My Everyday Items for Meniere’s Disease
For this week’s post, I decided to try something a little bit different. Instead of just writing an article, I thought it would be interesting to show you some of the things I use on a daily basis with Meniere’s Disease.
As a bonus, I’ve included some of my favorite low-sodium snacks as well!
DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor. All supplements can have side effects and negative interactions with prescription medication and other supplements. Talk to your doctor before trying any new supplements!
Everyday Item Breakdown:
1) Bulletproof Upgraded Charcoal Capsules – These activated charcoal capsules work wonders for managing my brain fog after eating a meal that is higher in sodium than I expected.
2) Kirkland Brand (Costco) Diphenhydramine (Generic Benedryl) – Allergies are a big trigger for me. I usually take Cetirazine as a daily antihistamine, but if I am having a hard time sleeping, I will take one of these generic Benedryls.
3) Kirkland Brand (Costco) Cetirizine (Generic Zyrtec) – My daily antihistamine to treat allergies. My allergies trigger my symptoms and cause brain fog. This usually keeps them in check.
4) Optimal Vitamin D3 Liquid – 2,000 IU Per Drop – Vitamin D3 is an important supplement and plays a role in so many different bodily functions. We get vitamin D3 from sunlight exposure, but I don’t spend nearly enough time outside so I take it every morning.
5) Natrol Fast Dissolve Melatonin – If I am having trouble sleeping, I will sometimes take Melatonin. This is a rapid dissolve sublingual formulation that works much faster than normal melatonin supplements.
6) ZMA (Zinc/Magnesium supplement) – I take ZMA most days. It contains Zinc, Magnesium Aspartate, and vitamin B6. I take this about 30 minutes before I goto sleep.
7) Onnit Alpha Brain Nootropic Supplement – My preferred Nootropic supplement for brain fog. It helps considerably for several hours. I have written extensively about Alpha Brain.
8) Solaray 2 Stage Time Released Vitamin C – Vitamin C is a good supplement to take, but most of it doesn’t get absorbed. This supplement solves that problem by slowly releasing the Vitamin C over 12 hours.
9) Lacrosse Ball for Trigger Point Massage – I use lacrosse balls all the time to massage sore muscles in my body. I find releasing physical tension helps to reduce stress.
10) Rad Roller for Massage – A better alternative to lacrosse balls for massage that I also use frequently.
11) Google Nexus 7 Tablet – My trusty tablet! I use it primarily to read eBooks, but also for surfing the internet, social media, etc. It is incredibly light, has a long battery life, great performance, a high resolution screen and is not expensive.
12) Mind Over Meniere’s: How I Conquered Meniere’s Disease and Learned to Thrive – Of course this list would be incomplete without my new book! It contains my story and all of my strategies for managing Meniere’s disease.
13) Basis Peak Fitness and Sleep Tracker – I love my Basis Peak! It tracks walking, running, cycling, heart rate, sleep cycles, and now has a silent vibrating alarm clock. It also displays the notifications from your smartphone!
14) Macbook Pro 15 inch – I am a recent Apple convert. I never thought I would make the switch but I have to say, the new Macbook Pros are amazing.
15) Rhodia Dotpad 6″ x 8.25″ – I use these notepads for general note taking and brain storming.
16) Rhodia Dotpad 3.25″ x 4.75″ I use these notepads for lists and creativity exercises
17) Post-it Notes 3″ x 3″ – I use Post-it notes for reminders.
18) Unibal Signo 207 gell pens – My favorite kind of inexpensive pen. I have dozens all over my house.
19) Jawbone Jambox Bluetooth Speaker – I use my Jambox bluetooth speaker more than any other electronic device I own. I connect it to my smartphone and use it to listen to music, podcasts, audiobooks, and as a sound therapy machine to play relaxing sounds while I sleep. It has an amazing sound for such a small speaker and a battery that lasts around 8 hours.
20) Sennheiser CX985 In-Ear Headphones – A great set of high fidelity in-ear headphones. Sennheiser is my favorite brand and these do not disappoint.
21) Etymotic Research ER20 ETY-Plugs Hearing Protection Earplugs – Most people don’t know about these, but these ear plugs lower the decibel volume of sound without muffling it. I wear them at concerts and in noisy environments.These lower sound about 20 decibels, though if you search “musicians earplugs” on Amazon, you can find ones that lower it even more.
22) Macks Pillow Soft Silicone Earplugs – At night, I often sleep with earplugs in to avoid distractions and get better sleep. It makes my Tinnitus more noticeable but with my tinnitus meditation, I can fall right to sleep.
23) 3″ x 5″ Index Cards – Anytime I think of something I want to remember I grab an index card and write it down. They are incredibly versatile and I keep them all over my house.
My Favorite Low Sodium Snacks:
All of these low sodium snacks are loaded with flavor and were purchased at the local Wholefoods grocery store. I find premium grocery stores always have a better selection of low sodium snacks.
1) Calbee Lightly Salted Snapea Crisps (Link is for the jumbo size) – 50 mg sodium per serving
2) Lundberg Honey Nut Rice Cakes (bulk order) – 10 mg sodium per serving
3) Fresh Ground Organic Peanut Butter from Wholefoods – 0 mg sodium per serving
4) Kettle Unsalted Potato Chips – 10 mg sodium per serving
5) Skinny Pop Black Pepper Popcorn (bulk order) – 75 mg sodium per serving
6) Bulk Organic Raw Almonds from Wholefoods – 0 mg sodium per serving
7) 365 Brand (Wholefoods) Fudge Mint Swirl Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches – 45 mg sodium per serving
8) Green & Black’s Organic 85% Cacao Chocolate bar – 20 mg sodium per serving (Chocolate has caffeine and may not be a good snack for everyone)
J Levsen
Hi, this is so interesting and helpful. Thank you! So you are not taking a diuretic, which is typically part of the treatment? I am taking Vinpocetine, Lemon Bioflavonoid Complex, and Ginkgo Biloba. One of them has eliminated my tinnitus. At least one of my symptoms is better.
Glenn
Hi J, I do not take a diuretic any more though I did for a while early on. Im glad you found it helpful!
Jamie
very excited abt researching & hopefully starting brain fog meds! I’ve had Menieres 4 jst ovr 10yrs- when I was 27 yo. I’m bilateral, almost comp deaf in one ear— but now the biggest probs I’m experiencing r severe fatigue, brain fog, and balance issues. I am on the ‘routine’ 3x daily diazepam, diuretics, and othr meds plus 400mg/day topomax. Recently Neuro recommended I add 3000mcg B12 w my daily vitamins 4 poss energy. Id like ur thots as a fellow traveller down this road on B12. Agn- thank u 4 sharing ur story! I also love my Jamberry 🙂 I refuse 2 give up concerts and hve already strtd saving 4 the ear plugs, sum musician friends told me abt them a year ago. I won’t let this disease stop me- tho, I don’t mtn bike ne more! But, I kayak & hike w my 3 kids. Love ur positivity. Peace 2 u
Glenn
Hi Jamie, thanks for the kind words. If you decided to try the nootropics or the activated charcoal, just make sure to talk to your doctor first. The activated charcoal capsules can absorb other supplements and medications, so because you are on several prescription meds, you need to be careful. Your doctor may be able to help you work around it though. Best of luck!
Dwayne Atkinson
It looks like you raided my pantry. Everything except the Rice Cakes. We’ll just have to agree to disagree on the tablet……I’m Kindle not Google! LOL
I enjoy your articles/posts.
Glenn
Lol, thanks Dwayne! I’ve always been a PC/Android guy but this switch to Mac recently has me questioning everything lol.
M. J. Conway
You may want to check the FDA warning with Cetirizine (Xyzal prescription form). There is a side effect warning that one of the side effects being fullness in the ear. I found it under Xyzal.
Glenn
Thats interesting, I’ll have to look into that. Thanks for letting me know!
Heather G
Hi I just found this site. I have a severe case of Menieres and sad to say have tried all this early on. I just wanted to let you know that they are finding that daily use of Gravol and benadryl (and other allery meds) are contributing factor towards dementia. Just wanted to let you all to be aware of what is being founded.
Glenn
Hi Heather, thank you for the heads up! I wasn’t aware of the connection with daily use of Benedryl. I only use benedryl once in a while as a sleep aid if I’m having trouble sleeping. I take Zyrtec as my daily antihistamine which doesn’t have the same issues.
Alex Lessard
Interesting. Looks like the Ohio regimen didn’t work for you either. Thankfully, I haven’t had the brain fog issue, but what does persist even after not having attacks these six months are hearing issues (both hearing loss & ongoing tinnitus/fullness) and very frequent neck tension. I will try out the ball approach on the neck.
Glenn
I never tried the JOH regimen, never needed to. I would though if things started getting worse. The lacrosse ball works great for trigger point massage. The Youtube video I linked to shows you how to do it.
Alex Lessard
Thanks, Glenn. How did you arrive at all of the other alternatives? If your story on that is on the site, please link for me.
Glenn
Bits a pieces are on the site in different articles (the whole story is in my book) but it was a lot of trial and error. I changed almost everything in my life all at once and tried so many different things. I started exercising, eating incredibly healthy (after eating terribly for a long time, meditating, trying different vitamins and supplements, got better sleep, and cut out everything that could possibly be triggering me to try to get back to a more manageable level. A lot of it was trial and error, but my doctor helped point me in the right direction too.
Debbie Ginnetti
Zyrtec was my go to allergy med for several years, worked like a charm compared to other allergy meds, or so I thought. Coincidentally, I had an increase in sinus infections. When I became ill with a virus, I didn’t take Zyrtec for a week and noticed that my nasal congestion lessened tremendously. When I started to take it again, I became congested. Maybe it was just a reaction for me as I am sensitive to so many things. Just wanted to share in the event it may help someone else.
Glenn
That’s really interesting. I find the opposite, when I stop taking it my nose starts running like crazy and I get so congested.
Heather G
You do have to watch out with those meds because you can get a rebound effect which is the reason why your getting congested when taking the meds. It causes you to take more of the med helping a bit then things get worse again. I use a netipot daily and have no nose problems. Just the ears being a pain in the butt.
Glenn
The weirdest part is I recently had extensive allergy testing done and just about everything came back negative. My allergist diagnosed it as Nonallergic Rhinitis (AKA Runny nose with no known cause). I have a friend who is a nutritionist with Meniere’s and was diagnosed with the same thing. She believes its all connected: the endolymphatic sac in the inner ear has lymph tissue which is part of the continuous mucous-associated lymphoid tissue of the nose, sinuses, mouth, and entire intestinal tract. She believes that everything starts to become dysfunctional, and it causes a trickle down effect, resulting in issues like nonallergic Rhinitis.
Debbie
Something else you may want to research is AERD. Aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease. My chiropractor mentioned it to me. Several foods can also cause reactions if one has it. Apparently there are a few places in the country that treat for it and can desensitize you. I’m always learning something new. Allergies and congestion are a big trigger for me. I also have allergic reactions to most medications.
Corey
Just curious how long each pair of the Macks earplugs last before they have to be replaced?
Glenn
I would say 4-7 days on average. But I actually switched to foam earplugs not too long ago. This is what I use now: http://amzn.to/2etJmEk and they last roughly a 6-7 days.
Corey
Thanks!
Mary
I take something called Inner Ear Balance it helps me cope with the symptoms of Meineres Disease! You can order from a company called Tao of herbs! It has been the only thing that has helped! No side effects like prescription drugs!
Meesh
I just started reading up on this as well. How has it worked for you so far? I want my boyfriend to try it for his Meniere’s and Tinnitus. It’s completely natural too.
mike donahue
New Favorite Garden of Eatin Blue Chips no salt added. Sodium 10mg for 11 chips
Glenn
I love these! Eat them all the time!
Dave
Any experience or result using pycnogenol? I’m new so my apologizes if this has been addressed before.
Glenn
I have not personally used pycnogenol nor written about it yet, but I have heard from Meniere’s sufferers who found it helpful! If you try it, let us know if it helps!