Actress Kristin Chenoweth Suffers from Meniere's Disease

Kristin Chenoweth is an accomplished actress both on TV and live on Broadway having performed in Wicked as Glinda as well as appearances in TV shows Glee and Pushing Daisies.

She also suffers from Meniere's Disease which was diagnosed in 2007.

As such, she is prone to dizzy attacks which may have contributed to well-known falls during performances over the years.

• 2003: Fell off the stage during rehearsals for Wicked
• 2006: Fell off the stage during Broadway revival of The Apple Tree
• 2011: Fell down the stairs during injuring her back on the set of Glee.

And those are just the falls we know about.

Meniere's disease is a disorder of the inner ear which leads to spinning dizzy attacks without any specific trigger. The dizzy spinning typically lasts several hours and is often preceded by tinnitus, aural pressure, and a hearing decrease on just the affected ear.

Fluctuating hearing loss is not uncommon as well.

Diagnosis is not straightforward and is usually obtained by history alone, but supporting tests include ENG (electronystagmography), VEMP (vestibular evoked myogenic potentials), ECoG (electrocochleography), ABR (auditory brainstem response), MRI scan, etc.

Once diagnosis of Meniere's disease is made, treatment occurs in stages:

Stage 1: Eliminate all salt (less than 1000mg of sodium per day), caffeine (no coffee, tea, decaffeinated, sodas, chocolate, etc), and alcohol from the diet.

Stage 2: If stage 1 does not help, addition of a diuretic pill like maxzide.

Stage 3: Invasive procedures which include endolymphatic shunt operation or vestibulectomy using intratympanic gentamyin injection into the ear or surgical lysis.

Flare-ups are treated symptomatically with phenergan and if needed, steroids whether oral or injection into the ear.

Not All Spinning Motions Cause Dizziness

In one of the stranger research projects I've encountered in awhile, French scientists reported on why in the sport of discus throwing, athletes tend to feel more dizzy than those who hammer throw.

Whether discus or hammer throwing, both require spinning on part of the athlete before letting the discus/hammer go for long distances.

59% report dizziness with discus throwing, but none with hammer throwing. Why?

This occurred even among athletes who did both sports eliminating individual susceptibilities to dizziness.

Based on slow-motion video analysis, it was conjectured that visual bearings can be used more easily with hammer throwing than during discus throwing. Moreover, less foot contact with the ground for ground-body tactile feedback and generation of head movements liable to induce motion sickness from acceleration were felt to be contributing factors.

How do these findings translate to patients who are dizzy?

1) Visual bearings - Fixate on objects that you know to be still
2) Increase body-ground contact - Wear flat shoes instead of stiletto heels as well as cane/walker use
3) Minimize sudden turning head motions - Turn with the body rather than the head, or turn the head slowly

Of note, this research project won the 2011 Ig Nobel Prize for Physics.

Reference:
Dizziness in discus throwers is related to motion sickness generated while spinning. Acta Otolaryngol. 120 (3), 390-5.

MRI Scans CAN Cause Vertigo

Researchers at Johns Hopkins published a study that reports that MRI scans CAN cause feelings of dizziness induced by magnetic fields causing motion of the electrically charged fluid of the inner ear.

In both ears, there is a "gyroscope" called the labyrinth. Whenever the head turns or a force like gravity is exerted on this system, fluid moves within which tells the brain that motion has occurred. It's much like looking into a glass of water and based on the way the water tilts in the glass, you can guess which way motion is occurring.

In any case, the study took two groups of people, one with an intact labyrinth system and another without a functioning labyrinth system. Only those individuals with an intact labyrinth system suffered vertigo while getting an MRI. Furthermore, the stronger the MRI's magnetic field, the worse the vertigo.

Beyond the "that's interesting" trivia, these results are VERY important in any type of brain activity research. Why? Well, if a person is feeling dizzy, the brain activity you may be studying using the MRI may be attributable to the dizziness itself and the patient's coping mechanisms to deal with it rather than whatever brain activity research you may be investigating.

On a more science-fiction note, based on these findings, an MRI can theoretically be used to potentially diagnose and treat dizziness due to the inner ear. After all, if it can cause dizziness, it certainly can be used to help it as well!

Reference:
MRI Magnetic Field Stimulates Rotational Sensors of the Brain. Current Biology, 22 September 2011. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.08.029