Topical Blog Week 13 (Due Wednesday)

This week for my topical blog I decided that I wanted to look further into Meniere’s Syndrome. The book talks about meniere’s syndrome it is when someone suddenly experiences dizziness, imbalance, and disorientation so sever that you have to lie down or you will fall over. The book continues to briefly talk about the symptoms that occur along with this syndrome. I found this topic interesting because it is a disorder that I knew nothing about and I find learning about these types of things very interesting to me.

In 1861, the French physician Prosper Meniere described a condition which was now has his name. Meniere’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear that causes spontaneous episodes of vertigo, a sensation of a spinning motion. Along with some hearing loss, tinnitus, and feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear. The episodes generally involves severe vertigo, imbalance, nausea and vomiting. The episodes typically last from 20 minutes up to 4 hours. During the episodes those that are being affected have distortions and cause discomfort in loud situations. Following a severe attack, most people often feel very tired and sleep for several hours.

There are many different symptoms that may occur but some of the most common ones to experience is recurring episodes of vertigo, hearing loss, ringing in the ear, feeling of fullness in the ear. Most times after a month or years the of the disease is often makes the hearing loss become permanent. In many cases meniere’s disease only affects one ear, but both ears may be affected in about 15% of patients. The disease typically starts between the ages of 20 and 50 years and both men and women are equally affected.

Although the cause is currently unknown, the disease probably results from an abnormality in the amount of fluid in the inner ear. The amount of fluid that gathers in the ear can result in two things either excess production or inadequate absorption. In order for all of the sensors in the inner ear to function properly, the fluid in the ear needs to retain a certain volume, pressure and chemical composition, and those factors that alter the inner ear fluids may help to cause meniere’s disease. Scientists have also proposed a number of other potential causes; abnormal immune response, allergies, viral infection, genetic predisposition, head trauma, migraines. But since there is no single cause that has been identified it is most likely that is cause by a combination of factors.

When you plan to see a doctor there are some things that you can do to prepare for your appointment. Some things that you can do to assist you is to write down any symptoms you're experiencing, especially those you experience during an episode and make note of the frequency of occurrence. The next thing to document is all medications as well as vitamins or supplements you're taking. Also you can write down any major stresses or recent event life changes, also your questions that you have for the doctor. During your appointment with your doctor they will ask you several questions to determine your current symptoms that you are facing. There are some requirements of the diagnosis of meniere’s disease, two spontaneous episodes of vertigo with each one lasting 20 minutes or more, hearing loss verified by a hearing test on at least one occasion, tinnitus or aural fullness, exclusion of other known causes of these sensory problems. The doctor will also conduct a physical examination looking at your medication use past ear problems and other general health questions. The doctor will also perform a hearing test and a balance assessment to confirm the symptoms that are happening.

As of right now there is no current exist for meniere’s disease but there are different ways to help manage some symptoms. Often patients are able to take motion sickness medication and anti-nausea medications for short term use but for long term use the doctor may prescribe a medication to reduce diuretic such as dyazide or maxzide to reduce the amount of fluid your body retains. Also some people will other treatments such as rehabilitation if you experience problems with your balance between episodes, hearing aids for those affected by hearing loss from meniere’s disease.

There are also many different things that a person can do to maintain certain self-care tactics like sit or lie down when feeling dizzy, rest during and after attacks, beware of the possibility of losing your balance and avoid driving a car or operating heavy machinery. Modifying your diet can also reduce your body’s fluid retention and help you decrease fluid in your inner ear. One can do this to eat regularly, limit salt, and avoid monosodium glutamate. One can also avoid caffeine, stop smoking, manage stress and anxiety.
As a patient goes on throughout their life they may have many effects on their life with their interactions with friends, productivity at work and the quality of your life.

http://www.entnet.org/content/menieres-disease- This webpage gave me alot more information about the different options in more detail and more indepth about the different chocises that could be looked at for treatment options.

http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/menieres/menieres.html- I found this webpage to be more complex and was hard to understand at some points but there was a lot of good information about the definition and about how it was treated.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menieres-disease/basics/coping-support/con-20028251 - this webpage was the most accurate with informaiton it was also very easy to understand and navigate also gave many ways to prepare for your new lifestyle.

Terms: vestibular disorder, meniere’s syndrome, vertigo, tinnitus, diuretic, dyazide, Maxzide

(1a) Meniere’s Syndrome

(1b)The book describes how the syndrome causes dizziness, imbalance, and spatial disorientation so severe you have to lie down quickly or you just fall down.

(1c) I am interested in it because it has no cure yet, so I wanted to provide myself with a further understanding of how individuals cope with the disease and what research is being done to best handle Meniere’s Syndrome.

(2) Meniere’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear that causes vertigo, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness or congestion in the ear. It usually only affects one ear. The effects of dizziness may come suddenly or after a short period of ringing in the ears or muffled hearing. Single attacks of dizziness separated by long periods of time are common amongst some people. Meniere’s disease may cause vertigo so extreme that the individual loses their balance and falls. These experiences are called drop attacks. This disease can be developed at any age, but is more likely to happen to adults between 40 and 60. Currently 615,000 people in the U.S. have this disease and 45,500 cases are newly diagnosed each year. Symtoms of Menieres disease are caused by the buildup of fluid in the inner ear. The labyrinth in the inner ear contains organs of balance and of hearing. This fluid is responsible for stimulating receptors as the body moves. Compressed fluid in the cochlea acts as stimulation to sensory cells that send signals to the brain. The cause to this disease has no definite answer. But some researchers think it is a result of blood vessel constriction which are similar to the causes of migraines. Others think it is a consequence of infections, allergies, or autoimmune reactions. It appears to run in families also, and could come from genetic variations that cause abnormalities in the volume or regulation of stimulating endolymph fluid. Treatment includes medication, salt restriction, diuretics, dietary changes, cognitive therapy, injections, pressure pulse treatment, surgery, and alternative medicines. Coping strategies are highly important due to Meniere’s disease not having a cure.

Colorado researchers have done work to analyze Meniere’s disease. They have found that Meniere attacks form from malformation of the inner ear, and risk factors for vascular disease in the brain, such as migraine, sleep apnea, smoking and atherosclerosis. Restoring blood flow can cause a mild stroke, so controlling progression of the disease would be more critical. Treating Meniere’s disease like a migraine would provide many new avenues of treatment for this poorly controlled disorder.

Research done in the UK has provided evidence of the disease being more present in overweight individuals and in females. The poorer family background also seems to influence the presence of Meniere’s disease. More research has been done by comparing and contrasting data within a half a million people. The research team believes that Menieres disease is linked to immune system disorders and diseases related to the autonomic nervous system such as irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s, and arthritis. A cure is still non existence, but the effects on the individuals mental and physical health is vital in beginning to find the best solution. The more information given to those effected, the easier it will be day to day to cope with this disease.

(3) Menire’s Syndrome, vertigo, dizziness, balance, autonomic nervous system, vestibulo autonomic response

(4) http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/balance/pages/meniere.aspx
This source provided with information on the causes, symptoms, and treatments of Meniere’s disease. It gave me a better overall definition and understand of the disease compared to the short and brief definition of the book.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-12/uocd-crm120613.php
This source provided information on the research being done on how to treat or slow down the progression of Meniere’s disease without causing a stroke or long term bodily damage.

http://www.hearingreview.com/2014/04/research-provides-new-insights-menieres-disease/
This source provides information on research for Meniere’s disease, no cure was found but the information provided was vital because the more information found means the better equipped individuals are to cope day to day.

I decided to do my topic on Meniere’s Syndrome. It relates to the chapter because it was talked about it briefly. Meniere’s Syndrome is when someone suddenly experiences dizziness, imbalance, or distortion so severe that you have to lie down or you will more than likely fall over. I thought this was interesting because I’m sure at some point in my life I’ve experienced something like this but never knew there was a name for it. So to me, I found this topic interesting and wanted to learn more about it.

Meniere’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear that causes spontaneous episodes of vertigo, a sensation of a spinning motion, along with fluctuating hearing loss, ringing in the ear (tinnitus), and sometimes a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear. In many cases, this disease only affects one ear. People in their 40’s or 50’s are more likely to develop Meniere’s disease, but it can occur in anyone. Although Meniere’s disease is considered a chronic condition, various treatment strategies can help relieve symptoms and minimize the disease’s long-term impact on your life.

The primary signs and symptoms of Meniere’s diseases are recurring episodes of vertigo, hearing loss, ringing in the ear, and feeling fullness of the ear. Vertigo is similar to the sensation you experience if you spin around quickly several times and then suddenly stop. You may feel as if the room is still spinning and lose your balance. Episodes of vertigo occur without warning and usually last 20 minutes up to over two hours. Hearing loss in Meniere’s disease may fluctuate, particularly in the early course of the disease. Eventually, most people experience some degree of permanent hearing loss. Tinnitus is the perception of a ringing, buzzing, roaring, whistling, or hissing sound in the ear. People with Meniere’s disease over feeling aural fullness or increased pressure in the ear.

A typical episode may start with the feeling of fullness in the ear, increasing tinnitus and decreasing hearing followed by severe vertigo, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. An episode may last from 20 minutes to several hours, after which signs and symptoms improve. Episodes often occur in clusters with long periods of mild or no symptoms between. Still, the severity, frequency, and duration of each of these sensory perception problems vary, especially early in the disease. You could have frequency episodes with severe vertigo and only mild disturbances in other sensations. You may experience mild vertigo and hearing loss infrequently but have frequent tinnitus that disturbs your sleep.

The cause of Meniere’s disease hasn’t been quite understood. It appears to be the result of the abnormal volume or composition of fluid in the inner ear. The inner ear is a cluster of connected passages and cavities called a labyrinth. The outside of the inner ear is made of bony labyrinth. Inside is a soft structure of labyrinth membranous that’s a slightly smaller, similarly shaped version of the bony labyrinth. The membrane labyrinth contains a fluid, endolymph, and is lined with hair-like sensors that respond to movement of the fluid. In order for all the sensors in the inner ear to function properly, the fluid needs to retain a certain volume, pressure, and chemical composition. Factors that alter the properties of inner ear fluid may help cause Meniere’s disease. Scientists have proposed a number of potential cause or triggers including, improper fluid damage, possibly because of a blockage or anatomic abnormality, abnormal immune response, allergies, viral infection, genetic predisposition, head trauma, and migraines.

The unpredictable episodes of vertigo are usually the most deliberating problem of Meniere’s disease. The episodes often force a person to lie down for several hours and lose time from work of leisure activities, and they can cause emotional stress. Vertigo can also increase the risk of falls, accidents while driving a car or operating heavy machinery, depression or anxiety in dealing with the disease, or permanent hearing loss.

Balance tests are done to test the function of the inner ear. People who have Meniere’s disease will have a reduced balance response in one of their ears. The balance test most commonly used to test for Meniere’s disease is electronystagmography. In this test, you will either have electrodes placed around your eyes to detect eye movement. This is because the balance response in the inner ear causes eye movements. During this test, both hot and cold water will be pushed into the ear. The water causes the balance function to work. Your involuntary eye movements will be tracked. Abnormalities indicate a problem with the inner ear. Other, less common balance tests include rotary chair testing, vestibular evoked myogenic potentials testing, and posturography.

URL: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menieres-disease/basics/definition/con-20028251

URL: http://www.healthline.com/health/menieres-disease#Overview1

URL: http://vestibular.org/menieres-disease

Terms: Meniere’s Syndrome, dizziness, imbalance, distortion, severe, vertigo, sensation, motion, hearing loss, ringing, tinnitus, pressure, chronic, condition, treatment, symptoms, long-term, disorder, inner ear, nausea, vomiting, frequency, severity, duration, perception, abnormal, bony labyrinth, labyrinth membrane, endolymph, inner ear, chemical composition, fluid damange, blockage, anatomic abnormality, allergies, viral infection, genetic predisposition, head trauma, electronystagmography, electrodes, balance.

For this weeks Topical Blog assignment, I chose to do more research on vertigo. This relates with this week’s chapter because it is another type of disorder or problem that can arise in in our senses. I have had vertigo in the past and I knew generally what it was, but I wanted to learn more about and if there are more than one type of vertigo. Vertigo is described in many ways, with many slightly different definitions for it. If you look in the dictionary, vertigo is often described as a slightly dizzy feeling we get at great heights. The closest medical definition I could find is as follows: a specific kind of dizziness - a sense that you, or your environment, is moving or spinning, even though there is no movement. Vertigo is a specific symptom unrelated to heights that has various medical causes.

Many of us think that vertigo is a disorder, it is not. Vertigo is a symptom of a medical condition, not a disease by itself. There are two types of vertigo: 1) peripheral vertigo, 2) central vertigo. Peripheral vertigo is the most common of the two. Most cases are caused by a problem in the inner ear, in which controls your balance. The most common causes of the inner ear trouble that leads to peripheral vertigo are: 1) Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV); caused by a disturbance in the otolith particles, 2) Vestibular Neuronitis; inflammation of the vestibular nerve, 3) Labrynthitis; this is inflammation of the inner ear labyrinth and vestibular nerve the nerve responsible for encoding the body's motion and position and 4) Meniere’s Disease; bacterial as well as viral infection. If your peripheral vertigo is caused by an inner ear infection or disease, pain or fullness feeling in your ear may persist. With Labrynthitis and Meniere’s Disease, people may experience hearing loss and tinnitus in one or both ears, along with the vertigo. Some common features of peripheral vertigo may help with the diagnosis from the doctor, they include: nausea, vomiting, sweating. If your eyes move without your control, or this movement may go away when a person tries to focus their vision on a fixed point. This usually occurs in the first few days of vertigo symptoms and then disappears. Vertigo that starts without warning and stops just as quickly, is more likely to be peripheral vertigo.

BPPV, the most common cause of peripheral vertigo, can be treated with a 15-minute exercise known as the Epley maneuver. This series of movements, done in your doctor's office, helps return the crystals that control balance to the correct place in your inner ear. Anti-inflammatory drugs can sometimes help ease symptoms if your peripheral vertigo is caused by vestibular neuronitis, Meniere's disease, or labyrinthitis. Meniere's disease can also be controlled by cutting down on salt, caffeine, and alcohol and lowering your stress.

While episodes of peripheral vertigo tend to pass quickly, central vertigo often comes without warning and may last for long periods of time. Central vertigo is a term that collects together the central nervous system causes: involving a disturbance to one of the following areas: the parts of the brain (brainstem and cerebellum) that deal with interaction between the senses of vision and balance, or sensory messages to and from the thalamus part of the brain. The episodes are generally much more intense than peripheral, and you may be unable to stand or walk without help. Eye movement that you can't control happens in both types of vertigo. But in central vertigo this eye movement lasts longer (weeks to months during vertigo episodes) and it does not go away when you're asked to focus on a fixed point. The hearing problems that frequently happen in peripheral vertigo are rare with central vertigo. But other symptoms like headaches, weakness, or trouble swallowing are common with central vertigo. Finding out the root cause of the vertigo and treating it is the only way to manage central vertigo. If migraines are the cause, for instance, medication and reducing your stress may help. For some ongoing conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and some tumors, treatment may consist of managing the symptoms. This may include medicines for nausea and drugs that help lessen the sensation of movement.

As I mentioned previously, there are certain medications that are used to subdue the vertigo actions, there is no readily cure. Doctors need to narrow down vertigo’s cause. Often times doctors will also explore; medication use, family history of migraines or Meniere's disease, or recent ear infection or head injury. Taking notes of the history also seeks to specify how and when the vertigo happens. Physical examination might include looking into the ear, or one of the maneuver tests below. Scans may also be arranged to explore what might be causing the vertigo, usually magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerised tomography (CT).

References:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160900.php I chose this website because of the easy reading of all the symptoms vertigo has.

http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/vertigo-associated-disorders/overview.html I chose this website because it gave some information on testing for the different types of vertigo, as well as more structures vertigo effects.

http://www.vestibular.org/understanding-vestibular-disorders/treatment/canalith-repositioning-procedure-bppv I chose this website for the information on BPPV treatments and other information regarding this symptom.

TERMS: vertigo, dizziness, Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Vestibular Neuronitis, Labrynthitis, Meniere’s Disease, central vertigo, peripheral vertigo, otolith particles, balance, Epley maneuver, central nervous system, brainstem, cerebellum, sensory messages, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or Computerised Tomography (CT)

What I am interested this week is vertigo. I am interested in this because my gf had a small case of it. Also my brother a few years back had the same symptoms. It wasn't fully 100% vertigo because that is developed later in life. What they had was some build up of wax in there ears flouting in some fluid. This gave different vertigo like symptoms. The chapter talks a lot about different problems we can get with our senses. Vertigo is one of those problems or diseases if you like.
Vertigo is often caused by an inner ear problem. That can cause major dizzy with head spinning, room rocking back and forth with really bad balance issues.
one type of vertigo is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV this is what both my brother and gf had. it occurs when tiny calcium particles (canaliths) clump up in canals of the inner ear.
then there is Vestibular neuritis or labyrinthitis. This is an inner ear problem usually related to infection (usually viral). The infection causes inflammation in the inner ear around nerves that are important for helping the body sense balance.
The main treatment for vertigo is Vestibular rehabilitation. This is a type of physical therapy aimed at helping strengthen the vestibular system. The function of the vestibular system is to send signals to the brain about head and body movements relative to gravity.
In some cases different medicine is needed to help cure it. on the most difficult of cases surgery is required to balance everything back out.
terms: vertigo, vestibular system, vestibular rehabilitation, vestibular neuritis, labyrinthitis, calcium particles (canaliths), benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV

http://www.webmd.com/brain/vertigo-symptoms-causes-treatment This gives a description of vertigo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertigo
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160900.php

1a) My topic for this week is sensory processing disorder sometimes known as sensory integration dysfunction.

1b) This relates back to the chapter because of the section on sensory integration which is the process of combining different sensory signals. In most cases combining several signals provides more accurate and more precise information than can be obtained from individual sensory signals. This is not related to the mathematical process of integration from calculus.

1c) I was interested in this area because after reading the section on sensory integration it made me think of people that may have issues with this process, so I decided to see if there were cases in which this was true, and there was. So I just decided to continue on from then.

2) Sensory processing disorder is a condition that exists when multisensory integration is not effectively processed in order to provide the correct responses to the demands of the environment. The senses provide information from various modalities including vision, audition, tactile, olfactory, taste, proprioception, vestibular system. These senses are what humans need to function. Sensory processing disorder is characterized by significant problems to organize sensation coming from the body and the environment and is established by difficulties in the performance in one or more of the main areas of life. This includes leisure, productivity, play or even activities from daily life. People with sensory processing disorder experience different varying degrees of the disorder. The most common revolve around tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive. An example of a sensory processing disorder of tactile could be an over sensitivity to something you tough or wear, making it uncomfortable for them to wear that type of fabric whale people without the disorder can use it just fine. The most common sensory processing disorder for vestibular would be motion sickness when on a plane or car.
Proprioceptive sensory processing disorder could be related to having difficulty judging the amount of force to hold something or grasp an item.

Symptoms may vary according to the disorder's type and subtype present. Sensory processing disorder can affect one sense or multiple senses. While many people can present one or two symptoms, Sensory Processing Disorder has to have a clear disruptive impact on the person's life in order to be diagnosed. If a person is suffering from an over responsive type of sensory processing disorder they may avoid crowds and noisy places, Dislike textures such as those found in fabrics, foods, grooming products or other materials found in daily living, to which most people would not react to the point where it interferes with daily functions, motion sickness that is not related to medical explanations, picky eaters, having sleep disorders related to waking up to minor sounds or light, and feeling constantly under stress.

Another area of sensory processing disorder is under responses. People with under responsivity can show signs of extreme difficulty waking up and appearing unreactive or slow in situations. They can be unaware of pain, and might appear deaf even when auditory system has been tested. The most interesting thing is, particularly in children with this type of sensory processing disorder, they may be more difficult to potty train because they do not feel the sensation of wetness from peeing themselves.

Sensory craving is a less common form of sensory processing disorder. If a person suffers from this form then they might fidget a lot or seek out loud and disturbing noises. This is the kind of person that seeks out extreme sensations and appears impulsive. They may also show signs of biting certain objects like clothing fingers, and pencils. Remember this is just the extreme signs, so people that bite their nails do not necessarily have this disorder. In order to get diagnosed it must disrupt their normal way of life to the point of struggle.

The causes of this disorder have been linked to different areas in the mid-brain and brain stem regions of the central nervous system. These brain regions are involved in processes including coordination, attention, arousal, and autonomic function. After sensory information passes through these centers, it is then routed to brain regions responsible for emotions, memory, and higher level cognitive functions. Sensory Processing Disorders not only affects interpretation and reaction to stimuli at the midbrain areas, but impact several higher functions. Damage in any part of the brain involved in multisensory processing can cause difficulties to sufficiently process stimuli in a functional way. Current research in this area is focused on finding the genetic and neurological cause of sensory processing disorder. Current research suggests that the causes of sensory processing disorder could come from a few different areas. In regards to genetics factors for individual differences in auditory and tactile may be linked to this. Recent research found an abnormal white matter microstructure in children with sensory processing disorder, compared to typical children and those with other neurological disorders such as autism and ADHD.

Sensory processing disorder is not recognized in the DSM5 as a mental disorder but is accepted in the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood. Diagnosis is primarily arrived at by the use of standardized tests, standardized questionnaires, expert observational scales, and free play observation at an occupational therapy gym. Observation of functional activities might be carried at school and home as well. Some scales that are not exclusively used in sensory processing disorder evaluations are used to measure visual perception, function, neurology and motor skills. There are a varied of different therapy options for the different kinds of sensory processing disorders that can be used as treatment. Other treatments include prism lenses, exercise, and auditory integration training though not enough research is out yet to show these area make a big enough difference in the disorder.

3) Terms: Sensory processing disorder, neurology, motor skills, function,visual perception,mid-brain, memory, emotions, brain stem,vision, audition, tactile, olfactory, taste, proprioception, vestibular system.

4) http://ajot.aota.org/article.aspx?articleid=1854565 This article goes over some of the broader types of Sensory processing disorder and focuses on child development and the relation it has to other diseases.

http://www.spdfoundation.net/about-sensory-processing-disorder/ This website is different from most site because it is an in formal page to people wanting to learn more about the disorder and what kind of help they can get for a person with it. It is written in easier terms so the general public can understand better as to what causes it without having to understand a bunch of scientific jargon. It was also fun to poke around at the other tabs to see the different help groups and forums available.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2012.04434.x/full this was a study that used a form of therapy involving literature to help develop certain sensory processes

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/05/23/peds.2012-0876.full.pdf+html This was another article that went into further detail the kinds of therapy that can be used with different forms of sensory processing disorders

1a) The topic I chose was Meniere’s Disease.
1b) This topic relates to the chapter because the chapter talked about spatial awareness. A part of spatial awareness is balance. Meniere’s disease is a disorder that affects one’s ability to balance.
1c) I am interested in this topic because of my experience with vertigo. One time, I needed to take a medication that had a side effect of vertigo. I remember how awful being on this medication was. I could not stand up, and after some time I eventually became nauseas. I cannot image how debilitating it must be to feel like that a great deal, and for the rest of my life. The text also lacked some detail, so I felt I needed to research further into the disease. I wanted to learn what causes it, and how it works.

2) Idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops, or Meniere’s Disease for short, is an extremely debilitating condition. This chronic disease centers itself in the inner ear, and has a range of effects that occur together in episodes. The first of these is vertigo. Vertigo is a feeling of extreme dizziness, and it is much like the feeling you receive after spinning around for an extended period of time. Another symptom is tinnitus, or ringing in the ear. Meniere’s disease can also cause hearing loss, which may become permanent after a time, and a feeling of aural fullness or pressure in the ear. The most common time frame of these episodes are 20 minutes to 4 hours. They can however, last up to 24 hours. The bouts of symptoms typically happen in clusters and do provide substantial periods of remission with no symptoms at all. To be officially diagnosed with Meniere’s disease, one must have: 2 random episodes of vertigo, test-verified hearing loss, tinnitus or aural fullness, and an exclusion of other possible causes of vertigo. People most often acquire the disease in their 40’s and 50’s. It is possible, however, for someone at any age to be diagnosed.
Meniere’s disease is not completely understood. A common theory on the cause of the disorder has to do with the fluid of the inner ear. When this fluid, endolymph, is not composed properly or does not have the correct volume, balance problems may ensue. Many things can affect this problem area. For example, head trauma can trigger this disease. This is likely the scenario Dana White experienced. Dana White is one of the founders of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and suffers from Meniere’s disease. Other reasons that the inner ear fluid may be altered are improper fluid drainage, allergies, genetic predisposition, viral infection, and migraines.
Whatever the reason for the disease, it is certainly a troubling condition. As Dana White describes in a TV news interview, the episodes of symptoms are like “vertigo on steroids.” He also talks about the inability to stand without holding on to something, a fact I can attest to having experienced prolonged vertigo. This makes the disease come with a few risks, given the unpredictability of the attacks. If a patient with Meniere’s has an attack while driving, accidents could be quite dangerous. Incidents of falls with this disease are also increased.
With the sometimes-dangerous effects of this disease, a cure is in high demand. At the present time, sadly, there is no cure. Luckily, there are some treatments that can lessen the negative symptoms. Medications for motion sickness, like Valium, sometimes reduce the spinning feeling associated with vertigo. This and anti-nausea medication can also control vomiting and nausea when taken in the midst of an episode. To aid with the frequency and severity of Meniere’s, diuretics may be useful. These drugs reduce the retention of fluid, including the fluid of the inner ear. There are also ways to care for oneself without the need of a doctor. It is recommended that a patient with the disease rest and lie down during an episode in order to reduce the risk of fall or injury. Doing so may also cause one to fall asleep, allowing them to wake up after the episode has finished. It is also very important to not operate motor vehicles or heavy machinery if the episodes are frequent and/or severe. The ignorance of this advice could lead to serious injury to yourself and others. While Meniere’s disease is serious and not well understood, there are a fair number of treatments and coping skills that can make the disease bearable.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menieres-disease/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20028251
I liked this source because it had a lot of good information on a range of things to do with Meniere’s.

http://www.entnet.org/content/menieres-disease
This site was a good overview of the disorder. It acted as a good outline for what was important.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWkgpUPtcdo
I liked this video because it provided perspective on what it is like to actually have the disorder. It also illustrates a possible cause of the disease.

Terms: Meniere’s disease; Idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops; vertigo; nausea; chronic; inner ear; tinnitus; aural fullness; remission; hearing loss; endolymph; diuretic; Valium; fluid; drugs; fluid retention

1. Chapter 12 was not very interesting to me but I thought that researching the vestibular system might lead to something interesting enough to talk about for this assignment. I knew that problems in the vestibular system affected balance and other skill related to those when there were problems, but I found out that there are many more ways the body can be affected. So, the topic I picked is the symptoms of vestibular disorders . I chose this topic because it’s something I find interesting about a rather dry topic as it reminded me of the time my dog got dizzy cat syndrome.
2. The first thing I had to look up was the structure of the vestibular system. The vestibular system is made up of three semicircular canals on each side of the head, which are called labyrinths. Each canal is at a right angle to the other ones, which makes them orthogonal. The name of the first canal is the horizontal canal (aka the lateral canal). This is the canal responsible for monitoring rotation of a vertical axis, like when a person turns their head. The second canal is the anterior semicircular canal (aka the superior canal). The last canal is called the Posterior semicircular canal (aka the inferior canal). Both the anterior canal and posterior canal are responsible for monitoring of the sagittal plane and the fontal plane. The sagittal plane is moved when a person makes up and down rotations. Motions similar to a cartwheel would stimulate the fontal plane. Fluid runs through these canals, which causes them to float according to the density of said fluid. That is how people can detect motion, by using the fluid to sense motion. When all three canals of an individual are floating equally, the person would be experiencing no problems. However, when the canals are not floating the same: a person would experience symptoms of vestibular disorders.
There are a large variety of symptoms that a person could experience when the semicircle canals are not floating the same. The symptoms are categorized into 6 different categories: vertigo / dizziness, imbalance/ spatial disorientation, vision disturbance, hearing changes, cognitive/ psychological changes, and other.
There are three symptoms of the first category (vertigo /dizziness). The first symptom is a sense of Spinning and whirling (aka vertigo). Another symptom is feeling lightheaded, floating or rocking sensations (aka dizziness). The last symptom of this category is feeling heavy or pulled in one direction. I was not surprised by these symptoms, as they are fairly common knowledge and straightforward.
The symptoms of the second category were slightly more surprising by not unexpected to me. The first symptom is a difficulty walking (both in a straight line and turning) due to imbalance. The second symptom is just having coordination problems, which usually presents as being clumsy. The third symptom of this category is a difficulty standing up straight, as people who experience this tend to look at the ground as a way to prevent themselves from falling. The four symptoms usually presents when a person holds their head in tilted angle. The fifth symptom is a tendency to use surrounding objects for support while standing and to hold their heads while sitting. The sixth symptom is sensitivity to changes in both walking surface and the person’s shoes. Muscle and joint pain is the seventh symptom. The last symptom is difficulty with stability in large crowds/ open spaces. I was surprised by a few of these symptoms, specifically the last two, as they didn’t seem like they would be connected to the vestibular system.
Vision can also be impacted by a faulty vestibular system. The first symptom is when it is eyes for the eyes to focus, often called nystagmus when the eye move back and forth sideways. The second symptom is sensitive to busy environments and patterns. Light sensitivity and glare is the next symptom. The forth symptom is a problem with computer/TV displays (apparently LCD screens are the solution to this problem). Farsightedness is the fifth symptom. The sixth symptom is increased levels of nightblindess. The last symptom is bad depth perception. The only symptom that surprised me with this batch was the one about computer screens, but it was interesting.
Hearing can also be affected by a less than functional vestibular system. The first symptom is just plain hearing loss, which can present as distorted hearing. Tinnitus, ever-present sounds, is the second symptom. The third symptom is being sensitive to loud noises/environments. I found it interesting that loud noises could make vertigo, dizziness and imbalance worse.
I was surprised that the cognitive category could be impacted by the vestibular system. Difficulty concentrating is the first symptom. The second symptom is forgetfulness/ short-term memory lapses. Confusion/ disorientation are the third symptom. The fourth symptom understanding speakers in loud environment (though this sounds more like a hearing problem then a cognitive one, but I can understand it being put here). Fatigue (both physical and mental) that is unporportional to the activity that was done.
The psychological category make sense to me as if the other symptoms I just listed were severe enough, a person’s life quality would not seem that high. I just did not think of them being connected at first. The first symptom is a decrease in: self-reliance, self-confidence, and self-esteem. The second symptom is in increase in anxiety, panic, and social isolation. The last symptom is depression, which makes sense to me.
The other category is made up of random symptoms, but ones that make sense to. Nausea/ vomiting are the first symptom. Feelings similar to being hungover/ seasick/motion sickness are the second symptom. “Fullness” in the ears is the third symptom. Headaches and slurred speech is the fourth symptom. Sensitive to changes in weather, specifically air pressure, temperature, and wind currents, is the last symptom.
As I was researching this topic I found it to be vaguely familiar to me, and I could not think of why until I noticed that some of the symptoms were like the symptoms of Dizzy Cat Syndrome (the name still makes me laugh) and it clicked. When I was in high school my dog was diagnosed with this. The official name of this is Idiopathic Vestibular Disease (IVD), which basically means that the exact cause of this disorder is unknown. But it is agreed that it has something to do with the parts of the middle/ inner ear. The symptoms of this are: a head tilt, loss of balance, are circling, waking/moving in one direction, nystagmus, and vomiting. The symptoms often mimic the symptoms of a stroke, which unfortunately means that many dogs and cats are euthanized as many owners and vets don’t know about this disease. This disease is also commonly associated with older pets, which definitely plays into an owner’s decision to put their pet down. My family almost did just that until a Facebook friend warned us it might be IVD. The there is no treatment for this disorder, but luckily it gets better on its own after a few weeks. However, during the recovery period most pets need to be watched so they don’t injure themselves by failing, most owners do this by making sure they are in safe environment. This meant that my family had to explain for two weeks why our dog was in our baby pool in the living room, as our dog couldn’t step high enough to get out of the pool until she was better.
3. terms: vestibular system, symptoms, vestibular disorders , dizzy cat syndrome, semicircular canals , head, labyrinth, orthogonal, horizontal canal, lateral canal, rotation, vertical axis, anterior semicircular canal , superior canal, Posterior semicircular canal, inferior canal, sagittal plane, fontal plane, up and down rotations, Fluid, density, motion, vertigo, dizziness, imbalance, spatial disorientation, vision disturbance, hearing changes, cognitive, psychological changes, other. Spinning, whirling, lightheaded, floating, rocking sensations , coordination, imbalance, clumsy, ground , tilted angle, walking, surface, Muscle pain, joint pain, stability , Vision, focus, nystagmus, computer/TV displays ,LCD, Farsightedness , increased, nightblindess, depth perception, Hearing, Tinnitus, noises/environments, concentrating , forgetfulness, short-term memory lapses. Confusion, disorientation, Fatigue , physical,, mental,. life quality , self-reliance, self-confidence, self-esteem, anxiety, panic, , social isolation, depression, Nausea, vomiting , hungover, seasick, motion sickness, ears, Headaches, slurred speech , air pressure, temperature, wind currents, Idiopathic Vestibular Disease , middle/ inner ear, stroke, euthanized.
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestibular_system I picked this site because it explained the basics of the vestibular system. I used for specifics on the semicircular canals, their functions.
http://vestibular.org/understanding-vestibular-disorder/symptoms#cognitive I picked this sight because it told me all the possible symptoms. I used it for the symptoms.
http://thebark.com/content/idiopathic-or-old-dog-vestibular-disease I picked this sight because it talked about IVD.

I chose to do sensory integration. It's a main term in our chapter. The chapter is about how our senses work together. It interests me because i think its interesting how our senses are working together. Thinking about how you taste because of smell, and you can hear better because of what you can see. I think thats super interesting.

Sensory integration is how we process our senses and how we use them together. For example, how we can go from just not worrying about anything to noticing something small, like maybe a noise from outside, or a spill on the counter to switch your emotion.
The opposite would be sensory integration dysfunction. This is when your sensory integration system is not working correctly. Your three main senses are not integrating and keeping you aware of whats going on. This can be related to autism. With this disorder even the simplest task may be extremely hard for you. One of your senses may not be taking well to that task maybe a smell is too strong for your sense of smell because the SID , or doing household chores or just walking correctly may be extremely hard because your vestibular system isn't working properly. It can be very dangerous to ones life if they try to push their limits with the disorder. Theres really no known causes of the problem. They end up seeing it with extreme problems in children, maybe being over sensitive to light or sound to the point it hurts or upsets them, troubling knowing where their body parts are, running into things, having no coordination etc. And those only get worse as they re older.

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/sensory-processing-disorder

This webpage was useful because it talked more about what went into the disorder, symptoms, signs when young, etc

http://www.autism.com/symptoms_sensory_overview
helped with understanding of sensory integration, and with the dysfunction.

http://school.familyeducation.com/sensory-integration/parenting/56288.html
This one helped me most with the understanding of just sensory integration in general without going into too much detail about the dysorder

The topic I decided to cover for this chapter was Meniere’s Syndrome. The book describes this as suddenly experiencing dizziness, imbalance and spatial disorientation so severe that either you have to lie down right away or you fall down. I choose to pursue my research on this topic because sudden dizziness is something I have struggled with my entire life. I can hardly go for runs or do intense workouts without getting light headed and dizzy. I have went to the doctor, seen heart specialists and went through a lot of different processes to figure out what was wrong with me. I've had to do nutrition tests because certain doctors that I was bulimic or had an eating disorder. I was found to have low iron and a low blood pressure but nothing beyond that was discovered to be wrong with me. So despite watching what I eat, and taking iron pills I still get extremely dizzy which is difficult for me because I am an athlete and I am working out a lot. The hardest part of me is often when I am sitting and I stand up quickly or when I am working out and go from floor work to standing up work; I have passed out from this numerous times.

By medical definition from the mayo clinic Meniere's syndrome is a disorder of the inner ear that causes spontaneous episodes of vertigo or dizziness a sensation of a spinning motion along with fluctuating hearing loss, ringing in the ears, and sometimes a feeling of fullness or pressure in your ear. In many cases, Meniere's disease affects only one ear but in some both.

This usually occurs to people in their 40s and 50s they are more likely than people in other age groups to develop Meniere's disease, but it can occur in anyone, even children.
Although Meniere's disease is considered a chronic condition, various treatment strategies can help relieve symptoms and minimize the disease's long-term impact on your life. Symptoms may include dizziness, fullness in the ears, fullness in the ears and hearing loss.

The next thing to wonder if what causes this sydrom we know that although the cause is unknown, Meniere'’s disease probably results from an abnormality in the volume of fluid in the inner ear. Too much fluid may accumulate either due to excess production or inadequate absorption. In some individuals, especially those with involvement of both ears, allergies or autoimmune disorders may play a role in producing Ménière'’s disease. In some cases, other conditions may cause symptoms similar to those of Ménière’'s disease.

People with Ménière’s disease have a “"sick"” inner ear and are more sensitive to factors, such as fatigue and stress, that may influence the frequency of attack meaning the dizziness way get worse when they are stressed out or annoyed.

Treatment of the disease includes medications to lower pressure in the inner ear, implanted devices that provide transtympanic micro pressure pulses, and sometimes procedures that destroy the vestibular apparatus. This means that the symptoms of Meniere's disease are so server that its victims are will to induce a permanent disability just to get rid of the symptoms. This can be related to sensation and perception because it is affected by our earing and the inner ear. How we perceive how we are feeling can be changed or affected by being dizzy or light headed. The sensations experienced when this happens can change the outlook on how we perceive things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWkgpUPtcdo
I liked this video because it provided perspective on what it is like to actually have the disorder. It also illustrates a possible cause of the disease.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menieres-disease/basics/symptoms/con-20028251 I liked this website because it is an actual medical description of the disease and it explains it in detail along with symptoms.

http://www.entnet.org/content/menieres-disease this website was interesting because it told a lot about the causes and how the disease effected those who suffered from it.

Terms: Meniere’s disease; Idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops; vertigo; nausea; chronic; inner ear; tinnitus; aural fullness; remission; hearing loss; endolymph; diuretic; Valium; fluid; drugs; fluid retention; suffering; sensation; perception.

1a) State what your topic is.
on this blog, i've decided to do my topic on Tactile Agnosia, nability to recognize objects by touch, in the presence of intact cutaneous and proprioceptive hand sensation; caused by a lesion in the contralateral parietal lobe.

1b) Discuss how the topic relates to the chapter.
i chose tactile Agnosia because i thought it would be something pretty good to know more about, this topic relates to this chapter in many ways. this chapter is mostly about touch and how important touch is to us, how sometimes even if you're blind but your fibers are sending signals to your sensory, you still have a chance at life and understanding most things in life. this is the inability to identify objects by touch. in other words, if i were to give some a pen or a pencil and they have no visual system, then they're going to mistake that object for something else instead of a pencil or pen. this chapter talks about the pathways from touch receptors to the brain are very complex, the two major fast ways are to be called fast one which is the dorsal column, and the second one isthe spinothalmic pathway, which the part that carries thermal and nociceptive informational cords. if you're missing any of these two or one of them is slightly impaired then you are in a higher risk of having tactile agnosia.

1c) Discuss why you are interested in it.
i thought this was very interesting because the downward pathways from the brain play an important role in the perception of pain. which would bring us to when we don't recognize objects with only touching them. when it's winter time and your hands are frozen basically, if you were encountered by someone else and they hand you an object that you've never seen before, you're like not going to understand how it feels, or what shape it is because you don't have the touch sensation helping correlate that information with something else that might possibly help you identify that object, i want to know why that is, i want to know if there's a way where you could loss your touch but you could get help or treatment to actually get that touch back, or if you never had touch sensation before, you would actually have it.

2) Findings: As i was searching the web, there aren't alot of information about tactile agnosia, mostly this happens alot with people who are older, when you're losing your hearing, you also tend to loss your taste, and sadly, your touch as well. the four classes of pressure sensation actually play a big part in this, one of the sites states that mostly if one of those things are impaired, it leads to another stage or another class to be impair which would leave you with difficulties of losing your touch sensation and bringing your chances up to have tactile agnosia. another source which i thought was very helpful also compared the tactile and the auditory agnosia to be somewhat the same because when you loss one, you're likely going to loss the other one, the thing about this is that you could be born with tactile agnosia which i thought was unfair because if you're born with it, it's harder for you to get treated with it since you once never learn any of the objects. another thing is that tactile agnosia actually is found most with people who have old age, Although agnosics are rare, they are nonetheless probably underdiagnosed. Many people with agnosia are initially thought to be “confused.” They or their loved ones may assume the problem is a form of dementia: Alzheimer’s disease or a lesser-known condition. Or the problem may appear to be aphasia—a disorder of language rather than recognition, in order to get help with this, you must take full acceptance and control of the objects you're trying to get to know, or if you have the auditory agnosia, then you get familiar with the sound. some of the symptoms
Agnosia is of a brain disorder rather than a disease in itself. The damage to the brain that produces the problem may be vascular, meaning a stroke; toxic; degenerative; or otherwise. Treating agnosias should start with treating the underlying disorder. Often the damage is reversible, but in some patients it is not. Many patients with agnosia benefit from physical and occupational therapy to manage the practical difficulties of daily life.

3) Terms: Pathways, Receptors, sensory memory, sensory system, auditory agnosia, visual system, visual agnosia, Tactile Agnosia, cognitive processing.

4) Sites: This youtube video goes in depth of what tactile agnosia is mostly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFHyjr2z_tc
this is an article that actually covers some ways of having tactile agnosia.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8673499
this source goes more in depth with other agnosia as well as the tactile agnosia.
http://www.dana.org/Publications/GuideDetails.aspx?id=49987