Self-Help Therapies for Meniere's Disease
Effective self-help strategies for managing Meniere's disease.
Through the implementation of self-help strategies for Meniere’s disease, you can feel empowered to manage symptoms effectively. Regular exercises, relaxation techniques, and lifestyle adjustments like the ones we will suggest today can play a crucial role in alleviating discomfort.
Understanding Meniere's Disease Therapies
There are several effective therapies for Meniere’s disease that you can do to improve symptoms and stabilize attacks. These methods, including face massage, nasal breathing, gua sha, acupressure, pressure points, and AOYI patches, can help you manage meniere’s ear disease – and hopefully improve your day-to-day quality of life, living with its symptoms.
Face Massage
Stimulates lymphatic flow and sinus drainage, relaxes facial tension, and helps relieve ear pressure and congestion.
Nasal Breathing
Encourages diaphragm activation, reduces stress by calming the sympathetic nervous system, and boosts nitric oxide production to improve circulation to the inner ear
Gua Sha on the Neck
A scraping technique that increases microcirculation and releases tension in the neck and jaw, areas commonly involved in vertigo and ear symptoms.
AOYI Patches for Stress Management
Herbal medicated patches applied on the acupuncture poitns to help decrease stress.
Acupressure Points
Uses gentle pressure on acupuncture points to regulate nervous system activity, promote fluid movement, and reduce dizziness.
Home Therapy Routine for Meniere's Disease
Learn a daily routine that keep you feeling good and attack free.
Three Key Zones
By focusing on three critical areas around your ears, you can significantly reduce symptoms through simple massage and manual manipulation
In Front Of The Ear
Targets the jaw, affecting the trigeminal nerve and pterygoid muscles, which influence the eustachian tube.
Below The Ear
Improves lymphatic drainage and decreases potential nerve compression at the greater auricular nerve
Behind The Ear
Relieves nerve and blood flow restrictions in the neck that aggravate symptoms and can cause dizziness
Where Do You Start?
Simply put, look for areas of pain.
Areas that feel more tender on touch or are more painful compared to the other side of the head typically respond well to treatment and can offer stronger results.
Face Massage
Finding relief through face massage
The benefits of facial massage to address Meniere’s disease symptoms, such as sinus congestion
When paired with controlled nasal breathing, facial massage can provide significant benefits for these common symptoms of Meniere’s
Recommended For
- Individuals experiencing sinus congestion and blocked eustachian tubes
- People with facial puffiness and poor lymphatic drainage
- People with allergies
Massaging the nose and ears helps drain mucus and clears blocked eustachian tubes.
Sinus Congestion Relief
- Holding your breath boosts CO2 levels, dilating blood vessels, and enhancing circulation.
- Releasing jaw, neck, and scalp tension can reduce headaches and migraines.
- Massaging around the ear helps move fluid out of the face and decrease facial puffiness.
1. Massage the Front of the Face
Place your palms on your face and gently rub upwards and downwards. Focus on releasing tension in the forehead and jaw
2. Massage the Sides of the Face
Split your fingers so some are in front of your ears and others are behind. Massage the sides of your head in a up and down motion.
3. Hair and Neck Massage:
Run your hands through your hair, massaging the scalp to release tension. Clasp your hands behind your neck and massage the base of your skull, focusing on the occipital area.
Nasal Breathing
Nasal breathing can be practiced anywhere, at any time, offering a convenient way to enhance relaxation and improve circulation.
Nasal breathing supports relaxation by engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting a calming effect on the body. It also increases nitric oxide production, which improves blood circulation to critical areas like the ear and eustachian tubes. Nasal breathing also encourages diaphragmatic breathing, which can help prevent chronic neck tension
When paired with controlled nasal breathing, facial massage can provide significant benefits for these common symptoms of Meniere’s
Recommended For
- People whose Allergies aggravate Meniere’s (chronic stuffy nose)
- People who mouth breathe (waking up with a dry mouth)
- People who chest breath (experiencing chronic stiff neck)
- People with high stress levels who need help calming down
1. Close Your Mouth And Breath In
Using your diaphram, inhale gently through the nose for four seconds
2. Keep Your Mouth Closed And Breath Out
Exhale through your nose for longer than you inhale (eight seconds)
3. Add Humming
As you breath out add a humming sound to create vibrations that enhance nitric oxide production in your sinuses
Gua Sha on the Neck
Gua Sha is a traditional East Asian medicine practice using a smooth-edged tool to scrape the skin.
This therapy can effectively address the cervical dizziness, migraines, and tension headaches that often come with Meniere‘s disease. By relieving pain and tension in the upper cervical region, patients often experience relief
Gua Sha works amazingly for relieving nerve pressure in the occipital and upper cervical region, which are common trouble spots in Meniere’s disease. It helps symptoms by improving circulation and reducing muscle tension, and can be done regularly to address symptoms and find nearly immediate relief.
Recommended For
- Individuals experiencing cervical dizziness.
- Those who frequently suffer from migraines or tension headaches.
- People with persistent neck tension or stiffness
1. Protect Your Skin
Apply liniment like Evil Bone Water to minimize friction on the skin.
2. What To Use
Use a rounded-edge tool,(such as a Chinese soup spoon a jar lid, or the back of a comb.
3. How To Do It
Scrape gently from your hairline to your shoulders.Gradually increase pressure comfortable feeling of relief
AOYI Patches for Stress Management
Meniere's Disease is aggravated from chronic stress. Techniques that calm the sympathetic nervous system are beneficial in decreasing the attacks.
This therapy can effectively address the cervical dizziness, migraines, and tension headaches that often come with Meniere‘s disease. By relieving pain and tension in the upper cervical region, patients often experience relief
Stress significantly worsens Meniere’s symptoms. There is research showing that Meniere’s attacks come with a spike in SNS. People often report stress situations as a trigger for an attack. Stress causes blood vessels to constrict in the hands and feet, causing tightness in the jaw and neck tension. AOYI patches help keep you grounded and increase circulation to the feet.
Recommended For
- Individuals with high-stress jobs who are experiencing dizziness
- People who are experiencing episodes resembling panic attacks
- Those whose symptoms worsen toward the end of the day
1. When To Use
Use AO YI patches daily or during times of high stress for consistent relief
Where To Use
Inside ankles or soles (SP-6 and Kid-1 points)
Acupressure Points
Addressing Meniere's Disease Ear Pain And Fullness
Acupressure targets specific body points to alleviate pain, dizziness, and anxiety. Points near the jaw, below and behind the ear, relieve nerve and muscle tension, which can enhance lymph drainage. Points near the feet help calm the nervous system and decrease stress.
Gently rub each point in small circles (both clockwise and counterclockwise) for about one minute. Repeat this 2–3 times daily, or whenever you feel the need for relief. You can also try grasping the point by gently squeezing and lifting the skin or muscle around it using your thumb and fingers. Most importantly, listen to your body. Do what feels good
Recommended For
- People who experience relief when gently pressing on sore or tender areas.
- People who are sensitive to deep pressure or find traditional massage too intense.
SJ17 (Yifeng)
Fold the earlobe forward to reveal this point. It is the deep depression just under the ear. It is located between the ramus of the mandible and the mastoid process in the depression, just superior to the palpable transverse process of the first cervical vertebrae. Targeting this area can improve lymph drainage
SP6 (Sānyīnjiāo)
Four finger-widths above the prominent bone on the inside of your ankle (the medial malleolus), the spot, found in a slight depression just behind the edge of the tibia (the shin bone). Targeting this area can help restore calm and balance.
Anmian
Find the midpoint between GB20 (at the base of the skull) and SJ17 (below the mastoid process). Anmian is slightly above this midpoint.
Press Tacks For Continuous Relief
Press tacks are small adhesive needles providing ongoing stimulation, reducing inflammation and improving drainage
Clean Skin Thoroughly
Place tack over the acupressure point
Ensure comfort and Take off in 1-3 days or if there is pain.
Recommended For
People who experience short-term relief with acupuncture, and want it to last longer.
Ready to Take Control of Your Meniere’s Symptoms?
Don’t let Meniere’s disease control your life. By consistently incorporating these effective home therapies, you’ll likely notice decreased symptoms and greater comfort, improving the quality of your life!
Willard Sheppy
If you’re struggling with vertigo, dizziness, or Meniere’s Disease, you understand how frustrating it can be when your symptoms are misunderstood or dismissed by healthcare providers, leaving you without a clear path to relief.
Willard Sheppy, a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, knows exactly how you feel because he himself lives with Meniere’s Disease and has successfully managed his condition through acupuncture, herbal medicine, and lifestyle strategies.
With firsthand experience and deep expertise, Will provides personalized care aimed at addressing the underlying causes of vertigo, reducing symptoms, and restoring balance to your life.
Willard Sheppy holds a Master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine and is a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine certified by the NCCAOM.
