As a child you probably enjoyed spinning yourself around until you felt the world teeter on edge. Now imagine multiplying that sensation tenfold and having it occur spontaneously throughout your day. Although possibly over-simplistic, this might provide you with some sense of the lack of control those with a balance disorder called Meniere’s Disease encounter regularly.
Debilitating episodes of vertigo (spinning dizziness), fluctuating hearing loss, fullness in the ears and the perception of rushing water noises typically characterize what patients with Meniere’s experience. It is believed that these symptoms arise as a result of excess fluid building up in the inner ear, one of the body’s mechanisms responsible for maintaining proper balance. The exact cause of Meniere’s is not known, but clinicians believe circulation problems, viral infections, and autoimmune disorders might play a role in triggering the disease.
According to the Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA) long-term treatment for Meniere’s involves adhering to a reduced-sodium diet and taking diuretics to reduce inner ear fluid levels. For those patients who do not benefit from conservative treatment (also including anti-vertigo medications such as meclizine), surgery is considered an option and is usually aimed at draining the excess fluid or destroying the fluid-producing tissues in the inner ear.
Now a new device manufactured by Medtronic is offering a non-invasive and non-destructive option for those suffering from Meniere’s. After instruction by a qualified physician, treatment with the Meniett Low-Pressure Pulse Generator is patient-administered in several five-minute sessions each day. The device delivers low-pressure air pulses through a tube connected to an earpiece placed in the ear canal. It is believed that the low-pressure pulses displace the excess fluid that has built up in the inner ear. According to the manufacturer, this normalizes pressure within the ear helping to relieve the symptoms of Meniere’s.
The results of a two-year follow-up study conducted at the University of Washington School of Medicine were recently published in the December issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Researchers demonstrated that approximately two-thirds of Meniere’s patients who were unresponsive to traditional medical intervention experienced significant long-term reduction in symptoms with Medtronic’s Menniett treatment.
For those diagnosed with Meniere’s, perhaps there is a promising new option to consider that will help stop your world from spinning and provide you with the relief you have been in search of. For others experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, it is important to note that Meniere’s Disease is not the only possible cause and you should always have a thorough examination by your healthcare provider.
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