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Refined white sugar and Menieres

Posted , 6 users are following.

louise98846
louise98846

I was diagnosed with Menieres almost 2 years ago but have likely had it for many more, the Dr. said.  I haven’t had any vertigo attacks for over a year since Betahistine increased to 48 mg twice a day.  However, as everyone with this condition knows, balance issues remain, so do other very problematic and disturbing symptoms such as loud tinnitus, hearing loss, brain fog and poor balance, generally speaking. 

About a month ago, I decided to cut out white sugar in order to lose 5-10 lbs, as warm weather is here😊.  I am a baker of all things sweet so I also cut way back on that hobby!  How I feel now is unbelievable.  My Menieres symptoms have improved dramatically!  Everything is better. Particularly my balance and hearing.  Tinnitus also much decreased.  Brain fog gone!  

I realize this might be just coincidental as Menieres fluctuates but I haven’t felt this good in a few years.  It’s a bit of a change in diet but worth trying for sure.  And white sugar has an inflammatory effect and may wreak havoc with the inner ear, since it is so delicate.  I wanted to share this as it could help others,  Everyone is different and it may not make a difference to some.  I still take Betahistine.  Also, I began taking high quality B vitamins.  My energy is way up there now, compared to dragging myself around and not wanting to converse a lot as it requires too much energy. Gone are the mid afternoon naps from sheer exhaustion.  It’s not easy to avoid sugar but much can be eliminated by being vigilant.  I think we crave it less, the less we consume.  Take care.

0 likes, 16 replies

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  • christine_35821
    christine_35821 louise98846

    Posted

    Hi Louise. I’m happy to hear your diet has helped with symptoms. I have also found being strict with controlling foods which I know are not good for me has boosted my energy.  I’ve been advised to cut my cholesterol down and hate the thought of taking another pill!  I hadn’t linked my increased energy with less sugar but anything that removes inflammation has to be of benefit. I do hope you have managed to lose those few pounds too as I think we deserve some reward. 
    • louise98846
      louise98846 christine_35821

      Posted

      Hi Christine,

      I’m glad you are controlling your symptoms!  Although difficult to prove, I am now a believer that diet makes a difference.  I remember eating a bowl of salty popcorn once, and immediately felt unwell. I always try and plan ahead when I’m out, and carry a healthy snack.  Yes, I have lost a few pounds!  I am motivated!  

  • michael98270
    michael98270 louise98846

    Posted

    Check out the AIP diet, I have definitely seen improvement.
    • michael98270
      michael98270 louise98846

      Posted

      I usually get an attack once every 4 months and they last about 4 hours.  Then I was getting them every month and they were lasting 8 hours.  Then I started the diet, Now I just had an attack at 2 months since the last and it was the lightest attack every, just a little movement and it only lasted about 30-60 minutes. ( hard the get an exact time since they only happen in the middle of the night haha).  I will keep at it, some people said it can take up to 6 months for relief.  But I am about 3-4 weeks in and I can feel a difference so here is my crossing my fingers haha.

       

    • louise98846
      louise98846 michael98270

      Posted

      Hi Michael,

      That is so encouraging to hear!  For awhile I wasn’t convinced that diet could make a big impact on symptoms.  The middle of the night attacks are bad.  Sounds like the diet is working for you.  So good to share this, as those attacks are horrendous.  It is a big motivator to continue eh.  I’ll continue to update.  Thanks!     

  • tvbonnie
    tvbonnie louise98846

    Posted

    Whoa, Louise, this is a wonderful discovery! Do you also go light on salt, caffeine and alcohol? Is there anything left we can eat? (ha ha)

    I am going to try and eliminate sugar as hard as that sounds. ANYTHING is worth trying to get better!

    • christine_35821
      christine_35821 tvbonnie

      Posted

      Hi tvbonnie. I have a dairy allergy so eat soya yogurt instead of milk yogurt. When I googled the aip diet I discovered I could eat almost nothing. It is meant to be an elimination diet for people with autoimmune disorders as a way of finding out triggers. However on googling Meniere’s there seems to be some evidence that it can be an autoimmune response so is probably worth the effort for those people. Not for me though. I would starve. 
    • michael98270
      michael98270 christine_35821

      Posted

      I agree it is harsh, but Menieres is worse for me.  Plus you get to add food back...just takes forever.
  • tvbonnie
    tvbonnie louise98846

    Posted

    if it is suspected that this is an auto immune disorder, why has there not been further studies on that suggestion?

    it is confounding that it hits so many people in mostly the same ways, but no one has a clue what is the cause! I was told it was a malformation in my ear. If that is so, how the hell does it potentially pass from one ear to the other? Are doctors just guessing like the rest of us? I have another doctor next week, an otoloyngist (sorry about the spelling), whom I have not seen before. I am betting he will have nothing new for me and will be as dismissive as the high-end ENT I saw at Georgetown University Hospital in DC. Total waste of time. 

    • michael98270
      michael98270 tvbonnie

      Posted

      Most things I have read do point to an autoimmune disorder, caused by inflammation.  I think that our views of what doctors can do is way higher than it really is.  How many times have we gone to the doctor with a problem and we hear, well that is strange...lets give you some broad spectrum antibiotics.  Basically saying "who knows lets try killing it."  MD is also not a super common issue. Also there are other issues that can mimic MD, for example TMJ cause completely mimic MD and only some doctors/dentists are qualified to test for TMJ.  I read that something like 70+% of people with TMJ have ear issues that are caused by the TMJ.  It is annoying and I try and spend less time with doctors and more time trying to see what I can do to make the issue better.

    • tvbonnie
      tvbonnie michael98270

      Posted

      This is quite interesting. I had no idea about the TMJ part of it. Fun fact: 10 years ago I was laughing uproariously at something someone said at a party. My left hinge of my jaw dislocated suddenly, sending a bolt of electricity through my head that sure made me stop laughing, that's for sure. It frightened the hell out of me and scared me into being terrified of it happening again.

      It went right back into place, and it continued to happen again about 10 times thru the years, but not with the force of the first time. I no longer laugh with such wild abandon to avoid the jaw thing, nor do i eat apples or corn on the cob without cutting them off like an old person. I am scared of them! 

      So.....

      Now that you wrote that, I am completely confounded about my diagnosis. I always wondered if it was my JAW issue that caused my Meniers symptoms! Since my Meniers Meltdown last week, I have actually felt really good with no blocked ear, no dizziness, no nuthin! Yay! But I wait for the ball to drop, we can never be sure when this crap will attack us! The meltdown caused me to cut even MORE salt, alcohol and of course caffeine, but now I killed SUGAR also. I am going to waste away!

      But if I am not being attacked in my head, it will be worth it, right? Damn, right! Thank you Michael for that tidbit of info. I am seeing another doctor next week just for giggles, but I will surely mention it! Fingers crossed.

    • michael98270
      michael98270 tvbonnie

      Posted

      MD sucks with it random attacks, I usually get a increase in distortion in my bad ear building up for an attack.  I am have recently noticed that whenever my hearing is bad my jaw is always tight.  So I had a mini attack a few nights ago, but my hearing continued to be distorted.  Last night I iced my jaw 5-6 times for about 5-10 minutes per session and today my hearing is awesome.  I am not saying that they are 100% related but it seems like there is a connection.  I also got a splint for my TMJ and I was wearing it all day and my jaw was insanely tight (I only wear at night now) and my hearing was horrible...always full always distorted and I was having an attack everyone month instead of my usual 4-5 months.  Once I started wearing only at night my hearing improved and the attacks spread out again.  Plus the tightness in my jaw lessened during this time.  I still grind my teeth at night so it is hard to fix.  I am looking at getting braces to fix the bite, if it works I will let everyone know.  Because MD sucks and I miss food too haha.  The bright side is I am the same weight I was in junior high haha.
    • tvbonnie
      tvbonnie michael98270

      Posted

      I wear a night guard because I clench, not grind. It sucks to get old.
    • louise98846
      louise98846 michael98270

      Posted

      Hi Michael,  

      There’s an article I read that talks about inner ear muscle dysfunction as a cause of Menieres.  If you google this, you can probably find.  The Australians seem to be doing the most research in this area.  But the problem is the actual visualization of what the inner ear is doing.  Extremely challenging to say the least.  Its the riddle of the century!

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