• Updated PubMed statistics on our Research Page.  Over the past 10 years, medical journal articles concerning Meniere's Disease, almost all of them relevant, have been added to PubMed on an average of every 2.6 days.  We are not ignored, no matter who says otherwise.

• Added to our Calendar Page:
  • September 29-October 1, 2011, Politzer Society (for Otological Surgery and Science) Meeting, Athens.
  • July 2-6, 2011, Confederation of European Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery International Congress, Barcelona.
  • September 26-29, 2010, AAO-HNSF (American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation) annual meeting and Oto Expo, Boston.
  • April 28-May 10, 2010, COSM (Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meeting), Las Vegas.
    • COSM Participating Societies.
  • March 6-13, 2010, Prosper Meniere Society international symposium, Zell am Ziller, Tyrol, Austria.

• Added to our Diagnosis Page under diagnostic tests:
  • Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP).  VEMP is a type of auditory testing, usually performed by an audiologist, that some believe to be of value in the diagnosis of Meniere's Disease.   VEMP as a diagnostic tool as applied to Meniere's Disease is somewhat controversial and there are authorities pro and con.  We believe that VEMP has not gained wide acceptance among experts as applied to Meniere's Disease.
    • Dr. Timothy Hain's explanation.  He reports that in his large practice, VEMP has not be found to have "any use," but notes that other practices have reported a different experience.
    • AudiologyOnline article.
    • Click here to search PubMed for Meniere's Disease and VEMP.
    • Click here to search Google for Meniere's and VEMP.

• Added to our Diagnosis Page under mimics:
  • Petrous apex cholesterol granuloma (PACG) (not to be confused with primary angle closure glaucoma, also abbreviated PACG). A type of lesion that can be visualized with MRI.
    • Pubmed:  Petrous Apex Cholesterol Granuloma Presenting as Endolymphatic Hydrops: A Case Report.
      • See the full text of the article (.pdf file) here.
• Added to the Serc Page:
  • Abbott to acquire Solvay drugs division for 5.2 billion euros, Pharmafocus, September 28, 2009.

• Added to our Famous Patients Page:
  • Under Les Paul, guitarist and father of the electric guitar.
    • The Daily Mirror, L.A. Times blog, August 13, 2009 (on the occasion of Les Paul's death), reprinting an article dated November 24, 1991.  "Since 1980, he has undergone quintuple bypass surgery and several operations for Meniere's syndrome, a vertigo-inducing ear disorder."

• Added to our Doctors Page:

  • Arizona

    • Phoenix:  Michael J. A. Robb, M.D.  Meniere's Disease mentioned here.

• Thanks to a tip from a reader, added the following information to our Disability Page:

  • U.S. Government Disability Website

    • The U.S. government has a website for disability information at disabilityinfo.gov.

  • Home Ownership Programs for Persons With Disabilities

    • For many disabled persons, home ownership may be a stretch, but there are some resources available, and it is always good to know one's options.

      • MortgageLoan.com page on disability mortgages and loans (commercial site).  Scroll to the bottom of the page for links to assistance programs.

• Added to our Famous Patients Page:
  • Shawnae Jebbia, television and film personality, and Miss USA 1998.
    • Her page on Wikipedia.
    • Video interview via YouTube with Dr. Manny Alvarez on Fox News Channel.

• Revised and clarified our Disability Page:

  • Two problems with obtaining veteran's benefits due to a diagnosis of "Meniere's Disease" can be causation and timing.  "Meniere's Disease" caused by military service is probably better diagnosed as a different form of endolymphatic hydrops.

    • Remember that Meniere's Disease is considered by most authorities to be "idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops," with "idiopathic" meaning "cause unknown." With the cause unknown, it is difficult to establish the time period during which Meniere's Disease began.  If the cause and therefore the timing is unknown, it is hard to say that it was caused by line-of-duty military service.

    • If one has endolymphatic hydrops caused by line-of-duty military service, then most authorities would say that one does not have "idiopathic" endolymphatic hydrops (Meniere's Disease), because the cause is known.  In that case, one might have "secondary endolymphatic hydrops" ("secondary" being secondary to the known cause of line-of-duty military service) or "delayed endolymphatic hydrops," where symptoms manifest subsequent to, rather than coincident with line-of-duty military service.  See more information on this subject on our Cause Page.

  • Tip to Service Members:  Be sure that symptoms of endolymphatic hydrops (whether Meniere's Disease or any other form) and anything else are documented in your medical records, ESPECIALLY in your separation physical.

• Added to our Treatment Page:
  • Triggers are highly individualized. One might have a trigger that no one else has, and one might not have a trigger that many other patients have. Statistics aren't useful here. It's not a matter of "how likely" it is for one to have a particular trigger. Either one has the trigger or one doesn't.
• Added to our Famous Patients Page:
  • Kristen Chenoweth, singer, actress.
    • Chenoweth writes of her Meniere's Disease in her memoir,  A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages, as reviewed in Publishers Weekly (scross down).

• Patty Haybach, R.N., M.S., and author of "Meniere's Disease:  What You Need to Know" and "Inner Ear Balance and Dizziness Disorders," has moved her website to this location, and we have updated our links.

• Updated our Famous Patients page:
  • Television journalist Meg MacDonald renovates her home to accommodate her Meniere's Disease.
    • Update:  Article, Wilmington (Del.) News-Journal, March 15, 2009.

• Updated our excerpts related to Meniere's Disease disability from the official U.S. Social Security Administration manual "Disability Evaluation Under Social Security" (known as the "Blue Book") to the September 2008 edition.
  • Here.

• Added to our Famous Patients Page:
  • Ryan Adams, musician, singer, songwriter, author.
    • Article in Wikipedia.
    • Article on Gibson.com.
    • Article on RollingStone.com.

Jan-01-2009

• We wish you a happy, healthy new year.