Dr. Stein,
Thanks for your comments.
We have a difference of opinions in how to treat inner ear disorders. Your perspective is medical. Mine is chiropractic. I understand you are a dentist, a specialist of teeth. I am a specialist of the spine, articular joints and the nervous system. I also teach natural health care and non-medical\non-drug\surgical avoidence techniques. Additionally, I'm certified in acupuncture for musculoskeletal\nervous system related disorders.
Allow me to respond to your remarks, one point at a time:
I ALWAYS start by looking for vertebral dysfunction in a patient when they present with symptoms. In this example-giles45shop reports "fullness there" and "when the wind blows it feels different in one ear than the other..." We chiros look at this as imbalance and blockage in the inner ear. Could have many causes. Could be pathologic by now and in need of an EENT. Certainly we all know to refer to an EENT when necessary. In chiropractic, we find MANY\MOST pts demonstrate vertebral subluxation complex with resultant nervous pathology. This leads to inner ear dysfunction, blockage, nerve immflamation, muscle spasm, and many other symptoms in inner ear. In our practice, it is a common result to achieve relief of symptoms in the inner ear and quick resolution of imbalance WHEN the CAUSE is subluxation.
It's important to say this about patients: Patients usually go to several doctors looking for help and answers at the same time. They will go to their medical doctor. He will recommend an EENT. Many will also go to a chiropractor. Patients often seek several professionals for help. We get this all the time. A professional chiropractor will always make recommendations to the specialist EENT for their expertise. Nobody can see inside an ear and do cooler things surgically When this is needed. We chiros don't try to relpace other docs. We do our thing, which is commonly misunderstood and overlooked by medics and dentists.
Regarding medications: This chiropractors opinion of meds is that they are over-utilized. Some have their place. Taking antibiotics to clear inner ear infections often results in having to do it over and over and over again. Then there is the the toxicity issues and such. If the imbalance and blockage is caused by physiology problems, then drugs are not the cure, but buy you some time, and worse, injure the patient. We chiros treat the cause of many inner ear dysfunctions, by correcting vertebral\nervous system disorders.
Regarding nutrition: I was utilizing a metaphor. It was not understood, certainly. Allow me to clarify. The human body, when functioning normally, does not require or want petrochemical drugs in it. They have no <nutritional> purpose. I can only speak for myself, but most chiropractors recommend a drug free and that also means pharmaceutcial drug free...body. I look around me and see people whose bodies are REALLY out of balance, using these drugs. And I don't see them getting better. When the drug wears off...
But back to nutrition and the ears. YES! Some people's ears are full because of poor nutrition and poor health. Bacterial infections, yeast infections, excess sebum, thick ropy mucous, etc. Often what people eat affects their immune system and health, as well as what their body puts off.
Regarding the exam and the "puff" air put into ear. The difference in response mentioned is certainly an exam finding. Cool. A noted imbalance. An objective confirmation of what the patient already told us. It's not rocket science.
Dr. Stein-you said "Had this diver gone to the chiropractor...a longer delay would have occurred." Perhaps not. I suggest a different outcome-the result we are used to getting repeatedly in this office. I suggest the outcome where the patient gets better, the fullness imbalance goes away, and the problem doesn't keep coming back. Patients also come in to this office with ear pain, ear equalization disorder, ringing in the ears, imbalance disorders, poor hearing, etc. Many and most of those people get results too. Its just what happens. Not everyone gets better, but most do. Some need to move on to an EENT and we refer when necessary.
Oh...BTW Dr. Stein-regarding that TMJ disorder condition you talked about. Some of us chiros work on that too with great result. Dysfunction in the TMJ joint and subluxation in the upper cervical spine have a great effect on inner ear. I have many patients that we work on to resolve and manage TMJ disorder.
Nice thread Dr. Stein. Thanks for your involvement.
Page Crow DC
Laurence Stein DDS:
Page.crow,
With all due respect, when you hear hoof-beats, you don't think of a herd of zebras!
With the stated symptoms, you do not first start looking for vertebral dysfunction. Giles45shop may not have needed the medication prescribed but that determination is a result of our best 20/20 hindsight. The medications most probably did no harm other than extend the time before going to an ENT for evaluation.
Had this actually been a garden variety middle ear congestion then the prescribed may very well have worked and the success would have been neither temporary or artificial. You are making the contrary statement without any benefit of a physical exam performed by you on this particular person.
According to what you wrote, this problem is nutritional ("The body does not require drugs for nutrition"). Give me a break! You cannot know that as of yet. The implication of such a statement is at best unethical. Are all readers of such a statement who have hearing problems supposed to assume that they have a nutritional problem and that a change in their diet will cure them?
You also wrote, "Imbalance in the ears with dysfunction is affected by physiology. Note in your experience that the anatomy has been examined. Nothing too abnormal noted." I beg to differ with you. Giles45shop very clearly wrote, "when they used the little instrument that puts a puff of air in the ear she said that the left ear drum didn't have the same response that the right ear did." This is a finding that suggests that something is not right...most likely in the middle ear. The medication prescribed was most likely appropriate for the findings at the time of this very real exam.
Had this diver first gone to the chiropractor, the same or longer delay would have occurred. If the problem was truly minor and temporary, then this delay for spinal manipulation might well have been given credit for a "cure".
Giles45shop presents with potential hearing loss symptoms and has already delayed diagnostic and any definative treatment.
I most heartily agree with NetDoc...Go see the ENT, now. Don't see the chiropractor for spinal manipulation or the the dentist for TMJ treatment. That is where you go if the problem is determined to fall into their areas of expertise. Audiometry and other specialized testing may be required to properly diagnose this condition. This is what you do first.
Laurence Stein DDS
