion are starved of blood, they stop sending signals to the brain, which sets off the vertigo, tinnitus and hearing loss in the disorder."

 

Why don't more of us get relief from migraine meds?

 

Maybe it's viral for some of us and vascular for others?? They are not sure of what is the cause of the hydrops. --''Foster explains that these attacks can be caused by a combination of two factors: 1) a malformation of the inner ear, endolymphatic hydrops (the inner ear dilated with fluid) and 2) risk factors for vascular disease in the brain, such as migraine, sleep apnea, smoking and atherosclerosis.

So maybe it's possible for the hydrops to be caused by a virus for some people??

 

Interesting, but to me again confirms that "one size fits all" does not work for Meniere's. I have NEVER had any headache issues, certainly not migraines; before my major MM attack over 11 years ago, never had any vascular issues either. In fact, just 4 years before, I had a heart and circulatory system workup where my cardiologist told me I had a system rivaling that of Olympic athletes. Since MM, I have become almost totally sedentary, have had two major heart attacks, take a ton of meds for high BP and cholesterol and the like, and still no headaches or migraine.

I will be more interested to see if these doctors come up with treatment strategies. I would be willing to try them, just because nothing else has worked for me. And I am glad there are people continuing to research our pesky illness.

 

Migraine meds have helped me a lot and lots of others have gotten relief with diet and lifestyle changes.Where is Burd when you need her?

How many people's doctors know enough about migraine as a possible cause of vertigo to even give them meds to trial?

 

A headache is just a symptom of migraine. Some get it and many others don't. You can still have a neurological $hitstorm without any head pain at all.

 

They never helped me. Only a food elimination diet has been extremely successful in my case.

 

Ischemia in the inner ear is one symptom-causing factor addressed by my MM regimen. The ginkgo. lemon bioflavonoid, and vinopocetine all reduce or eliminate inner ear ischemia, each by a slightly different physiological mechanism (explained here: http://www.zoominternet.net/~kcshop/JOH.pdf)

I read the entire report, which virtually neglected or dismissed any viral involvement. The remarkable treatment results of physicians (such as Dr. Gacek, search and read those threads) who prescribe sufficient antiherpetic drugs for sufficient treatment periods cannot be dismissed.

Yes, a significant percentage of those with putative Meniere's actually have Migraine-Associated Vertigo, MAV. But MAV is not Meniere's. It's a separate, distinct malady.

--John of Ohio

 

But you must know as you have been on the board longer than me I think? That migraine is not just a headache--it's a whole neurological condition.That's great that you had a great vascular system before but all of the vascular issues you are now experiencing could be what is making your Menieres so difficult as this study suggests that vascular issues play a much bigger role than previously thought?
Like you said I am so glad that something is happening.

 

That's great that you have been able to get relief with food elimination.There are so many possible drugs out there for migraine that they don't have for Menieres--which is what?Steroids,low salt,Serc?

Lots of people need more than diet to get their neurological systems to calm down and get working properly again.

 

I agree. It's a spectrum disorder, which is why what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

 

I have to restock my bioflavonoids. The diagnostic criteria to differentiate between Mav and MM is usually that with Mav you don't have hearing loss.Well there are a few studies out there that say there can be hearing loss with migraine. It's my theory and I'm sticking to it. ;D

Someone was just posting on a thread about having symptoms after a vns and they are mal disembarkation syndrome--which I believe is another migraine variant.

 

My success has been through treating my condition as a combination of menieres and MAV. I continued to take Llysine for a couple of years after I felt well but stopped it about 18 months ago because I think that the menieres has relented through burnout. I am however purchasing Llysine next week to take as a maintenance dose to protect the good ear as I definately think that a virus was the initial cause of my problems.


I know I am on top of the MAV through trial and error over the years. So I know what to eat and drink and what not to. Perhaps more people should entertain the possibility of them having two conditions at the same time and treat both.

 

My thought is that there are several very effective methods of treatment which the medical profession doesn't accept because they can't get the consistent results they want out of a clinical trial.

It's like treating the condition of "sore leg" without knowing why the leg is sore, and expecting the same treatment to help all cases. There is no clinical trial in the world which will consistently fix all cases of "sore leg."

The inner ear is not accessible for us to see what its injuries are and why they might be happening. The sore leg, can be viewed and the cause more easily determined. They can't crack open our heads and take a look.

 

^^

Exactly.

 

bump

 

So much for the viral theory that is pushed and talked about so much on this forum