Before considering invasive procedures such as surgeries and injections for your Meniere’s disease, make sure to check out every other available option for you. I am a professional chiropractor for vertigo in McKinney, TX, and here are some natural remedies I recommend for people with Meniere’s disease.
1. Changes in Diet
Your diet is one of the things you can easily control to reduce your Meniere’s symptoms. Specifically, there are several substances you need to be wary of so that you don’t worsen your condition. Follow these tips:
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Reduce your salt intake
Although it is not a straight-up treatment for Meniere’s, reducing your salt intake will help reduce the severity and frequency of your attacks. Since one of the contributing factors to Meniere’s is having excess fluid in the inner ear, reducing your salt intake can aid in alleviating the symptoms. It keeps excess fluid out of the body.
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Learn your food sensitivity
Eating food that you are sensitive to could bring about an allergic reaction, which in turn causes congestion and an increase in fluid felt especially in the ears. This is worse in people with Meniere’s since either one or both of their ears have difficulty in draining fluid.
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Lessen your caffeine intake
Beverages with caffeine such as coffee, energy drinks, and teas may worsen the tinnitus that comes with Meniere’s. If you drink these beverages often, it is best to observe whether it affects your symptoms or not and reduce your intake if necessary.
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Cut down on sugar
Excess sugar intake can increase the body’s fluid levels, which can worsen your condition.
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Avoid artificial sweeteners
These substances can affect your symptoms worse than sugar. Taking them out of your diet completely would be the best course of action.
2. Modify Your Lifestyle
Changing your lifestyle, especially old habits, may not be an easy feat. However, there are certain lifestyle modifications you have to do to reduce the factors that could trigger your Meniere’s attacks. These include the following:
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Quit tobacco use
The nicotine in tobacco constricts the blood vessels, including those in the ears. When you already have Meniere’s, it just makes your situation worse. To improve your symptoms, it is best for you to quit this habit.
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Be moderate in alcohol consumption
You can still drink alcohol during special occasions and in moderation, but regular drinking may not be good for your condition. Some people with Meniere’s even stop drinking altogether, since they find that the pleasure of alcohol is not worth experiencing the side effects of the disease.
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Increase water intake
It may seem like a simple and obvious task, but a lot of people don’t actually meet the recommended daily water intake. I recommend that you drink at least half a gallon of water every day. To better commit to this lifestyle change, you can install an app that tracks your daily water intake or set a daily alarm that reminds you to drink water periodically throughout the day.
3. Allergen Avoidance
Not only food allergies, but any allergy can increase your fluid levels and aggravate your Meniere’s symptoms. To avoid this, make sure to track the substances you are allergic to and avoid them. Although there are medications to control allergies, some prefer using natural methods such as taking small doses of locally sourced, raw honey every day. This can help in building resistance to seasonal allergies.
Another thing that is said to have helped some people in reducing the fluid in their body is drinking dandelion tea. However, this is bad for people who are allergic to ragweed, daisies, marigolds, and chrysanthemums as it can trigger a severe allergic reaction. You should ask your doctor before taking any medication or supplement.
4. Stress Management
Stress, no matter how much we hate it, is pretty much an inevitable part of our lives. Even good things, such as planning a wedding, can induce stress. Therefore, it is vital to have stress coping techniques that could help prevent a Meniere’s attack. You can try different methods of stress relief.
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Have a massage
You can get a massage from either a massage therapist or a loved one to relieve the stress and tension from your body.
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Try a new hobby
You can try relaxing activities such as exploring new forms of art, learning a new instrument, or reading books you find interesting.
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Use music therapy
Listening to relaxing sounds such as the sound of rain, streams, and waterfalls are scientifically proven to help with tinnitus. It also helps your mind to relax and destress.
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Join support groups
Having a conversation with people who understand what you are going through is always a good way to unload some stress. Even though Meniere’s is experienced by only 1% of the population, it is still possible to find people who you share the same hardships with.
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Explore your spirituality
Getting in touch with your spiritual self is not confined to religion. Whether it is praying, meditating, or just deep breathing, these kinds of tasks can help you relax and help you deal with your condition better.
5. Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care
A lot of Meniere’s patients seek upper cervical chiropractic care, which is a natural way to relieve the common symptoms of the condition. It applies gentle and precise adjustments to the top bones of the spine, which improves the body’s ability to drain fluid from the ears and increases the blood flow to the head. To learn more about upper cervical care McKinney, you may contact Crowder Specific Chiropractic.