What Is Meniere’s Disease?

A disease of the inner ear Meniere’s disease is a condition in which there is an excess of fluid in the inner ear. The excess fluid disturbs the ear’s balance and hearing mechanisms and produces a range of symptoms:

• vertigo (a form of dizziness where your surroundings appear to spin)
• tinnitus (an abnormal ringing noise inside the ear)
• fluctuating hearing loss
• a feeling of pressure or fullness in the ear due to fluid build-up

Attacks of vertigo usually occur in clusters with varying periods of remission (from days to years) between attacks. Vertigo attacks can occur without any warning and you cannot predict how severe the vertigo will be or how long it will last. Tinnitus, distorted hearing and pressure in the ear often occur in conjunction with the vertigo. In the early stages of the condition, hearing returns to normal levels following an attack, but as the disease progresses measurable and permanent hearing loss occurs. Estimates vary but around 90% of people with Meniere’s have the disease in only one ear when first diagnosed. Around 50% of these may go on to develop the disease in both ears.

from http://www.menieres.org.au

Upper Cervical Specific Protocol and Results for 139 Patients with Medically Diagnosed Menieres Disease
Michael T. Burcon BPh, D.C.1

ABSTRACT
Objective: The cause of Meniere␣s disease is unknown; the pathophysiology is poorly understood, and the treatment empirical. One theory is that the most common cause of Meniere’s disease is a structural problem, i.e., an upper cervical subluxation complex that is irritating the origin of CNVIII and partially blocking the Eustachian tube. The objective is to demonstrate the effectiveness of cervical specific chiropractic management with one hundred and thirty nine patients medically diagnosed with Meniere’s disease.

Methods: Detailed case histories were taken on the first visit, followed by spinal examinations. Patients were required to furnish a letter from their ENT medical specialists, along with copies of the reports from the tests performed. Because evidence of upper cervical subluxation was discovered in each patient, three cervical x-rays were taken; lateral, A-P open mouth and Nasium. Detailed leg checks were performed utilizing the modified Prill leg check system to determine which cervical vertebrae to adjust, and when to adjust it. Thermographic pattern work was done using the TyTron C-3000. X-rays were analyzed using the Blair technique.
Results: One hundred thirty out of one hundred and thirty nine patients had inferior and posterior listings with laterality on the opposite side of their involved ear. After one or two specific cervical adjustments, one hundred and thirty six out of the one hundred and thirty nine patients presented with balanced legs and an absence or dramatic reduction of symptoms, especially vertigo. After two years, on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 representing the absence of the symptom and 10 being the worst imaginable, vertigo was lowered from an average of 8.5 to 1.4.

Conclusion: Prior to the onset of symptoms, all one hundred and thirty nine cases suffered cervical traumas; most from automobile accidents, resulting in previously undiagnosed whiplash injuries. It is unlikely coincidental that one hundred and thirty out of one hundred and thirty nine consecutive Meniere’s patients would present with a posterior and inferior atlas listing with laterality on the opposite side of the involved ear. More research on Meniere’s and chiropractic is needed

J. Vertebral Subluxation Res. November 14, 2010