Hearing & Balance Problems: Iatrogenic Causes

This article addresses several disorders relating to the ears including problems with hearing, balance, vertigo, tinnitus (ringing or tones in the ears), problems understanding what has been said and Ménière's disease.

As someone who has had lifelong 'infections' in one ear, is deaf in that same ear and a veteran of 16 ear operations I now consider that practically all the no-doubt well intentioned treatment I received over the decades has not only been useless but in most cases counterproductive or destructive.

I now believe that most of the problems I suffered were a direct result of mercury toxicity and effective toxic metal detoxification has managed to resolve many of the longstanding and ongoing issues.

The fact is that the age-related hearing loss many of regard as being 'normal' is not inevitable at all, but the result of toxicity due to the use of dental amalgam fillings and the mercury based preservative, thimerasol which is included in many vaccines, along with exposure to other toxic agents including pharmaceuticals.

In order to explain the different ways in which medicine and dentistry may adversely affect hearing and balance, you first need to understand a little about how the ears work. 

How the ears work

In terms of hearing, sound waves are funnelled down the outer ear canal where they cause the eardrum to vibrate. A series of small bones or ossicles in the middle ear then transmit this vibration to a membranous window in the cochlea. The cochlea looks like a snail shell and contains a membranous structure which is filled with fluid within the bony cavity. The cochlea and the adjacent vestibular apparatus are part of the inner ear which is encased in bone.

The cochlea is divided along its length into three compartments of which the upper and lower compartments are continuous and filled with a fluid known as perilymph. As the ossicles vibrate the membranous window, this in turn creates vibrations within the perilymph which travel the length of the cochlea in the upper compartment and then back in the lower compartment to be discharged by another membranous window within the middle ear.

The vibrations set up within the perilymph are transmitted to a middle membranous compartment filled with endolymph which contains the organ of hearing known as the spiral organ of Corti. The spiral organ of Corti contains groups of approximately 100 hair cells arranged in rows and supported by pillar-like cells and the vibrations detected by these cells are converted into signals by the vestibulocochlear nerve and transmitted to the brain. The frequencies at which these cells are stimulated depends upon their position within the cochlea. As you can see from the scanning electron microscope images below, this is a complex and exquisitely organised system. 

The middle ear contains air and communicates with the throat via the Eustachian tube or auditory canal. At rest this tube is collapsed to prevent the ingress of bacteria from the nose and mouth, but four small muscles open the tube when you swallow or yawn allowing pressures to equalise and the middle ear secretions to drain. A functional and patent Eustachian tube is necessary for the mechanics of both hearing and balance. 

The tubular tonsils guard the pharyngeal end of the Eustachian tube and these form part of the ring of lymphoid tissue in the nasopharynx known as Waldeyer’s Ring. Enlargement of the tubular tonsils or of the adjacent pharyngeal tonsils (also known as adenoids) can cause blockage of the auditory canal. Animal experiments have shown that the inner and middle ear are independently connected to the lymphatic drainage system. 

In relation to balance, there are three semicircular canals organised in different planes of space that again have a fluid filled membranous structure encased within a bony cavity. These canals known as the vestibular apparatus and the cochlea are continuous and meet in a central chamber known as the vestibule.

These canals are lined with groups of sensory hair-like cells that are attached to otoliths or little stones. As the stones and fluid move the hairs are stimulated and send information about 3 dimensional position and movement in space to the brain.

This information is coordinated by the brain with proprioceptive feedback from the joints and muscles (which gives information about the relative position of body parts to one another) and to vision to coordinate balance and movement. In total, six neurotransmitters are involved in generating and transmitting the signals produced by the organs of balance and hearing. 

Ear problems

Otitis media

Otitis media or inflammation of the middle ear is the most common diagnosis in sick children in the developed world. It involves ear pain which may be accompanied by fever, a feeling of fullness in the ears, temporary hearing loss and distress.

Infection, allergy, toxicity or inflammation from any source causes lymphatic fluid to build-up in the middle ear. Enlargement of either the tubular tonsils or the adenoids may block the Eustachian tube. Food intolerances and particularly the consumption of dairy products are considered to be a prime suspect as they are known to induce mucus membrane inflammation and mucus production in many people.

Hearing loss

Hearing loss can be caused by a variety of toxins (see below), infections including measles, mumps, and meningitis, physical trauma, central nervous system disorders (such as tumours) and exposure to loud noises.

Individuals with a history of head injury are particularly vulnerable to later hearing loss or tinnitus which may be temporary or permanent. An example is King Jordan who lost his hearing as a result of sustaining a skull fracture in a motorcycle accident when he was 21 years old.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the perception of ringing or whining tones within the ear. It can be genetic or caused by exposure to loud noises, infections, allergies, and some medications particularly benzodiazepine withdrawal.

It can vary in intensity from occasional and mild to continuous and loud disrupting sleep and normal activity. It is very common with one in five people between the ages of 55 and 65 reporting some symptoms of tinnitus. 

Vertigo

Vertigo is the sensation of motion while being stationary that induces dizziness. It may be associated with other symptoms such as vomiting, blurred vision, hearing loss, difficulty speaking, standing or walking, and a lowered level of consciousness. In particular the eyes may jerk rapidly in attacks of what is known as nystagmus.

Episodes of vertigo may last anywhere from a few moments to a few days or may become permanent. Sufferers often need to sit or lie still during an attack, but the sensation of movement may continue even though they are not moving at all. 

Inflammation and infections including the common cold and influenza can cause transient vertigo, as may exposure to toxins and physical trauma (eg: skull fractures). Vertigo can also be due to disorders of the auditory nerve, brain or brain stem. Sometimes collections of the otoliths in particular locations can cause positional vertigo when the head is moved in particular ways especially in older people. 

Ménière's disease

Ménière's disease affects about 2 people per 1,000 and involves sudden, episodic attacks of vertigo which may be accompanied by noise in the ears (tinnitus), progressive hearing loss (usually lower frequencies and in one ear), a sense of fullness or pressure in the affected ear, nystagmus and severe nausea and vomiting. Sometimes sounds can be tiny or distorted and sufferers may become unusually sensitive to sounds. 

Attacks can last from minutes to hours. Sudden, severe attacks known as 'drop attacks' can cause the person to fall. Ménière's disease can range in intensity from being a mild annoyance to being a total, lifelong disability.  

Critically, individuals suffering with other conditions including some autoimmune diseases, dysautonomia (dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system), multiple sclerosis (MS), thyroid disorders and migraines may present with Ménière's-like symptoms - many of which are probably caused by the same underlying toxicity (see below). Like the autoimmune diseases, CFS and fibromyalgia, Ménière's disease tends to affect more women than men and onset is typically in adulthood with prevalence increasing with age.

The consumption of salt, alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco, can all aggravate symptoms of Ménière's. Allergies may also play a causative role.

Medical approaches include giving drugs for the nausea and vomiting, using cyclizine patches worn behind the ear to alleviate symptoms, and benzodiazepines for the anxiety induced by the unexpected attacks. The drugs used all have side-effects, especially in older people and should be avoided if at all possible. 

Surgery is recognised to compromise hearing and some treatments aim to chemically destroy or surgically remove the vestibular apparatus or to sever the nerves. Even then, recovery is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting as the brain learns to compensate. 

There are several ways in which dental procedures in general and dental restorations in particular may cause problems with hearing or balance. Many dentists especially in Germany, Scandinavia and Denmark have documented improvements in balance and hearing loss after the safe removal of amalgam fillings (Mat Hanson, M. Daunderer, D.K. Lichtenberg, R.L. Sibelrud, D. Melchart, and Dr. Harald Hamre, and the Marburg study).

Mercury toxicity & ear problems

The majority of the mercury vapour given off by dental amalgam fillings is inhaled into the lungs from where it passes in the blood to the rest of the body. Being highly lipophilic (fat-loving) and neurophilic the mercury is absorbed into the nerve endings particularly of the autonomic nervous system (the automatic system that governs functions below conscious awareness).

It then travels up the autonomic nerves to the central nervous system in a process known as retrograde axonal transport disrupting function and eventually causing death of the neurons involved. Some of the mercury vapour emitted by amalgam fillings is absorbed directly into the mucosa of the mouth, pharynx and sinuses where it may directly disrupt function (eg: of the tonsils). 

Mercury poisoning is recognised to cause hearing loss, deafness, vertigo, tinnitus and also to change perception of sound so that the individual's ability to understand what they hear is diminished. They may also experience sharp pricking pains in their ear canals.

Mercury rapidly damages the organs of excretion - the liver and kidneys - and so the cargo of mercury is stored in body tissues. More mercury may be launched into the system as a result of a variety of factors including exposure to electromagnetic fields, dental work, chewing, grinding teeth, and drinking or eating hot or acidic foods.

Mercury also seems to be moved from organ system to organ system according to factors including stress, the nutrients available, the time of day, in/adequate sleep and rest, etc.  

Being fat soluble, mercury accumulates in the lymph and may well concentrate in the perilymph and endolymph of the inner ear. From there absorption into the sensory cells of the organ of Corti or balance may cause destruction as shown in the images below.

Ultimately this destruction may cause progressive degeneration of the vestibulocochlear nerve or the parts of the brain responsible for processing aural information. Mercury accumulating in the lymph of the ear may also disable the tubular tonsil so that lymph backs up within the ear becoming toxic.  

Mercury also disrupts the biochemistry of the neurotransmitters and given that there are 6 different neurotransmitters involved in the process of hearing there is plenty of opportunity for blockade of one or more neurotransmitters thus disrupting nerve signals. 

Many people presenting with Ménière's-type symptoms also have disorders known to be associated with mercury poisoning including 'autoimmune' diseases, multiple sclerosis (MS), thyroid disorders and migraines which may all be caused by the same underlying toxicity. As may the nystagmus which also often occurs during an attack.

And the greater prevalence of Ménière's in women and onset in midlife also ties in with the fact that women are more vulnerable to mercury toxicity. Added to which Ménière's disease was first diagnosed in the 1860s - just a few decades after the introduction of dental amalgam.

Galvanic currents from dental restorations & ear problems

The conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, Dr Benjamin Zander, recently gave testimony to the FDA hearings into the safety of dental amalgam. 

He stated that 7 years previously he had developed Ménière's disease, which had caused violent bouts of vomiting, vertigo and massive hearing loss. Because of the violence of these attacks, he had had to cancel or stop in the middle of several performances and visits to Ear, Nose and Throat specialists throughout the world had yielded no results.

Eventually, the Paracelsus clinic in Switzerland suggested he have all his metal dental restorations removed as a result of which he describes his recovery as 'extraordinary'. All symptoms of the Ménière's disease suddenly disappeared and have not reappeared in the intervening 7 years.

Since the improvement appears to have been fairly immediate and he makes no mention of any extensive detoxification, his symptoms may well have been a result of the galvanic currents created within the moisture of the mouth by the various metals and he specifically mentions amalgam fillings and nickel-containing crowns.

The electromagnetic currents generated by the different metals used in the mouth can be 1,000X those in the brain and ear which are just centimetres away and which may disrupt either the generation or transmission of the nerve impulses. 

Dental restorations disrupt meridian flows

All the energy meridians pass through the teeth and any metal restorations may block these flows. Removal of such restorations may also result in immediate improvements in many kinds of conditions.

Also, according to the dictates of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Kidney meridian 'opens into the ear' so that tinnitus and other symptoms may be a sign of kidney stress. In animal experiments by Murray Vimy et al at the University of Calgary, the mercury from dental amalgam fillings has been shown to compromise kidney function by 50% within a month of placement of the first filling. So the kidneys are known to be under enormous stress in individuals with amalgam fillings. Removal of toxic metal restorations may enable the kidneys to repair and restore thus alleviating the associated ear symptoms. 

The muscles of the body all relate to the meridians and effectively act as safety valves for the function of the internal organ systems. Such that muscles become weak or hypertonic (tense) depending upon the status of the associated meridian. The relationships of at least 42 of the bilateral muscles to the meridians was established by the founder of Kinesiology, Dr George Goodheart some 40 years ago. Doubtless the tiny muscles governing the drainage and functioning of the ear may have relationships to energy meridians which to the best of my knowledge have yet to be established. 

Temperomandibular joint dysfunction & ear problems

Although temperomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD) is regarded as being the province of dentists, the function of this joint may be related to, or may be the cause of, balance or hearing problems. Half the motor cortex of the brain is devoted to the TMJ, so the body regards this joint as being very important for reasons that aren't entirely clear. 

TMJ problems are a common finding in the fatigue syndromes caused by mercury toxicity and almost all dental procedures have the potential to alter the bite causing TMj problems which may affect the functioning of the ear.  

As a veteran of detoxifying mercury, I can tell you that a prickling sensation in the hands and tinnitus are some of the more reliable signs that mercury is being mobilised from storage and excreted. I have also experienced episodes of hearing loss and vertigo related to detoxifying mercury. 

For information about a comprehensive metals detoxification programme using natural methods please refer to Chronic Fatigue, ME and Fibromyalgia: The Natural Recovery Plan. 

Further resources

For related articles see Hearing Loss and Painkillers, Noise Pollution, Symptoms of Mercury Poisoning, A History of Mercury Poisoning, A History of Medical Horrors, The Role of Toxic Metals in Fatigue Syndromes, Signs and Symptoms of Fatigue Related Syndromes, Health Concerns About Nickel, Cobalt Toxicity, The Health Concerns About Aspartame, book reviews of It's All In Your Head or Whole Body Dentistry, or Research: Electromagnetic Fields, Dental Amalgam & Health. 

For videos watch Ben Zander's Mercury Poisoning Testimony and Part 1 and Part 2 of CFS and Fibromyalgia Explained.

Hearing & balance problems: Article summary

This article looks at possible dental causes of hearing loss, tinnitus, balance problems including vertigo, and Ménière's disease including mercury toxicity from dental amalgam fillings, the generation of galvanic currents between dissimilar metals, and the blocking of energy meridian flows with metal restorations. 

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The Natural Recovery Plan Newsletter December 2011 Issue 24. Copyright Alison Adams 2011. All rights reserved 
Alison Adams Dentist, Naturopath, Author and Online Health Coach www.thenaturalrecoveryplan.com