LABYRINTHITIS

Hello to you all. How on earth are you doing? Well here we are again and now we are going to learn about Labyrinthitis. I thought that this picture was really cool because I don't know about you guys but I always thought that Labyrinth was a pretty interesting movie. Alrighty roo here we go.

DESCRIPTION

Labyrinthitis is a condition where the inner ear becomes inflamed in the area called the labyrinth or what we would know it as, the three semicircular canals and the cochlea. Remember that we learned that the cochlea deals with hearing and the semicircular canals deal with balance and equilibrium. A labyrinth is just what it says, basically a labyrinth of fluid-filled canals and sacs that are all connected. These canals connect to the vestibule, which is the portion that sends information to the brain, hence the vestibular nerve. So you can understand that if this area becomes inflamed then there is information that is going to the brain that is inaccurate and how it might affect an individuals ability to hear or their balance.

Another interesting aspect that I learned about Labyrinthitis is that we see things around us all the time and that we are able to stand up and walk and balance on one leg. So if you are seeing something and your body is not receiving the same information, in regards to balance, then you start to feel vertigo. So lets say that you are walking in a straight line and you turn around a corner to walk on a different street then the information that your vestibular nerve is sending to the brain will not match what you are seeing, so you will become dizzy or experience vertigo.

CAUSES OF LABYRINTHITIS

There are actually several possibilities for the cause of labyrinthitis, but most of the time this condition will proceed an upper respiratory infection or an infection that is viral or bacterial in origin, like the common cold or the flu. Other possibilities could be allergies, trauma to the hear and/or ear, alcohol abuse, a tumor that occurs in the middle ear, and certain medications like Dilantin (medication used to control seizures), some antibiotics administered intravenously, Lasix (which is used for the treatment of edema due to congestive heart failure ), and aspirin. Also severe stress so you should probably start doing some yoga if you find yourself getting too stressed.

SYMPTOMS

Some symptoms that can occur with labyrinthitis can be vertigo, nausea, loss of balance, and vomiting. Other symptoms that could occur would be headaches, tinnitus( a ringing or rushing noise that occurs within the ear), some hearing loss.

TREATMENTS

Treatments would include to monitor your diet and cut back on the salt and sugar that you digest, you can also lie down on your side, you also should probably cut back on the chocolate, cigarettes, and coffee if you have labyrinthitis. Medicinal treatments can be a route because of the origin of the labyrinthitis to begin with is usually from a viral or bacterial infection. There are also some exercises that you can do that can help speed up the recovery time of labyrinthitis. The exercises are called Brandt and Daroff exercises and the Epley maneuver. You can look at www.emedicinehealth.com/labyrinthitis for an explanation of all of the exercises, but I will give you a quick run down. You would look to your right side really fast and then lie down on your left side while keeping your head facing toward the right, and you repeat this on the opposite side as well. You do repetitions of the different exercises and this is suppose to aid in your recovery time.