Craniosacral therapy case history of a 53 year old woman with Meniere’s disease, Vertigo, and Tinnitus.
For patients who wished to remain anonymous, a pseudonym system is in place. All male patients are called Jack and all female patients are called Jill. Surnames are colours.
Mrs Jill Topaz
– Meniere’s disease, vertigo, tinnitus
Birth year & month 1944 September
Date of first treatment 22/9/1997 Age 53
Symptoms/Conditions
Jill had been suffering with Meniere’s Disease for the last 9 years (characterised by vertigo, a condition that impairs the fine organs of balance, and tinnitus, which is ringing in the ears) In the most recent years Jill was also experiencing progressive hearing loss.
While these conditions were extremely difficult to live with Jill was still able to do the things that most people do, she had not been given a very optimistic outlook by her doctors and was doing her best to live with the disease.
Twelve months prior to her treatments with me, Jill had begun to experience what are known as ‘spin attacks.’ These are characterised by a sudden and extreme sensation of everything spinning causing the person to literally fall to the floor instantly. These attacks had an immediate effect on Jill’s life. They came with no warning and left Jill feeling incredibly vulnerable.
On two separate occasions, Jill had a spin attack while she was shopping at a local mall. Both times people thought she was drunk. She fell to the ground and had to crawl to a bench, where she sat and waited for the attack to pass. This usually took about two hours. After the second attack, she became afraid she would have another attack while driving or in a situation where she could be hurt by falling. She effectively became housebound.
She went to her doctor but the prognosis wasn’t good. After seeing a couple of specialists, she was given two choices.
Option 1
The tinnitus and vertigo would get worse. The spin attacks would get more frequent and severe. All symptoms would eventually stop with the onset of total loss of hearing.
Option 2
Surgery with a 50% chance of success. There was also a 50% chance of total hearing loss with the surgery.
Treatment progress
Jill’s membrane system was unusually tight. Particularly the tough waterproof membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord called the Dura. This tension was affecting the delicate organs of hearing and balance which are sensitive to minute pressure changes.
After the first treatment, Jill suffered no more ‘spin attacks’.
By her third treatment, Jill reported a significant reduction in dizziness and by the sixth treatment no longer experienced any vertigo.
Jill’s tinnitus would stop for three to four hours after each session.
After 12 treatments the only symptom that Jill was still experiencing was tinnitus, though this was significantly reduced in severity.
Follow up
I telephoned Jill 12 months after her last treatment. She told me she had no recurrence of vertigo and not one spin attack. Her tinnitus symptoms were still continuing to reduce. . The difference in Jill’s quality of life was obvious, she was able to undertake all of the activities she used to do and was enjoying an ongoing reduction in the tinnitus which she now likened to slight background noise.
When I talked to her she was in the process of planning a trip overseas which is something she would not have been able to even consider before.