VESTIBULAR DISORDERS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
WINTER, 1994


ELECTRONIC
MAIL

By Laura O'Grady

When I first became sidelined with
vestibular neuronitis in December 1986,
I had no idea what I would have to
endure.  After struggling to finish school,
I was only able to work until the fall of
1989, when I had to go on permanent
disability.  I was 25 years old and felt
like my life was over.

With plenty of time on my hands, I
started to play with my home computer,
something I had only used for work
previously.  Not one to play computer
games, I quickly tired of word processing
and spreadsheets.

Then I started to use an accessory that
comes with many home computers, the
modem.  A modem is a device that
allows you to "talk" with other computers
by using ordinary telephone lines. Soon I
joined a bulletin board (a service for
exchanging information via modem), and
I was sending correspondence or
"electronic mail" to people all around the
world.

This was an ideal hobby for someone
like myself who was bored with watching
television but was not quite healthy
enough for socializing.  I was amazed at
the amount of information that was
available and easily accessible from the
comfort of my own home.  I have found
forums on sports, cooking, astrology,
medicine, and even UFOs, and it is
possible to download (transfer their
information) to a home computer.  On
one of the bulletin boards I joined,
America Online, a forum called
DisABILITIES allows users to get
information, post messages, or chat with
other members.

If you have access to a computer with a
modem, I suggest trying out this method
of interaction.  I have met many friends
and found bulletin boards to be a great
source of entertainment.

My e-mail addresses are as follows:
America Online: GradyO
Internet: Grady@Blade.com

If you are already an active BBS user,
then please send me your email address
so we can have an "electronic link."

Editor's note: Laura O'Grady is a VEDA
member from Toronto. VEDA members
are also welcome to send email to VEDA
at this address: junder@teleport.com










LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR

DEAR EDITOR:

Having read with interest in the Summer
1993 On the Level the article relating to
Charlie Daschbach M.D. and his work, I
felt a very short personal history might
equally interest our fellows.

Here's an edited autobiography from
December 1992, when I terminated my
academic career by leaving work via the
stairwell instead of the staircase:

Spent time in a coma; spent two years in
rehabilitation centres; spent three years
teaching myself to walk, thus getting a bit
more mind to think with. Spent two more
years doing a rehabilitation counselling
course; spent a year and a half looking for
employment. Finally, spent the last three
years working with people who, like me,
suffer ataxia, vertigo, nystagmus, fits,
memory loss, tinnitus, and who have
emotional and social problems, feel weight
on their head, lack sensory-motor
coordination, are immobilized, and so on.
End very edited autobiography.

Over the past three years, I have been
described as "someone who understands"
and "altruistic." People who regained
their balance petitioned the hospital
where I work to pay me. Their voice was
not heard. However, a journalist
interested in medicine became aware of
my work and published an article in the
Sydney Sun Herald titled "The Unpaid
Healer." I now receive an income of
$150 (U.S. $100) a week from the
hospital, and my work is recognized by
top neurosurgeons.

The real return is to see people with a
balance problem learn to teach
themselves to regain their senses of
independence and self-reliance by, like
me, becoming reliant upon their sense of
proprioception for balance. Yet, just as
the hospital cannot afford me, I can
never repay my wife and daughter.
Without them I would not be alive, or if
I was, I would lie in a nursing home or
perhaps be an employee of a sheltered
workshop.

                                                                        Mick O'Brien
                                                                        QE2 Institute R.P.A.H.
                                                                        59 Missenden Road
                                                                        Camperdown, NSW 2050
                                                                        Australia 


DEAR EDITOR: Sometime back you
requested letters from folks who would
share their experiences, and especially
success in coping, with vestibular
disorders. My bout with Meniere's
disease began about two years ago when
I had a sudden attack of extreme vertigo.
After the attack subsided, I went to a
local ENT clinic where I was told I
might have Meniere's disease and
essentially "to go home and take two
aspirin." Well I did nothing to change my
very stressful lifestyle (because I felt
fine) or my diet and, in the summer of
1992, I was hit by the disease with a
vengeance: repeated extreme vertigo, ear
noise, fullness, general disorientation.
This time I went to a series of doctors
(one of whom put me in touch with your
organization) and finally was told the full
medical story of what I had contracted
and what might be done to get my life
back together. Since then I have taken a
daily dose of triamterene (more recently
betahistine hydrochloride, which seems
to work better) and, perhaps more
important, completely changed my
lifestyle and diet. I go to bed early, wake
up "naturally," have removed caffeine
and severely restricted sodium intake.
Also, I get much more exercise. All of
this appears to have slowly gotten the
disease under control. Today I lead what
most would consider a normal life filled
with work and family. I guess my real
concern is for those people who, when
they are first struck with this disease, are
simply told to "go home and take two
aspirin." I often wonder if I had been
informed sooner about this disease, if I
would have therefore changed my diet
and lifestyle, whether I would not have
had to suffer quite so much and to have
lost most of my hearing in one ear. This
is why I think your work in patient
education is so important.

         Dr. Charles A. Bobertz
         2004 Red Fox Road
         St. Cloud, MN 56301

On the Level welcomes letters but reserves
the right to make editorial changes in the
interest of clarity. Writers must identify
themselves with a name and address and
must sign their letters; anonymous letters
will not be published. Letters longer than
300 words may have to be shortened.







VEDA TIDBITS

LOOKING FOR A NEW OFFICE 
VEDA is looking for a bigger office.
We've stacked things to the ceiling
where we are, and there's no room for
anything more. Also, we don't have
enough telephone lines to plug in our
TTY, which is still sitting in a box in the
corner. We've already doubled-up on the
existing
lines.

We now
have 200
square feet
on the
second
floor plus
storage in the basement of the building
we've been in since 1989. We need 500
square feet (office and storage on the
same floor), windows, heat, plenty of
grounded wall sockets, three to four
telephone lines using five different
telephone numbers (regular, toll-free,
fax, modem, and TTY), access to a
bathroom, and at least one parking
space. The office should be within three
miles of the main post office in
downtown Portland, Oregon.

We pay about $1 a square foot in
monthly rent. If you know of someone
who would donate the use of suitable
space to VEDA or would rent it at a
price we can afford, please let us know.

OTHER SERVICES?  Write and let
us know what other services VEDA
could offer members. What else can we
do that would be helpful?   

NEWS & REVIEWS

By Susan L. Engel-Arieli, M.D.

Below are summaries of articles that
appeared in recent medical and
professional journals. The first four deal
with tinnitus.

THE USE OF NORTRIPTYLINE
FOR SEVERE CHRONIC
TINNITUS  Swedish and British
population studies have found that 15
percent of adults experience constant or
nearly constant tinnitus. The prevalence
of tinnitus, but not the severity, increases
with age and with the degree of high-
frequency sensorineural hearing loss.

There is no cure available for the vast
majority of people with this disorder.
Therefore, physicians from the
University of Washington Medical
School and the University of Texas
studied 92 people with severe chronic
tinnitus, half of which were given a
placebo and the other half nortriptyline,
an antidepressant. Sixty seven percent of
the patients taking nortriptyline said that
the medication helped, while only 39
percent receiving the placebo said the
medication helped.

The investigators believe that
nortriptyline treatment produces greater
improvement than the placebo in
reducing functional disability, depression,
and tinnitus loudness in patients with
chronic severe tinnitus. However, on
occasion, the positive effect was nullified
by troublesome side effects.
Nevertheless, they believe that when the
drug is tolerated, the disability can be
reduced, although the illness still
remains. See Sullivan, M., Katon, W., et
al., "A Randomized Trial of Nortriptyline
for Severe Chronic Tinnitus," Arch. Int.
Med., Vol. 153, Oct. 11, 1993, pages
2251-2259.

ANOTHER POSSIBLE
TREATMENT FOR TINNITUS 
Doctors in Portland, Ore., tested the
effectiveness of another drug,
alprazolam, an antidepressant, for
patients with tinnitus. Twenty were put
on this drug, while another 20 were
given a placebo. Seventy six percent of
the patients receiving alprazolam had a
reduction in the loudness of their
tinnitus. Only one patient receiving a
placebo reported any improvement.
Individuals differed in the dosages
required to achieve benefit from the
alprazolam, and the side effects were
minimal. See Johnson, R.M., et al., "Use
of Alprazolam for Relief of Tinnitus: A
Double Blind Study," Arch. Otolaryngol
Head Neck Surg., Vol. 119, 1993, pages
842-845.

SILENCE THE RINGING?  With
no effective treatment, tinnitus victims
have had no choice but to endure the
anguish, although many have done so
creatively. The great Spanish painter,
Francisco de Goya, who complained of
incessant roaring in his head and who
went deaf, channeled his torture into 
the form of painted characters holding
their ears. The Czech composer Bedrich
Smetana had tinnitus as did the
physician Joseph Toynebee, the father of
otology, the branch of medicine dealing
with the ear and its diseases.
A recent article further said that
alprazolam had been shown to dampen
tinnitus. (See item above.) Experts are
wondering if the drug really turns down
the tinnitus or merely helps people to
cope better by getting them to relax.

Since alprazolam can be habit-forming
and has side effects, alternatives are
worth considering. Relaxation and
biofeedback can also help alleviate
tinnitus in some people. See "At Last, A
Silence Pill," Hippocrates, Nov.-Dec.
1993, pages 70-71.

MORE ON TINNITUS  The latest
U.S. Public Health Service survey
indicates that 36 million adults have
some form of tinnitus. For 7.2 million,
tinnitus is severe and disabling and ranks
third, behind severe pain and balance
disorders, as the most distressing
conditions people can have.

Tinnitus may be a sign of nervous system
disease, early inner ear disease, gradual
hearing loss, other systemic disease, or
dysfunction accompanying movements of
the head and neck.

The parameters used to identify tinnitus
are intensity, location, duration, quality,
maskability, and so on. The tinnitus
intensity index uses a scale ranging from
0 to 7. Grade 0 reflects a total absence
of tinnitus; grade 7 represents the most
severe intensity.

Variables that may accompany tinnitus
include accumulations of ear wax, ear
infections, endolymphatic hydrops,
acoustic tumors, damage to the ear by
toxic drugs, exposure to loud noise,
temporomandibular joint disease, and
allergies.

Drugs that relieve or suppress tinnitus
are lidocaine, some anticonvulsants,
vitamin A, vitamin B, zinc,
antihistamines, and muscle relaxants.
Some of the drugs that can aggravate or
are connected with tinnitus include
aspirin, some antibiotics, quinine, some
water pills, nonsteroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs, caffeine, alcohol,
oral contraceptives, and so on. See
Shulman, A., "Subjective Idiopathic
Tinnitus," Cortlandt Forum, Nov. 1993,
pages 160-169.
 
TINNITUS, VERTIGO, AND
TEMPOROMANDIBULAR JOINT
DISEASE (TMJD)  A total of 138
patients receiving treatment for
Meniere's disease, hearing loss, tinnitus,
and/or vertigo underwent a dental and
jaw exam, a recent article said. Eighty
percent had some type of TMJD or
occlusion. Thirty three percent had
disorders that required treatment. In a
group of 16 patients who received dental
treatment, 57 percent had improved ear-
related symptoms. The conclusion was
that, for a subgroup of patients, ear
symptoms as described above may be
improved by dental treatment. See
Kempf, H.G., et al., "Correlation
Between Inner Ear Disorders and
TMJD," HNO, Vol. 41, No. 1, Jan. 1993,
pages 7-10. 

In another study, 20 patients whose chief
complaint was tinnitus were examined.
They had no known jaw pain or
dysfunction. After careful examination,
19 of these people had evidence of
TMJD. The conclusion was that people
who have tinnitus with no apparent
vestibular cause should have a careful
examination of the TMJ. See Morgan,
D.H., "Tinnitus of the TMJ Origin,"
Cranio, Vol. 10, No. 2, April 1992, pages
124-129.

HEAD TRAUMA AND VERTIGO 
People can develop a "postconcussion
syndrome" after a closed head injury.
The predominant symptom is headache.
Other possible symptoms include vertigo,
lightheadedness, giddiness, impaired
concentration, insomnia, fatigue, and
memory problems. The duration, but not
the incidence or intensity, of the
symptoms appears to be correlated with
the severity of the brain injury. It is
unknown why the postconcussion
syndrome develops in some patients and
not others. Organic brain damage has
been found in even minor head trauma.
Additionally, brain circulation has been
found to be slowed in these people.
Headache treatment has had the most
success compared to treatment of the
other symptoms. See Joy, E., et al.,
"Closed Head Trauma in Active People,"
Your Patient and Fitness, Vol. 7, No. 5,
Sept./Oct. 1993, pages 17-22.













OTOSCLEROSIS  Localized bone
resorption is responsible for changes
within the middle and inner ear that
result in hearing loss and vertigo in
otosclerosis. In initial experimental
studies, indomethacin, a nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drug, was found to
decrease the amount of otosclerosis. See
Adachi, K., et al., "Indomethacin
Inhibition. . . ," Arch. Otolaryngol. Head
Neck Surg., Vol. 117, No. 3, March 1991,
pages 267-269.

DIGGING INTO DIZZINESS 
Proper evaluation of dizziness by doctors
can be difficult and requires a careful
history, according to doctors at George
Washington University Medical Center.
Dr. Schessel, of the center, says the
history is one of the key ways to
diagnose the problem. Doctors should
ask about the following, he says: what
dizziness means to the patient, what
other symptoms it's associated with, its
duration, what increases or decreases the
symptoms, etc. He says that a complete
medical history, family history, list of
medicines, physical exam results, and
relevant test results should also be
examined. See Brown, S., "Dig Into the
History. . . ," Int. Med. News & Cardiology
News, Oct. 15, 1993, page 10.

Below are summaries of articles appearing
in recent consumer publications:

NAIL POLISH AND VERTIGO 
Some cosmetic companies, with a nudge
from consumer activists, are reconcocting
their nail polishes to remove toluene.
Toluene has been linked to nausea and
dizziness in pregnant women and to birth
defects. Revlon and Maybelline have
already
removed
the
toluene,
and others
are likely
to follow.
See "Nail
Polish Gets
a Shade
Safer,"
Health,
Nov./Dec.
1993, page 12.

DO YOU FEEL DIZZY?  A recent
article discusses the hows and whys of
dizziness. Dr. Robert Baloh of U.C.L.A.
is quoted on benign positional vertigo
(BPV, also called BPPV, in which the
extra P stands for paroxysmal). This can
be triggered by a change in head
position and is caused by tiny calcium
deposits in the inner ear that have
become dislodged. Dr. Baloh is quoted
as saying that a maneuver (which sounds
like the Semont technique) that he uses
for BPV, cures 90 percent of his BPV
patients the first time, while the rest may
take one or two more tries. The article
also explores Meniere's dizziness,
whether surgery is a good option, and
briefly discusses the Vestibular Disorders
Association. See Conway, C., "Do You
Feel Dizzy?" American Health,
December 1993, pages 64-67.

RINGING IN YOUR EARS?  The
most common cause of tinnitus is
exposure to loud noises. Dr. J. Spencer
Jr., associate professor at the West
Virginia University Medical School,
reportedly found that 60 percent of
patients with tinnitus had elevated blood
cholesterol and triglyceride levels. When
these levels became normal, tinnitus was
said to frequently diminish or disappear.
Other alternative therapies that have
been tried, with mixed results, include
the herb Ginkgo bilboa, niacin,
biofeedback, masking with "white noise,"
and reducing stress. See Heimlich, J.,
"Ringing in Your Ears? Tune It Out,"
Health and Healing, Vol. 3, No. 11, Nov.
1993, pages 6-7.

Author's Note: Please note that neither Dr.
Engel-Arieli or VEDA can recommend any
particular treatment or be responsible for
an individual's reaction to a particular
treatment. These reviews are not intended
as a substitute for professional health care
by your own physician. Please do not
begin any treatment without first checking
with your physician.


NEWS BRIEFS

TINNITUS AWARD  The American
Tinnitus Association's board of directors
voted unanimously to confer the ATA
memorial tinnitus award recently on
Pawel J. Jastreboff, Ph.D., and Margaret
M. Jastreboff, Ph.D. This husband-wife
team and their colleagues are studying
various aspects of tinnitus including
causal mechanisms and models, a news
release said. Pawel also works with
patients at the University of Maryland
Tinnitus Center. Tinnitus, a chronic
ringing or other distressing noise in the
ears or head, seriously affects an
estimated 12 million people in the U.S.
alone.


HANK
YOU

We thank all of
the following for their contributions to
VEDA through Jan. 5. 

Patrons ($1,000-$4,999): The Black
Watch Color Guard, Peru, IL; Howard
Underwood, FL.

Associates ($100 to $499): Mary Colony, MI; Bob
Barancik, PA; Deanne Bonnar, MA; Linda Allen, VA;
Terence Gooding, CA; Mr. & Mrs. W.C. Cooke Jr., VA; Dr.
David Beal, AK; Naomi Lederer, NY; Anne & John Kendrick,
MA; Norman Griner, N.Y.; Esther Tolkoff, NY; Dr. Thomas
Teal, MI; Stephen K. Fisher, MI; Steven Smith, MI; Kevin
Robinson, OR; Stella C. Averill, CA; Becky Konen, TX; Dr.
Susan Engel, Park Ridge, IL; Michael H. Sydney, Hooksett,
NH; James & Deanne Bonnar, MA.

Contributors ($10 to $99):

ALABAMA: Lewis Ellenburg, Judy Nation, Nell Horsley,
Paul Bozeman, Harry Gifford, Karen Swartz, Martha Artis.

ALASKA: Patience Campbell, Don Abel Jr., Barbara Kolberg,
Nancy Stivers, Lillian Dorcas, Patricia Varness.

ARIZONA: Norma Raya, Fred & Doris Guilford, Pauline &
Guy Young, Patricia Abraham, Don Seely, Betty Patton,
Norma Raya, Judy Garrett, Carolyn Ragsdale, Pat Smyth, Dr.
A.L. Mansure, Dorotha Wolfe, Marjorie Rolfe, Stan Tausen,
Fred Guilford, Leslie & Diane Coffee, Norma Reya, Hope &
Sage Dillon.

ARKANSAS: W.J. Martin.

CALIFORNIA: Opal Tucker, Dorothy Blair, Debby Zurzolo,
Elaine Welch, Karolyn Zebarth, Georgia McKenry, Joan
Kraus, Allison Stockley, Misa Stroker, Trudi Wellman,
Barbara & Edwin Crawford, Jim & Sandra Bassler, Sylvia
Englestein, Karolyn Zebarth, Lisa Hunt, Patricia Duffy-
Pelletier, Michael Ross, Floyd Paul, Geraldine White, Mary
Kottman, Debby Zurzolo, Martin Bloom, Myron Roth, Maria
Persico, R. Ted Meyer, Heitsu Tu, Josephine Hamlin, John
Montoya, John Pino, Mardell Smith, Nessie Studley, Sue
Krebs, June Moore, Jerome Spector, Carol Springer, Winifred
McLaughlin, Meg Flaherty, Janet Mooers, John Carlson,
Thomas Chester, Carol Labadie, Christine Sullivan, Martha
Barros, Lillian Kuhn, Richard Goldstein, Jim & Sue Williams,
Sybil Cramer, Rachel Brokaw, Elena McClain, Richard Chole
MD, Misa Stroker, Thomas Scott, Ann Ulrich, Karolyn
Zebarth, Jeanne Rosendahl, B. Christa Vragel, Lee Law,
Lawrence Paget, Winifred Crews, Julie Yamamoto, Ingrid
Ebstein, David Folsom, Dr. Robert Logan, Patricia Sclabes,
Agnes Oman, Vee Robinson, The J.M. Petersons, Laurie
Hafer, Isolde Andrade, Arvind Sakliker, Bernice Johnson,
Harry Lew.

COLORADO: Charles Maxfield, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Weber,
Janice Gilland, Mary Lou & George Lehnhoff, Patty Haybach,
Mr. & Mrs. H.D. Rauchenstein, Katy Leahy, Mary
Williamson, Marilyn Girouard, James Gliozzi, Mr. & Mrs.
Thomas Rogers, Olive Liguore, Lois Burke, Jim & Carolyn
Berghoefer, Bill & Jeanie Swartz, Lois Jensen, Kim Saltus, J.
Cook, Mr. & Mrs. Dana Switzer.

CONNECTICUT: Pamela Post, Cathy Catey, Marie Miller,
Roberta Diday, Dorothy Coughlin, Marian Gregory, Harry
Whipple, Christopher Murphy.

DELAWARE: W.R. Richmond, Bernadine Lunski.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Allen Johnson, Mortimer
Friedman, Herbert Franklin, Pamela Moffat. 
 
FLORIDA: Gloria Massry, Robert Percy M.D., Edwin
Martin, Lucylle Hyser, Ann Monaco, Henry Poulin, Susan
Kellett, Richard Kaplan, Jack Rasmussen, Brenda Danback,
Henry Chaffee, Hannah Polansky, Catherine Beale, Howard
Berger, Hannah Polansky, Anita Feagles, Mary Horan, Jeff &
Susan Kaye, Henry Chaffee, Lucille Anderson, Sybel Meyer, J.
Edward Kendrick DDS, Melda Lynn.

GEORGIA: Gera Idine Rider, James McCloskey, Elizabeth
Spiegel, Gaye Cronin, Katherine Gaines, Linda Hambrick,
Gloria Shupert, Connie Monroe, Neal Grantham. 

IDAHO: Mrs. Vernon Peterson.

ILLINOIS: Christine Ohgren, Luvie Owens, Pauline Clancy,
Ann King, Ruth Fullerton, Richard Wasser, Joseph Pompei,
C.F. Moculeski, Richard Wasser, Darleen Runge, Leatrice
Wesber, Arlene Stielow, S.L. Nielsen, Kathryn Nudo, Teresa
Campana, Rita Eckhart, Frances Kiercynski, Nancy Behnke,
Mildred Walter, Bill Johnson, Richard Rygielski. 

INDIANA: G.K. Bhagavan.

IOWA: Lloyd Shelangoski, Ruth Conway. 

KANSAS: John Peterson, Dr. & Mrs. James Shields, Jennifer
Galliardt, James Hoy, Gordon Haynes, David Hart, Diane
Lee. 

LOUISIANA: Gail Hebert, Annemarie Maher, Phyllis
Chatman, Sidney Sandoz Jr. 

MAINE: Carrie Berry, Bethel Arbuckle, Mary Dyer. 

MARYLAND: Chata R.K. Smith, Clara Kahler, Laura Russ,
Carol Silkwood, Elizabeth Garmatz, Lavern Riggs, Susan Joy,
Stanley Oliver, Cora Fisher, Mary Personette. 
 
MASSACHUSETTS: Norman Kartiganer, Edward Flaherty,
Jacob Lichman, Paul Pitman, Sue Fisher Seeger, Marilyn
Steele, Marion Coughlin, Frances Clohecy, Guy Forcellati,
Beulah Morrison, Irma Aponte, Elizabeth Quirk, Irma
Jacobson, John Baldessari, Wendy Shaffer, Pasquale Paradiso,
Frances Dennis, Angela Crofford-Bik, R. Shirley Burton,
Steven D. Rauch MD, Susan Bayard, Marion Coughlin, Paula
Kordana, Michael Impastato, Alicia Warner, Rick Rowan,
Jean Miller, Mary Pratt, Angie Walsh, Constance Thayer,
Frederica Cushman.

MICHIGAN: Doreen Wise-Friedenberg, Joni Rainbolt,
Kenneth Aldrich, Brady Walker, Angie Grigorian, Janet Rea,
Marie Key, Ed Karmann, Katherine Kerr, Dennis Bojrab,
Verna Chambers, Paul Olson, Barbara Binkley, Carolyn Bush,
Myrtle Foor, Carol Wagenmaker, Earl Zetterholm, June
Evans, Karen Frohlich, Marion White.

MINNESOTA: Angela Kaiser, Dr. Charles Bobertz. 

MISSOURI: Edward Mullen, Kathleen Black, James Strotko.

MONTANA: Carl Swanson.

NEVADA: Pauline Berliner, Margaret Gilbert. 

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Rev. Francis Demers, Mary Brick,
Norma Moore. 

NEW JERSEY: Jennifer Schutte, Kevin Voight, Michael
Wyatt, Rosa Gavasci, Eileen Cooper, Cathy Mele, Denise
Carelli, Chul Y. Chi, Mary Louise Smith, Kenneth Marks,
Jeffrey Levin, Bill Robinson, Theresa McAvoy, Harry Bott,
Alexander Hochheiser, Mary Wagenhoffer, Robert Bergeman,
Henry Mikulewicz.

NEW MEXICO: Donna Buys, Milward Pinckney, Bette
Richards.

NEW YORK: John Howard, Roscha Folger, Nancy Mesh,
Daniel Cohen M.D., Michael Kaplan, Mary Whitworth, Janis
Rosenbaum, Beverly Milazzo, Randy Atlas, Noella Schum,
Dorisann Rinaldo, Mary Ann Casola, Carmela Cottone,
Bernice Heller, Sheila Bernard, Bob Marsin, Rita Demers,
Mary Braverman, Ellen Glassman, Jessie Cicchelli, Michael
Thomas, Barton Sholod, Shirley Demers, Carole Mitchel,
Helene Schmidt, Peggy Mosheim, Alice Garment, Lydia
Chang, Ben Orland, Olga Bursch, Jesse Simons, David
Bernstein, Susan Daddis, Susan Landes, Judith Siegel, George
Holzmann, Roscha Folger, Sam Brody, Virginia Halstead,
Robert Benson, Naomi Utevsky, Anne Siegel, Mary Allegra,
Saverio DeFrancisci, Mary Corrado, Georgia Sitaras, John
DiBiase, Diane Morgan, Ruth Stone, Elizabeth Karpoff, Jean
Anne Vincent.

NORTH CAROLINA: Linda Marker, Marilyn Beaver, Robert
Kirkpatrick, Kathy Nelson, Bonnie Fowler.

NORTH DAKOTA: Patricia Christiansen. 

OHIO: Melanie Beckemeyer, Ethel Busch, Virginia Cope,
Dale Mugler, Miriam Faud RN. 

OREGON: Joyce Glines, Pauline Wiley, Grieke Moran, Helen
Sinclair, Shirley DeJong, Marlene Troutt, Bernd Crasemann,
Marion Byron, Ida Barbeau, Tracy Hensley, Bertha Nelson,
Pat Waalkes, Marian Yost, Elmer & Darlene Griser, R. Ken
Ellison, Nancy Gibbons, Paul Boehler, Tricia Hillbury White,
Joseph Bulone, Martha Torson, Wilfred & Verna Willer,
Robert Stokes, Bettyrose Noble, Charlotte Shupert, Karolyn
Eiseman, Martha Hogensen, Shirley DeJong.

PENNSYLVANIA: R.R. Pottash M.D., Nancy Yorski,
Lorraine Wescott, Susan Cox, Susan Casciato, Sybil Stein,
Muriel Jackson, James Martino DDS; Robert Kerrigan; Bette
Gilkey, Donna Goldfarb, Joseph Clark, Mario Dentino,
Shirley Levin, Jeff Segal, Judd Gordon, Julie Nieminski, Ron
Delese, Susan Taylor.

RHODE ISLAND: Froma Harrop, Margaret LeBlanc,
Deborah Smith.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Kay Hanson.

SOUTH DAKOTA: Dolores Shanks.

TENNESSEE: Anita Nix, Mary Ann Neumann, Denis Parker,
Janet Clark, Betty Ann Keil. 

TEXAS: Linda Nguyen, Lydia Cruzen, Sandra Jones, Gale
Robertson, Mr. & Mrs. R.L. Thomasson, Catherine Anderson,
Betty Wharton, George Parker, Dick Reagan, Roy & Lydia
Cruzen, Crystal Lanham, Ken Savage.

VIRGINIA: Robert Hay, Patricia Barron Benson, Richard
Bloomfield, Helen Fry, Jeanne Webb, Debbie Mayer, Louis
Mauro, Nina Segal, Sharon Brendel, Dwight Waldo.

WASHINGTON: Frances Niemi, Karen Wescom, Dianna
Gentry, Marvin Carmichael, Robert Beckman, Alice Floyd,
Linda Peterson, Sue Parks, Anne Kunkle, Anne Grimm, The
Williams Family, Nyla Jensen, Ielene Edmonson, Evelyn
Adlard, R.L. Downs, Cynthia Singh, Anita Hamlett, Dorothy
Sturdevant, Alan Sprague, Teresa Nelson, Lois Haddon, Ethel
Hilling, Alice Anderson, Norita Nelson.

WEST VIRGINIA: Sarah Horton, Alan Desmond. 

WISCONSIN: Linda Keller, Aletta Vandervelde, Sandra
Carlson, Eugene Schmidt, Joan Orthober, Marie Kaiser, Ray
Rosenmerkel, Jill Zamsky, Doris Wyatt, Shirley Ruediger.

WYOMING: Edna Johnson, Jane Camenzind.

AUSTRALIA: Kathryn Stoddart, Michael O'Brien. FPO:
Ronald Haydon. BERMUDA: Patricia Smith. CANADA: Gail
Spray, Susan McNally R.N., Tanis Doe, Barb & Don Hennel,
S. Ormerod, Arlene Steel, Rosanne Shipman, Donna Davis,
Shirley Read. ISRAEL: Tsvi Groner. SINGAPORE: Kay
Ehrhart.






















Molly-Jane Isaacson Rubinger, leader of
a support group in Boston, Mass.,
scheduled meetings on the following
subjects in 1993-94: variable symptoms,
dealing with anger and jealousy, intimacy
and sexuality, building self-esteem,
emotional issues related to disability
claims, fear, depression and anxiety.

Sherrie Holtz, leader of the Greater
Washington DC group, says the members
do a lot of phone networking rather than
driving to meetings. "We are a grass
roots group of people," she says," from
all walks of life, all nationalities, and all
religious preferences. The only objective
is for us to get together, enjoy each
other's company, and share with others
who in one way or another are in the
same boat."

The Bellvue, Wash., group formed in
early 1993. It has focussed on learning
about current medical advances and
alternative medicine treatments. Recent
speakers have included a chiropractor
and a physical therapist. A future
meeting will concern biofeedback.
Several of the group's members are
interested in Tai Chi, and the group also
plans to discuss betahistine, an inner-ear
drug not available in the U.S. 

The Meniere's group of Sacramento,
Cal., published its first newsletter in
October. The illustrated newsletter
includes short articles, a meeting map, a
Kartoon Korner, and notes from group
officers. Also, Judy Pino Ph.D., a leader
of the Sacramento group and a member
of the VEDA board of directors,
announced that she had completed a
survey of recent medical literature
related to Meniere's disease. "The 29
articles reviewed were mainly concerned
with surgical intervention," she said,
"without a single paper on the possible
cause(s) of this illness, or less drastic
treatments for it. To my knowledge,
there is no large collection of
information about Meniere's patients, so
what are we waiting for, let's compile
one ourselves!" The newsletter included
an enclosure, the Meniere's Patient
Survey. "We are interested in gathering
this information," she said, "to
summarize our various characteristics,
from general medical history to current
symptoms. We will also categorize the
success of treatment options, surgeries,
etc." Ms. Pino said if results of the
survey were sufficient, "we will submit a
paper to an otology journal."   

(Editor's note: Please send news of your
group to VEDA for inclusion in future
issues of On the Level. VEDA members
interested in starting a support group may
write to VEDA for a free start-up kit. The
groups are independent of VEDA, not
chapters. Individual members are
encouraged to join VEDA as individuals,
but the groups pay no group dues or fees
to VEDA. All you need to start a group is
the desire to help people with dizziness
and balance disorders, a list of interested
people, and a place to meet.)


PHONE RELAYS
AVAILABLE

Under provisions of the American with
Disabilities Act of 1990, telephone
companies must now provide
telecommunications relay services across
the U.S.

A telecommunications relay service
(TRS) allows people who are deaf, hard
of hearing, or speech impaired and who
have a text telephone (TTY) to
communicate through a communications
assistant (CA) with people who use a
standard telephone. A CA relays TTY
input to the standard telephone user and
types that person's response back to the
TTY user. According to a brochure from
the Clearinghouse of the National
Institute on Deafness and Other
Communication Disorders (NIDCD),
telecommunications relay services can be
reached via an 800 or other toll-free
number.

CAs are trained to be as unobtrusive as
possible during a call. A CA's
responsibility is to relay the conversation
exactly as it is received. All relay calls
are confidential.

Regardless of which long-distance 
company or
organization is
providing a state's
relay service,
callers can
continue to use
the long-distance
company of their
choice, the
brochure said.

This service will
allow people with
communication
disorders to communicate with all
telephone users.

The NIDCD Clearinghouse brochure,
"Facts About Telecommunication Relay
Services," lists the TRS 800 numbers for
every state. Copies of this brochure are
available from the NIDCD
Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 37777,
Washington, D.C. 20013-7777; phone
800-241-1044 (voice) or 800-241-1055
(TTY). 

NEWS BRIEFS

WHIPLASH HANDBOOK  A book
recently published by the Charles C.
Thomas company of Springfield, Ill., may
have information of interest to VEDA
members injured in rear-end auto
collisions. Monique Harriton, author of
The Whiplash Handbook wrote to VEDA
after watching the VEDA videotape
Staying Even, which mentions automobile
accidents as a possible cause of dizziness
and loss of balance. Chapters in the
book focus on the physics of rear-end
collisions, anatomy, treatments,
prevention, insurance, resources, etc.
