Successful protocol for viral/fungal issues and vertigo/tinnitus

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Sefton10

Sefton10

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UPDATE:

Had an appointment with the ENT last week. They did a hearing test and confirmed the significant hearing loss in my left ear. Right ear was fine. Based on my symptoms she confirmed the GP's diagnosis of Ménière's disease. She'd like me to have an MRI scan just to rule out and kind of acoustic neuroma, but they are extremely rare.

At least I have it confirmed but it leaves me no further forward as there is essentially no treatment other than betahistine and a low salt diet before considering surgeries etc. In her view it will simply get worse over time until it burns itself out. It's just a case of how much damage is done to the ear and whether it becomes bilateral moving to the other side. She did not want to entertain the possibility of it being viral in origin after I had shingles.

The 2 weeks prior to that I was probably feeling the best I've felt in a couple of years. Lots of energy, sleeping well, no dizziness. This coincided with me adding starches back into my diet in the form of organic white rice and since then organic sprouted oats. Fruit was just getting too expensive and poor in quality and I was not feeling satiated no matter how much milk I had, especially with the weather turning colder. I prefer discrete meals in winter too, rather than grazing all day. The LPR symptoms in my throat have gone since stopping OJ.

I've also been having 12.5mcg of T3 a day in doses of 3-4mcg. The only other supplements I've been taking daily are olive leaf extract, camu camu, lysine and glycine. I still do a sinus rinse every morning with salt, xylitol, bicarbonate of soda and 2 drops of Lugol's. One other thing I've found benefit from is chewing some raw ginger before each meal. It seems to really help with digestion and a feeling of wellbeing. If I feel off or a bit dizzy I'll have a little cyproheptadine in the afternoon and activated charcoal right before bed.

So diet is back to a baseline of oats, rice, game meat, eggs, cod/haddock and goat milk. Some cooked fruits in the form of apples, blueberries and pomegranate juice and a little bit of raw honey/bee bread. The only obvious gap I can see is folate, so I'm planning on adding some sprouted organic lentils to my rice meal.

Onwards we go.
 

Peatful

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UPDATE:

Had an appointment with the ENT last week. They did a hearing test and confirmed the significant hearing loss in my left ear. Right ear was fine. Based on my symptoms she confirmed the GP's diagnosis of Ménière's disease. She'd like me to have an MRI scan just to rule out and kind of acoustic neuroma, but they are extremely rare.

At least I have it confirmed but it leaves me no further forward as there is essentially no treatment other than betahistine and a low salt diet before considering surgeries etc. In her view it will simply get worse over time until it burns itself out. It's just a case of how much damage is done to the ear and whether it becomes bilateral moving to the other side. She did not want to entertain the possibility of it being viral in origin after I had shingles.

The 2 weeks prior to that I was probably feeling the best I've felt in a couple of years. Lots of energy, sleeping well, no dizziness. This coincided with me adding starches back into my diet in the form of organic white rice and since then organic sprouted oats. Fruit was just getting too expensive and poor in quality and I was not feeling satiated no matter how much milk I had, especially with the weather turning colder. I prefer discrete meals in winter too, rather than grazing all day. The LPR symptoms in my throat have gone since stopping OJ.

I've also been having 12.5mcg of T3 a day in doses of 3-4mcg. The only other supplements I've been taking daily are olive leaf extract, camu camu, lysine and glycine. I still do a sinus rinse every morning with salt, xylitol, bicarbonate of soda and 2 drops of Lugol's. One other thing I've found benefit from is chewing some raw ginger before each meal. It seems to really help with digestion and a feeling of wellbeing. If I feel off or a bit dizzy I'll have a little cyproheptadine in the afternoon and activated charcoal right before bed.

So diet is back to a baseline of oats, rice, game meat, eggs, cod/haddock and goat milk. Some cooked fruits in the form of apples, blueberries and pomegranate juice and a little bit of raw honey/bee bread. The only obvious gap I can see is folate, so I'm planning on adding some sprouted organic lentils to my rice meal.

Onwards we go.
Honestly- do you think you are eating enough?
Because I do not.

You mention satiety.

When I was restricting (unintentionally) - I had crazy and scary signs and symptoms.

I didn’t ever feel hunger however.
My body had just adjusted into survival mode and found brilliant ways to strive for balance.


Go eat the biggest (easy to digest) meal to experiment.
Then, as tolerated, eat robustly for a week.

You’ve got nothing to lose.
 
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Sefton10

Sefton10

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Honestly- do you think you are eating enough?
Because I do not.

You mention satiety.

When I was restricting (unintentionally) - I had crazy and scary signs and symptoms.

I didn’t ever feel hunger however.
My body had just adjusted into survival mode and found brilliant ways to strive for balance.


Go eat the biggest (easy to digest) meal to experiment.
Then, as tolerated, eat robustly for a week.

You’ve got nothing to lose.
My gut instinct is yes, but I certainly agree it could be worth trying. Years of different diets and exercise have probably pushed me into a weird place balance-wise. A definite low point was making "protein fluff" to get the most filling food low carb for the least calories. Horrendous thinking of it now.

I think my appetite has dropped a bit in recent months as I simply haven't been as active as normal, due to feeling dizzy or fatigued - so less walking especially. I'm definitely hungry though, especially on a morning and starches have helped me get that content feeling of a hearty meal that was lacking with milk/fruit lately.

The issue I find when trying to intentionally increase calories is where to get them from - more fluid, more starch, more fat etc all come with their own potential issues and downsides. What was your approach to eating more?
 

Peatful

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Years of different diets?
Years?

Herein lies a big clue.

Me?

After much trial and error. And not healing-
I stopped all supplements- continued to try to eat nutrient dense- but I couldn’t get the volume I needed. Nor was my digestion strong enough for the amount of food I needed to refeed and heal.

So.... I started to eat anything and everything pretty much.
Mostly processed foods. I found them to be the most satiating and easiest to tolerate.
I knew there was collateral damage- but I could deal with it later- once my foundation was strong.

And
It worked.

I got fat and bloated.
But I felt great. 90 percent of issues gone.
Then the weight came off effortlessly.
Effortlessly.


I need no supplements now nor thyroid medicine.
My TSH is under 1.0
And my temps are 98.6 to 98.9

Is life perfect?
No.
But it’s the best its been in over 20 years.

I was so sick. Slowly starving. And I didn’t even know it.
My body had (mal)adapted.
 
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Sefton10

Sefton10

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I was so sick. Slowly starving. And I didn’t even know it.
My body had (mal)adapted.
Thanks for the insight. It reminded me of this. Not the placebo/bull**** bit, but the convincing our immune systems to enter healing mode.
 

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Ben.

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After much trial and error. And not healing-
I stopped all supplements- continued to try to eat nutrient dense- but I couldn’t get the volume I needed. Nor was my digestion strong enough for the amount of food I needed to refeed and heal.

So.... I started to eat anything and everything pretty much.
Mostly processed foods. I found them to be the most satiating and easiest to tolerate.
I knew there was collateral damage- but I could deal with it later- once my foundation was strong.

And
It worked.

I got fat and bloated.
But I felt great. 90 percent of issues gone.

Did you have any stomache issues tho? Acid reflux, food sitting forever in the stomache, pain, constipiation etc.?

Personally i have no issues eating beyond satiation, actually im a pro in that. But i haven't found that healing and symptoms such as thoose i mentioned (and ofcourse the lack of hunger one lacks) is something that made me not go that way. Especially since in 2019 a heavy bulking phase when iwas still able to workout, did nothing good to me (eating until i almost puked ... damn was i stupid)
 
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Sefton10

Sefton10

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I asked Ray for his opinion on Ménière's disease and my symptoms/situation.

Ray:
The endorphins are sometimes responsible for one-sided symptoms. The shingles virus can sometimes affect a single organ; general reduction of inflammation should probably be the basic therapy. A single unsuspected food or supplement can sometimes maintain inflammation; careful elimination diets, avoiding a particular substance for 4 or 5 consecutive days, might make it possible to identify a cause.
 
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Sefton10

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I then asked him about a popular Ménière's protocol that essentially views it as localised viral infection/inflammation that reduces circulation, aligned with food/environmental allergens. It recommends Lysine, Lemon Bioflavanoids, Vinpocetine, Gingko, Vit C and Vit E. I also mentioned Olive Leaf Extract and Monolaurin as they are often recommended as potent antivirals, as well as pharma antivirals like Famvir and Acyclovir.

Ray:
In that list, bioflavonoids are the only things with good scientific support for safety and effect. The idea of an antiviral substance has led to a large amount of harm, by neglecting the effects of the substance on the (genetic) integrity of the organism. Antiinflammatory things, including aspirin, lidocaine, antihistamines, antibiotics, antiserotonergic drugs, are often antiviral in effect, without the risk of genetic damage.
 

Peatful

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Did you have any stomache issues tho? Acid reflux, food sitting forever in the stomache, pain, constipiation etc.?

Personally i have no issues eating beyond satiation, actually im a pro in that. But i haven't found that healing and symptoms such as thoose i mentioned (and ofcourse the lack of hunger one lacks) is something that made me not go that way. Especially since in 2019 a heavy bulking phase when iwas still able to workout, did nothing good to me (eating until i almost puked ... damn was i stupid)
Yes. I had stomach issues.
Constipation mostly.
Hence I moved to processed foods.
Does that make sense?
I didn’t need as much volume that way to meet my caloric needs to heal.

I want to add: I found liquids especially difficult on my weak digestion.
So no supplements. Very little fluids.
Easy to digest foods.

Anything that dropped my temps or caused endotoxin symptoms- I noted- and moved on to what worked for me.

Lots of trial and error.
Laborious.
But I was beyond desperate.
Very very sick.
 
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Peatful

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I asked Ray for his opinion on Ménière's disease and my symptoms/situation.

Ray:
Excellent.

Thx for posting.

In turn- update us as able.
Best to you.
 

Texon

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UPDATE: Back to square one.

After feeling so good recently, I’ve gradually felt symptoms worsening this week - dizziness, sinus congestion, tinnitus in left ear with almost total loss of hearing. I said to my wife on Wednesday I’ll be amazed if I don’t have another full on “attack” coming. Low and behold, the full on vertigo with nausea and vomiting kicked in this morning. I had to stay in bed until after lunch for it to subside. Still dizzy now when I move around but the nausea has subsided. It matches the symptoms of Meniere’s to a tee.

Really at a loss as to what triggers it and find it so debilitating. The only think I can think is I did some weightlifting earlier in the week, am I that hypothyroid that just a little intense exercise can lay me that low? I’ve also had some dates again for the first time in a while and have been eating quite a lot of Parmesan, not sure if histamine could be playing a role, or if it’s starches causing endotoxins/serotonin issues.

I have some cyproheptadine and methylene blue that I have not used but got as a COVID prevention/treatment if needed. Thinking about trying those in small doses. Other than that, it’s getting to the point where I haven’t got a clue what to eat or take for the best - very frustrating.
Have you considered possible environmental mold as an issue. I have tinnitus as well. Parmesan made me think of this as I have had elevated mold toxins in the past and I cannot tolerate anything fermented. My mold issue was successfully treated with HBOT but has been just a bandaid I think.
 
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Sefton10

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Have you considered possible environmental mold as an issue. I have tinnitus as well. Parmesan made me think of this as I have had elevated mold toxins in the past and I cannot tolerate anything fermented. My mold issue was successfully treated with HBOT but has been just a bandaid I think.
I have. This study was one of the reasons I wanted to try T3 to see if it helped. I’ve definitely been exposed in moldy bathrooms etc over the years. Our house now was built in the 1920s so I would imagine it’s unavoidable even if it’s not visible.

 

Regina

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Not too bad, gaze. Cheers for asking.

The amoxicillin did nothing noticeable this time. After going down some Ménière's rabbit holes I've basically gone full circle to how this thread started. Rather than being idiopathic (which is the doc's verdict, sigh), there's lots of stuff linking it to a viral origin, which was my experience in terms of the shingles outbreak I had that started all this. So I've gone back to mixing in some anti-viral/fungal herbs and substances and trying to keep metabolism up. I feel as if I have a threshold whereby if too many things mount up at the same time, that's when my metabolism/immune system gets too low and an attack kicks in. It was usually lifting weights that was the tipping point.

Things I've been using culled from a range of different protocols and suggestions here and elsewhere, the aim being to keep anything viral suppressed and immune system strong:

Olive leaf extract
Oregano oil
Coconut oil
Camu camu
Lysine
Glycine
Meth Blue
Pau D'Arco
Rhubarb root
Ginkgo Biloba
Blackseed oil
Activated charcoal (once a week)

Nutritionally I've really upped goat milk and cut back on fruits. It's just a lottery getting anything ripe and good quality in the UK so it's just not worth the potential gut issues. I still have organic white grapes and blueberries here and there, but mainly stick to OJ, pineapple juice and grape juice. It's really a case of the least worst foods, so other than that it's eggs, game meats, some seafood and organs, honey and mushrooms/carrots. I've nixed bone broth, chocolate, nutritional yeast and cheese as I think there is some potential triggering in there. My priorities are reducing oxidative stress and intestinal inflammation.

Nutritional supplements:

Magnesium (Oral glycinate and carbonate, chloride topically) daily
Health Natura B Complex daily - noticed a really nice boost having a drop with each meal
K2 few times a week
E once a week

One other thing I've been doing is refraining from blowing my nose too often/hard. When my sinus would feel bunged up I'd be constantly trying to clear it and I think that was causing problems by backing up into my eustachian tubes, which was then exacerbating dizziness etc. I found some interesting threads on the forum about LPR and there were lots of overlap with my sinus symptoms. The attached was useful and I think the B complex has been helping with this. I do a sinus rinse with salt, bicarb, xylitol and MB 2 or 3 times a week too.
Have you also tried the lauric acid/monolaurin pellets? They are expensive but 3 scoops a day for few days whenever symptoms come back might be worth it.

 

Texon

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I have. This study was one of the reasons I wanted to try T3 to see if it helped. I’ve definitely been exposed in moldy bathrooms etc over the years. Our house now was built in the 1920s so I would imagine it’s unavoidable even if it’s not visible.

Interesting I have also found moldy foods are an issue with me due to slow clearance of them for some reason..possibly low thyroid? I am trialing oxidal 1 drop x 4 per day just recently.
 
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Sefton10

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Interesting I have also found moldy foods are an issue with me due to slow clearance of them for some reason..possibly low thyroid? I am trialing oxidal 1 drop x 4 per day just recently.
I’ve definitely noticed an adverse reaction to Parmesan in the past but seem to be fine with Pecorino Romano, could just be cow vs sheep’s milk though. Only other fermented food I have is a little bit of sheep’s yogurt. I definitely avoid moldy foods now though - I think dates were potentially an issue for that in the past. I’ve tried MB in the past but didn’t notice much, it was a very low dose though.
 
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Sefton10

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Have you also tried the lauric acid/monolaurin pellets? They are expensive but 3 scoops a day for few days whenever symptoms come back might be worth it.

Thanks for the suggestion. I have actually tried lauricidin and still have some left. It was at a time when I was taking numerous other things though so thinking back I didn’t have a clue which was doing what! It is quite popular in Ménière’s circles as an antiviral. Have you had success with it?

I’ve actually cut out all supplements for the last couple of weeks apart from lysine and a little magnesium to try and get back to a baseline to work from. I’ve wondered if a lot of stuff was doing more harm than good.
 

Regina

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Thanks for the suggestion. I have actually tried lauricidin and still have some left. It was at a time when I was taking numerous other things though so thinking back I didn’t have a clue which was doing what! It is quite popular in Ménière’s circles as an antiviral. Have you had success with it?

I’ve actually cut out all supplements for the last couple of weeks apart from lysine and a little magnesium to try and get back to a baseline to work from. I’ve wondered if a lot of stuff was doing more harm than good
I am trying it for similar symptoms as you. I had some vertigo that started around august.
But I was staining an outdoor ceiling in intense sun. I was drinking way more quickie-mart drinks to stay cool.
So, I thought it was just hypo-osmolarity. But salt and magnesium did not cure.

I had taken lauricidin in the spring after a stressful bad contractor situation corresponded with TMI bloody wipes. 3 days of lauricidin pellets cleared that right up.
I'm still doing a brutal home remodeling and when a very stressful situation brings back those symptoms, I hit the lauricidin again.
But since hearing Ray say vertigo could be caused by bacteria AND I can add to my symptoms some seborrheic dermastitis, I am assuming bacteria/endotoxin.
I'm slipping in my diet on construction days. Too much starch; not enough gelatin.
Day one. Let's see.
 
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Sefton10

Sefton10

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I am trying it for similar symptoms as you. I had some vertigo that started around august.
But I was staining an outdoor ceiling in intense sun. I was drinking way more quickie-mart drinks to stay cool.
So, I thought it was just hypo-osmolarity. But salt and magnesium did not cure.

I had taken lauricidin in the spring after a stressful bad contractor situation corresponded with TMI bloody wipes. 3 days of lauricidin pellets cleared that right up.
I'm still doing a brutal home remodeling and when a very stressful situation brings back those symptoms, I hit the lauricidin again.
But since hearing Ray say vertigo could be caused by bacteria AND I can add to my symptoms some seborrheic dermastitis, I am assuming bacteria/endotoxin.
I'm slipping in my diet on construction days. Too much starch; not enough gelatin.
Day one. Let's see.
Keep us updated. Interestingly, and pretty anti-Peatishly, I’ve basically turned into Westside PUFA recently and gone back to a starch-based diet (sprouted oats for breakfast, basmati rice and sprouted lentils with lunch/dinner). I’ve also cut out added salt completely. The dizziness/vertigo has totally subsided in the last fortnight, but the tinnitus is still there, although not as pronounced. I’m loathe to get too carried away though as I’ve learned this thing can seemingly come and go at will. I just decided to tap into what I really wanted to eat rather than what I think I should. Something Denise Minger said jived with me along the lines of “If you find a way of eating that improves health markers and quality of life, don’t stop just because science can’t explain your experience”. As someone of Northern European descent, there’s just no way starch wouldn’t be in my ancestral diet and pounding fruit/juice just doesn’t feel right in winter. I’m thinking of trying some organic spelt pasta again too. I also started to feel like I was getting too much calcium from all the milk too so have cut back on that a bit. I wonder if that had been inadvertently affecting my ear somehow. My calcium:phosphorous ratio will be out of whack in Ray’s view, but I’m just following how I feel. The attached hit home for me when I came across it a little while ago.
 

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Ben.

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Keep us updated. Interestingly, and pretty anti-Peatishly, I’ve basically turned into Westside PUFA recently and gone back to a starch-based diet (sprouted oats for breakfast, basmati rice and sprouted lentils with lunch/dinner). I’ve also cut out added salt completely. The dizziness/vertigo has totally subsided in the last fortnight, but the tinnitus is still there, although not as pronounced. I’m loathe to get too carried away though as I’ve learned this thing can seemingly come and go at will. I just decided to tap into what I really wanted to eat rather than what I think I should. Something Denise Minger said jived with me along the lines of “If you find a way of eating that improves health markers and quality of life, don’t stop just because science can’t explain your experience”. As someone of Northern European descent, there’s just no way starch wouldn’t be in my ancestral diet and pounding fruit/juice just doesn’t feel right in winter. I’m thinking of trying some organic spelt pasta again too. I also started to feel like I was getting too much calcium from all the milk too so have cut back on that a bit. I wonder if that had been inadvertently affecting my ear somehow. My calcium:phosphorous ratio will be out of whack in Ray’s view, but I’m just following how I feel. The attached hit home for me when I came across it a little while ago.

Great your doing better. The tinnitus being better or worse realy comes and goes ... i can attest to that. The same goes for other symptoms at times imo.

I also realy like the quote of denise. Eating what you want when you want it and be healthy with it is like ... the dream no? Idk ... as a child/teenager i was able to do that. Miss thoose days.
 

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