The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-05-08

kinson says, very sensibly in my
opinion, that the doctors have al
ways been looking for q single
cause which suits all cases, when
sn his experience he has found that
Meniere's disease has several
causes. two of them being quits
definite.
Akin to Allergy
One class Of cases is undoubted-
ly caused by something akin to the
state Of allergy. The attacks are
psroxysmal. Enough cases have
now accumulated where the pa
tients have been proved to be SEN.
sitive 10 something such as milk
or wheat to allow US to say quite
definitely that allergy is the es-
sential factor in these cases.
A test which has proved valu-
able in recognizing this group Of
cases is the histamine skin test.
This has to be applied by = doc
tor, but the principles Of 1t are
simple enough.
There is a great deal Of evidence
to show that with attacks Of al
leroy. such as hay fever, asthma or
hives, there is released in the body
a substance known as histamine.
II is therefore possible TO test .
patient with Menieres disease TO
see whether or not he is sensitive
TO histamine.
A small amount Of histamine is
injected into the skin and in many
instances produces not only q
wheal at the local site OF injec-
ton, but also induces an attack Of
vertigo. When this has been proved
to be true Of any patient, he Is
then put on an elimination diet TO
see what food substances he is
sensitive to. This has proved Of
great value in treating the allsr-
gic group of cases.
Construction. of Arteries
There is another larger group Of
patients with Meniere's disease in
which the attacks Of vertigo are
probably due to construction Of the
arteries in the internal ear--in the
organ of equilibrium. This second
group Of patients are likely TO be
elderly people, at least over so
years old, and constitute q good
deal larger group than the allergie
group.
There is no reason why the AZ
teries in the organ Of equilibrium
should not undergo construction
just as much as the arteries Of the
heart undergo construction to pro-
duce angina pectoris in the same
age group of patients. 1t has been
found that treatment directed to-
ward relieving spasm Of the ar
teries will relieve attacks Of Men
iere's disease, such as the use Of
amyl nitric pearls, nitroglycerins
and other dilating agents.
More Cheerful View
These investigations give q
much more cheerful view To the
outlook for the patient with Men
iere's disease than has previously
been held. Many surgeons have
bluntly expressed the view that
the only thing to do with Menitre's
disease is to perform an operation
and cut the auditory nerve, which,
although il relieves the attacks Of
vertigo, leaves tie patient deaf.
There are, Of cot Sc, some cases
Of Meniere's disease which become
so severe and continuous ~ 10
make this prospect acceptable, but
most Of them are milder and it 10
TO be hoped that the application
Of these ideas Of groups caused by
allergy or vaso-constriction will
lead TO relief without the employ
ment of such drastic means.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
H. S.:-What causes cracking
OF toes, knees and sometimes the
jaw when eating? Could this be
from lack of vitamins,
Answer; Some people are sub
ject 10 these easily dislocated and
rough joints. 1t does not appear
to mean anything serious and is
certainly not due to lack Of vita
Minis.