Balance problems

[jojomac23]

I have had vertigo and dizziness and have been to acupuncture, vestibular physiotherapist and my GP

No help whatsoever from My GP didn't even look in my ears

It was only when I went to my hearing aid clinic that they saw I had wax which could be causing this problem

I went to a private hearing aid clinic to get the wax removed as they no longer do this in the NHS which is ridiculous

For two nights before the wax removal I was told to put olive oil in my ear

And strangely enough my dizziness was a bit better

Then I had the wax removed and I didn't notice a lot of improvement to my balance but then I thought why not put some olive oil in my ears and lo and behold my dizziness was a bit better

Has anyone else had this experience

And if it is making it better how is that possible and what might be causing the dizziness in the first place that olive oil could possibly improve

[springlove]

I have just gone through the same thing. Identical. I can hear much better now, even though not had the wax removed, it just disappeared. strange isn't it?

[jojomac23 in reply to springlove]

It is certainly strange

[bookish]

Your ears are integral to balance and wax build up can push against the eardrum and affect signals from the ear to the brain. The wax can also cause inflammation and olive oil is a potent anti-inflammatory, as well as increasing blood flow. It is a two way thing - good brain health needs the stimulation from your ears (as well as sight, smell, touch etc) but good hearing needs a healthy brain. Some suggest that people with higher blood sugar are less able to clear the ear wax (which is there for a reason and should gently work its own way out of the ear canal and to the outer ear). Many of us have poor blood sugar control and it is a really fundamental need for health (can be reactive hypoglycemic and/or insulin resistant). An HbA1c result can show (high or low) if you are really extreme but you can have years of rollercoaster blood sugar before you get identifiable markers. Investing in a home monitor was one of the best things I ever did, so highly recommended! Being too low in good fats can also contribute to wax build up (and your brain needs those for fuel too). Low B12 can contribute to dizziness and vertigo and tinnitus and all things neuro (as I'm sure you know!) so if it doesn't stay resolved, make sure you get that checked (properly). Your brain needs balanced glucose but it also needs good oxygenation and nutrients, so any form of anaemia needs resolving as does poor digestion/low stomach acid/enzymes/bile flow. Diet and stress affect wax and anything inflammatory (to you) could be making it worse - food intolerances like gluten or dairy for example. (My ears were a nightmare all through childhood and not great until a few years ago when I went gluten and dairy free with great results (for me - doesn't make it right for everyone). I'm on the good fats, using B12 and folate and working on getting blood sugar and digestion as good as I can). Cheers

[jojomac23 in reply to bookish]

Thanks for that . I had impacted ear wax and had severe vertigo. Gp didn't even look in my ears It makes sense that olive oil is helping if I have some sort of inflammation. I take B12 .

Digestion not great though so will look at that

I am a vegetarian so will look at including good fats

I have an appointment with a ent balance consultant

Don't know if that will do any good

[bookish in reply to jojomac23]

Glad to hear about the B12. Rather sad that the GP didn't think to check your ears (and thanks for the prompt because MIL is having balance issues and I bet no-one has checked her ears either - I'll ask). I think olive oil in the ears can become irritant if you do it too often, so better to eat it! I use at least 4 tablespoons good EV olive oil daily - drink it, drizzle it, cook with it, sometimes use it as a moisturiser and oil pull with it, although more often use coconut for that - which I also use for cooking. Walnuts and a few brazil and almonds. I'd use avocado but have a histamine issue. If you too are 'bookish' I'd recommend Datis Kharrazian's epic tome 'Why Isn't My Brain Working?'. Best of luck with the consultant.

[jojomac23 in reply to bookish]

Thanks . I will increase my olive oil. Don't fancy drinking it though

[jojomac23 in reply to bookish]

Hi Have just seen ent balance consultant. He thinks I have vestibular migraine . Very different diagnosis from other ent consultant I spoke to . He thought I had menieres . I have had no change in my hearing so tend not to believe that diagnosis

I have had migraines with aura for 40 years so I tend to think this is probably the right diagnosis. I certainly hope so. I have been prescribed 10mg amitriptaline. I hope it works

[bookish in reply to jojomac23]

Interesting. Lots of things to try if you haven't already, like magnesium, and a low histamine diet, plus excluding other food triggers, but I expect as you've had it for so long you've done all that. I don't know if the amitriptyline will help, but hope so for your sake. I found they made my heart race and mouth very dry but lots of people have no issues. I am increasingly chemical sensitive so no longer use meds. Best wishes

[jojomac23 in reply to bookish]

Thanks for that . I take magnesium . Before this I was prescribed betahistine which didn't help. I would that be because of histamine

I don't know about a low histamine diet

Thanks

[bookish in reply to jojomac23]

It could be that the betahistidine didn't help because it works by stimulating histamine release - histamine increases local blood flow. It works for some apparently. If your histamine is already too high either because you are taking in too much or because you are not very good at getting rid of it (there are a couple of different routes to do that and some of us have problems with one or the other or both) or even have a mast cell issue underlying (complicated, with lots of causes), it may have made the problem worse rather than better. Many of the suggested diets for migraines cut out regular triggers and histamine is one of them throughthefibrofog.com/livi... I use a lowish histamine diet, having reintroduced some things that I find I can tolerate, and the magnesium helps a lot although I use an oil spray as I found I couldn't absorb the tablets.

The more I read today about vestibular migraines, the more I wonder if that was the cause of my weird feeling like the ground was undulating thing - which resolved for me with small amounts of methylfolate. A quick search shows that some link B vitamin issues with v migraines too, especially B2, B6, B9, B12. Good luck x

PS there is a lot of overhyped rubbish talked about MTHFR so don't get too carried away thinking it is the source of all your issues, but you might find this interesting as part of your studies migraine.com/blog/mthfr-gen... . I do not agree that you need large doses of methylated vitamins, especially folate, most definitely not recommended, and it is possible to overmethylate and feel worse. I tested privately (for other reasons). Not something doctors are interested in, to my experience. Something else maybe to ponder on.

[jojomac23 in reply to bookish]

Thanks for that . Are you in uk and was it a particular kind of doctor you used to get testedI had a horrific vertigo episode yesterday while in a shop which ended up with my lying on the shop floor for half an hour as I couldn't move without vomiting

Ended up in A &E who checked me over but couldn't do anything. I could eventually stand so they let me go home. After 4 hours . I have had migraines with aura for 40 years and never really sure of triggers except for stress which can set one off

[bookish in reply to jojomac23]

I'm sorry that you were so bad yesterday. Did A&E do bloods - mind you they possibly don't do vitamins under those circumstances. I'm afraid all my testing has been me, so a little at a time as I found out about things and could afford it. I am in UK and do have a nice Neurologist but only just started as Covid hit so not much achieved as yet. I found by chance that gluten was a long standing problem for me and sort of carried on on my own as there was really nothing else on offer. Getting hold of old blood tests from doctors was useful, to see where things were a bit less than great and some that had been missed. I've done some of my testing with Medichecks and some through Micki Rose - she has recently changed her site and offers less testing than she used to, but the site has a lot of great information. Here is the migraine page, in case you haven't found her yet purehealthclinic.co.uk/heal... The bit about high % of gluten sensitives having migraines was interesting. Hope you feel better soon. Take it easy x

[jojomac23 in reply to bookish]

They just did General bloods and a heart trace. All were fineI was looking into getting a test for DAO enzyme deficiency which can increase histamine levels and cause migraine.

Have you had that one done

[bookish in reply to jojomac23]

Hi, the simple one first - no, the magnesium spray is external only. I use Better You sensitive and generally put on forearms or wherever hurts - if head, I spray on wrists then dab wrists on head to avoid squirting in eye!

I haven't tested DAO, either function or gene. Probably simply broke at that point, but had found that I had the (common) methylation issue and COMT and MAO which have an effect on methylation so have been working on improving that plus acetylation and low histamine diet. Micki has lots on histamine so worth digging eg purehealthclinic.co.uk/2019... the factsheet is really useful, well worth the £5. Here is a bit on DAO too in case you haven't seen it histamine-sensitivity.com/d...

[jojomac23 in reply to bookish]

Also is the magnesium spray for under your tongue