Meniere`s disease is a disorder of the inner ear characterized by hearing loss, fluctuating tinnitus (ringing in the ear), periodic true vertigo,
and feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear. The disease is the result of excessive accumulation of endolymphatic fluid in the inner ear, which is called “endolymphatic hydrops”.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) may mimic Meniere`s disease.
The exact cause of Meniere`s diseases is unknown. However, the risk factors are as follows:
– Family history.
– Head trauma.
– Syphilis (a sexually transmitted disease).
– Food allergies.
– High salt diet.
– Migraine (about 40 – 50% of the patients with Meniere`s disease have migraine at the same time).
Nutritional Supports:
Restricted Foods:
- Too much salt.
- Alcohol.
- Processed foods.
- Foods high in saturated fat.
- Soft drinks.
- Aspartame containing foods.
- Foods or food additives that contain MSG (monosodium glutamate).
- Foods high in cysteine: dairy products, chicken, turkey, duck meat, wheat germs, and egg yolk. Some studies have linked high cysteine intake to Meniere` disease.
- Foods that contain HVP (Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein). HVP is a common soy-based food filler that is added to processed foods, for example, veggies burgers and gravies.
Recommended Foods:
- Whole grains.
- Legumes.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Foods high in flavonoids: berries, onions, and apples with peels.
- Foods high in rutin: buckwheat, citrus fruits, apricots, cherries, berries, green pepper, asparagus, and teas especially green tea. Among different flavonoids,hydroxyethylrutoside is the one that supports the capillaries and normal fluid flow in the ear. There are no food sources for hydroxyethylrutoside. It comes from rutin.
- Caffeine. It has a diuretic effect, supporting Meniere`s disease.
Recommended Supplements:
- Rutin: 500 – 1000 mg a day. It is a flavonoid with antioxidant activity and may reduce pressure inside the inner ear.
- French Maritime Pine Bark Extract: 100 – 200 mg day.
- Green Tea: three cups a day.
- Dandelion Root: 500 mg a day. It has a diuretic effect.
- Ginkgo Biloba: 120 -240 mg a day.
- Co – Enzyme Q10: 100 – 200 mg a day.
- Magnesium: 200 – 400 mg a day.
- Multivitamins – Multiminerals: A high potency product.
