Dizziness Depot

Aug. 22, 2012

Treatments for Meniere’s disease: Fact, Fiction or Biological Plausibility-Part IX

Alan Desmond
                                      Gentamicin Intra-Tympanic Gentamicin (ITG) is considered an “ablative” procedure. While most of the treatments discussed in the earlier blogs in this series are intended to “repair” or regulate the fluid dynamics of the diseased labyrinth, ITG does not have the same goal. When the diagnosis is certain, the diseased ear has been identified, and the patient has not responded
Aug. 14, 2012

Meniere’s disease: Fact, Fiction or Biological Plausibility, Part VIII

Alan Desmond
Meniere’s disease and herbal supplements     Over the Counter Supplements 1. pla•ce•bo/pləˈsēbō/ Noun: 1. A harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect. 2. A substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs. I figured I would start by providing the definition of
Aug. 08, 2012

Treatments for Meniere’s disease: Fact, Fiction or Biological Plausibility? Part VII

Alan Desmond
    Ventilating tubes (Myringotomy and tubes) This is a practice that I have never been personally exposed to in my training and experience. Some physicians believe that the pressure associated with Meniere’s disease can be alleviated by creating an opening between the ear canal and the middle ear. This is accomplished by lancing the eardrum and placing a small tube through
Jul. 31, 2012

Treatments for Meniere’s disease: Fact, Fiction or Biological Plausibility? Part VI

Alan Desmond
Endolymphatic Sac Decompression When conservative management approaches such as diuretics and a salt restricted diet do not satisfactorily control Meniere’s symptoms, more aggressive approaches may be considered. Surgical procedures for Meniere’s disease fall into two categories: Reparative and Ablative. Endolymphatic Sac Decompression (ESD) is considered reparative. An article from Emedicine.com describes the purpose of the procedure: Endolymphatic Sac Decompression or
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Jul. 25, 2012

Treatments for Meniere’s disease: Fact, Fiction or Biological Plausibility? Part V

Alan Desmond
Meniere’s Treatments: Diuretics   An important consideration when discussing the use of diuretics for Meniere’s disease, is that diuretics are “in addition to” not “instead of” salt restriction. The idea is that if the low salt diet is not working, then adding a diuretic might make the low salt diet more effective. The rationale behind adding a diuretic is explained
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Jul. 17, 2012

Treatments for Meniere’s disease: Fact, Fiction or Biological Plausibility? Part IV

Alan Desmond
Salt –How much is too much or too little? Okay, after a short fourth of July departure, this week we get back on track with our series discussing evidence behind various treatments for Meniere’s disease. The previously mentioned Sunday New York Times article by Gary Taubes reviews salt consumption as it relates to hypertension, and never mentions Meniere’s disease. He
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Jul. 10, 2012

Mal de Debarquement Syndrome – What is it?

Alan Desmond
Last year, a young woman from Idaho experienced dizziness and decreased balance after watching fireworks from a boat on the Fourth of July. While she suspected the loud fireworks as the cause, it is more likely that her symptoms were related to a lesser-known phenomenon called Mal de Debarquement (MDD). In this article, we will delve into the intriguing world
Jul. 02, 2012

Happy Fourth of July !

Alan Desmond
  Let’s take a short break from our series on treatments for Meniere’s disease and try and help out this young lady from Idaho. I assume she is better by now, but let’s see if anyone has a theory regarding her experience from last year’s celebration? Fireworks and Vertigo? We watched fireworks last night from our boat and the booms
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Jun. 26, 2012

Treatments for Meniere’s disease: Fact, Fiction or Biological Plausibility? Part III

Alan Desmond
Salt – What’s the connection? A couple of weeks ago, my lovely wife and I celebrated our 19th anniversary. Being the kind and generous type, she surprised me with a new subscription to the Sunday New York Times. I sat down with my crisp paper, hoping for an hour of relaxation, and what do I come across on the front
Jun. 19, 2012

Treatments for Meniere’s disease: Fact, Fiction or Biological Plausibility? Part II

Alan Desmond
A quick review of past studies regarding treatment for Meniere’s disease. Back in 1977, a 25-year review of 834 papers related to treatments for Meniere’s disease was published by Nicholas Torok {{1}}[[1]]Torok N: Old and new in Meniere disease. Laryngoscope 87:1870, 1977[[1]]. His conclusion was that, whatever treatment was attempted, or if no treatment was attempted, between 60% and 80%