Meniere's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that causes spontaneous episodes of vertigo — a sensation of a spinning motion — along with fluctuating hearing loss, ringing in the ear (tinnitus), and sometimes a feeling of fullness or pressure in your ear. Usually, only one ear is affected, and there may be a feeling of fullness or pressure in that ear. Hearing progressively deteriorates in the affected ear over the years. Tinnitus may be either intermittent or constant and may be worse before, during, or after an attack of dizziness. The primary signs and symptoms of Meniere's disease are:
- Recurring episodes of vertigo
- Hearing loss
- Tinnitus
- Aural fullness
Symptomatic relief of dizziness and vertigo may be obtained by anticholinergic drugs, such as scopolamine and atropine. Antihistamines and barbituates are also used to provide general sedation. Valium (diazepam) may be effective in relieving the distress of severe vertigo, however it may be habit-forming. There are several different surgical procedures for patients who are disabled by frequent attacks of vertigo. However, these may result in permanent hearing loss. This leads a lot of people to try traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and be pleasantly surprised at the results
In Chinese medicine, Ménière's disease results from an imbalance between yin and yang. TCM treatment of Ménière's disease is based on two principles:
Elimination in conditions of excess and tonifying in conditions of deficiency.
Dealing with symptoms in the acute stage and dealing with the origin of the disorder when it is chronic.
A practitioner will check your tongue, feel your pulses and ask your questions about your disease's history and then tailor treatment towards re-establishing the balance that the body needs to heal. TCM addresses not only the symptom, but the underlying imbalance. Of course, the TCM emphasis has always been on strengthening health without causing harmful side-effects.
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