How HBOT Can Put an End to Crippling Tinnitus and Vertigo:

If you’ve ever gone through a day with your ears ringing, you have just a small taste of what Meniere’s disease sufferers go through on a regular basis. On top of that, imagine how having spells of feeling like you’re rocking on a boat for months at a time could make you feel. Or try spinning around in circles really fast for 30 seconds and then walk in a straight line. Do you think you could? Imagine feeling that dizzy and trying to function normally. Meniere’s disease symptoms can vary widely and they come on suddenly and without warning. Symptoms include pressure in the ears and hearing loss, so needless-to-say, the disorder can really be life shattering. In this week’s blog, I will discuss how Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy treatment can help with Meniere’s disease.

How Those with Meniere’s Disease Suffer

People with Meniere’s can experience bouts of vertigo lasting just a few minutes or for hours. They also get dizziness, nausea, vomiting, profuse sweating, and heart palpitations. Patients can feel quite disoriented. Tinnitus (ringing or chirping in the ears) can lead to headaches, confusion and emotional distress. Sounds can seem loud or distorted. And although some patients’ hearing improves over time, others will suffer long-term hearing loss, even once tinnitus symptoms subside. You can only imagine how unsettling it is to not know when or for how long a Meniere’s episode may occur. No wonder so many sufferers become anxious and depressed! Fortunately, treatments in a Hyperbaric Oxygen chamber can help.

What Causes Meniere’s Disease?

Doctors believe that Meniere’s disease is caused by abnormal amounts of fluid in the inner ear or the chemical composition of that fluid. In order for the sensors in our inner ears to function properly, they require a certain fluid volume, pressure and chemical make-up. No one yet knows what factors cause these fluid abnormalities of Meniere’s disease, but doctors and researchers have identified a number of triggers that could potentially contribute to fluid irregularity. The Mayo Clinic offers this helpful list:

• Improper fluid drainage, perhaps because of a blockage or anatomic abnormality
• Abnormal immune response
• Allergies
• Viral infection
• Genetic predisposition
• Head trauma

Getting Help for Symptoms:

Although there’s currently no cure for Meniere’s disease, several treatments may help patients ease the symptoms. Sea-sickness and anti-nausea medications help with vertigo. Doctors frequently prescribe diuretics to help maintain proper fluid balance. Some Meniere’s disease sufferers benefit from hearing aids, vestibular rehabilitation therapy or a device known as a Meniett. This low pressure pulse generator basically consists of a device box with an earpiece linked by a clear plastic tube that goes into the ear canal and emits a low pressure wave at varying frequencies. The device costs around $3500, and it helps with vertigo, but not tinnitus.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy offers Meniere’s disease patients a non-invasive, safe alternative to medications and surgery. Patients who have undergone HBOT experience a decreased number and severity of vertigo episodes, as well as improved hearing. Two years following treatment at follow-up, these patients tell us that their benefits from HBOT continue.

If you suffer from Meniere’s disease and want to learn how Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may reduce the severity of your symptoms, please contact us today for a personalized consultation. We can assess your condition to determine if you would benefit from HBOT treatments. In cases where HBOT is not covered by insurance, we will go over ways to make treatments more affordable. To schedule your appointment online, just click here or call 727-787-7077.