Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Update on Meniere's Treatments

Diuretic and Low Salt Diet

I stated earlier, or intended to, that I would like to eventually stop taking the diuretic Acetazolamyde (Diamox) and instead use a low salt diet to manage my Meniere's symptoms. The main reasons are that I don't like to take medication, and I have been wary lately of the side effects of this diuretic, particularly low potassium levels. I should note that my doctor does monitor my potassium levels through blood tests about every 3 months. The side effects are tingling fingers and toes which usually occurs after a bike ride and lasts for 15 or 20 minutes. Some days I have it and some days I don't. I had assumed that this side effect was due to a low potassium level. I mentioned this to my doctor as well as my desire to ultimately be off the diuretic and on a low salt diet. He said that the side effect is not necessarily indicative of low potassium levels and is not a dangerous sign. Muscle cramping is the main indicator of low potassium. I have not had this. He also said that a low salt diet is not an option for me because of my exercise level. I need the salt when I sweat. So, for now anyway, I will stick with the diuretic.

Avoiding Caffeine

I recently broke one of my own rules and started reading material on the internet about Meniere's Disease. My main intention was to see if there were many other resources such as this one which gave personal experiences with the disease and allowed feedback from readers. I didn't find many. I also could not avoid following some links and reading the sites. I was once again reminded of how frightening this disease is when you read about it, and how grim the prospects sometimes seem to be. So I am going to try to avoid reading any more literature for a while, because my personal view is that the prospects are not grim if you stay active and follow the advice of your doctor. At any rate, I was again reminded of how common the admonition is to avoid caffeine and alcohol if you have Meniere's Disease. I already stated that I tried both and did not notice a reduction in my symptoms. Well, in thinking further about this I realize that I did not give caffeine avoidance as strict and honest a run as I did alcohol avoidance (which I avoided strictly for two months). I was also reminded that one factor common to all Meniere's sufferers is stress and anxiety. In fact, one sufferer claims that his disease is due entirely to job stress and that when he changed jobs, he was no longer bothered. I agree with the stress link; it certainly fits for me. Therefore, if caffeine (or too much caffeine) can be viewed as a stressor, then it may be true that avoidance would help patients with Meniere's Disease. After all, the effects of too much caffeine are quite similar to those of a panic attack. My daily intake of coffee is about three cups. But starting today I dropped this down to one. I will try to maintain this level for at least two months and will happily report the results on this site.

Exercise

When I saw my doctor last week he asked for a report on my symptoms. I told him that the dizziness had greatly improved and it was no longer the most disturbing symptom. I told him that I thought that my high level of exercise is responsible for helping me adapt well to the dizziness and he agreed with me. I just wanted to point this out. You know, it's spring time. It's sure is nice biking weather.

Teeth-Grinding and Jaw-Clenching

I've known I do these things since my dentist pointed it out several years ago. The tops of some of my back teeth show signs of wear, and my jaw fatigues quickly when I'm at the dentist. She said both of these are sign of teeth-grinding (bruxing) and jaw-clenching. But I hadn't considered a possible link to Meniere's symptoms until my doctor pointed it out last week. He said that these behaviors can increase tinnitus, which is definitely true. If I purposely clench my jaw, my tinnitus increases. So since then I've been conscious of this and have caught myself clenching my jaw, and have tried to stop. It is difficult, becasue in many ways this is an unconscious activity and is often done in one's sleep. I am also seeing my dentist next week to be fitted for a mouth guard, which protects the teeth from the effects of grinding. I do not know if they help reduce grinding in any way, but hopefully I will have an answer to that question in a few months.

1 comment:

maggie.danhakl@healthline.com said...

Hi,

Healthline just published a visualization of your daily value of sodium. In the chart, you can see what half of your DV of salt looks like for 30 foods: http://www.healthline.com/health/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/daily-value-sodium

This is very valuable content as it puts nutrition information into perspective and helps a person understand how much sodium is actually in their food. I thought this would be of interest to your audience and wanted to see if you would include this as a resource on your page: http://menieresowhat.blogspot.com/2008/05/update-on-menieres-treatments.html

If you do not believe this would be a good fit for a resource on your site, even sharing this on your social communities would be a great alternativeto help get the word out.

Thanks for your time reviewing. Please let me know your thoughts and if there are any questions I can answer.

All the best,
Maggie Danhakl • Assistant Marketing Manager
p: 415-281-3124 f: 415-281-3199

Healthline • The Power of Intelligent Health
660 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
www.healthline.com | @Healthline | @HealthlineCorp

About Us: corp.healthline.com