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Thanks James :slight_smile: I wonder I stick to this do you think the hyh is more effective?

It’s very personal and even dependent on the phase of your condition. Sometimes no level of diet adherence will provide relief but at other times it might be the critical factor and the cherry on the cake.

I would experiment with it.

Definitely try caffeine free. That also means no chocolate.

As for the rest I’ve not really found any dizziness triggers personally but YMMV.

Although I definitely have found that after a cheesy pasta meal with perhaps a glass of red wine my tinnitus would significantly worsen but this didn’t affect my balance.

One or two small (!) glasses of wine is probably ok but definitely don’t have more. Hangovers with MAV are definitely not pleasant.

My migraine neuro said not to bother with any diet, not even quitting caffeine but what others have had great success with it, and Dr S insists on it I understand. I rather like the John Hopkins clinic diet cos you are allowed some tea! All diets are a pain if you eat out. Once years ago I had to do prolonged low-fat diet. Discussing the fat content of meals with various restauranteurs, well, I might as well have been talking Ancient Greek! I would demand lean ham, salad no dressing and plain jacket potato, and they regularly still got it wrong. Cannot imagine the reaction you’d get to MSG or low tyramine. Helen

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No diet restrictions for me either from my lovely young neurologist
not even raspberry ginđŸ€Ș i love her!!!
Jo x

My first neuro actually suggested adding a small amount of Greek yogurt (forbidden by most migraine diets) to my breakfast to ensure high protein intake first thing in the morning. I alternate that with cottage cheese, which is also high-protein but contains the forbidden carageenan. And today I am having a better than average head day, making me think crazily about what I did not eat yesterday (tomato sauce/ketchup/salsa??). And making me rethink this morning’s plan to change meds of course! On it goes.

I think your right I haven’t touched caffeine in 10 months so already cut that out .

I think your right finding triggers is probably the easiest way and seeing what happens it’s very hard tho when your still symptomatic :grimacing:

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Thanks for that Helen. I am continually wearing migralens or sunglasses these days as my light, noise and scent sensitivity seem to have increased since starting VRT. Otherwise some symptoms seem to be reduced on good days!

Do you have any advise for noise sensitivity. Do earplugs work?
Thanks
Clare

Hi. All these strange symptoms we experience are the result of hypersensitivity in our brains and they will continue until the brain’s threshold to triggers has increased sufficiently for them to reduce. This is generally achieved by medication, diet and lifestyle changes combined with trigger avoidance and exercise, the latter to aid compensation. If VRT is causing you to be more noise sensitive, the VRT is obviously the trigger. Many people with unstable MAV find VRT too much stimulation. I did personally. @turnitaround did too. You should discuss this with your provider. I wouldn’t use ear plugs because it’s just masking the problem,. I’d say it’s better to avoid the trigger and seek something, ie meds, diet changes, that will reduce the sensitivity. Obviously if next door has a loud party one evening, they might be useful short-term to keep a migraine away as a stop gap but not in place of finding a cure for the problem. Helen

If you go to the top of the main page and click on “welcome post” then scroll down to diet. Click on “diet” and scroll down until you will see two pages of the diet. One page saying foods to eat and the other page saying foods to avoid.

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Correct.

Just to add that on mobile the big mountain view is missing to save space but you can still click the ‘burger’ menu (middle of top right) (so called because it has three layers - bit of a crp burger but I digress). You will see a link to Welcome. This also works on desktop.

Thanks will do that.

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I really like Dr. Rauch he was the one who diagnosed me 7 years ago after being misdiagnosed for 10 yrs. I am seeing him again at the end of this month and I’m looking forward to it. I need meds this time around though. The diet has only taken me so far. I am currently on propanolol but I think I need Nortriptyline.

I really like Dr. Rauch too. I had the wrong diagnosis before I saw him. BPPV they all said. Dr. Rauch told me I had MAV. I finally had the correct diagnosis after a year of not knowing what was wrong with me. The diet is helping me a lot but I think I need something at bedtime because I am anxious about waking up with that spinning sensation. I wake up sometimes with a slight headache and some motion sickness. The spinning has stopped but I fear it will return when I wake up in the morning. It’s anxiety. I need something to help me sleep. I check back in with him the beginning of December to see how I am doing and to see if I need medication too.

Good morning, is the diet Dr. Rauch give you the same that’s been posted on this site? I’m trying to stay off medication and using the diet. I’ve been successful for about 5 months but my symptoms are worsening. Thank you for sharing!

Hi, and welcome

I just picked up on your username and the fact that you said you you are trying to avoid meds and control solely with diet but that your symptoms are worsening. MAV does change, we say it ‘morphs’, constantly so this could just be one of the ‘downs’ that goes with the ‘ups’ if you follow. Some people do find it becomes progessively worse. I started MAV fifteen years ago. It started off in neat self contained episodes, however, over a decade (during which time it was undiagnosed and unmedicated) it gradually worsened and eventually became 24/7. I feel I would have responded quicker and easier to treatment had that begun much sooner and certainly before it became both chronic and ingrained
 Alot of women find MAV to have strong hormonal links. I certainly have and just thought to mention it having noticed your username. If it doesn’t respond to the diet and lifestyle changes you’ll find in the Welcome Wiki Section, maybe it would be worth looking at meds. Helen

This MAV can be so unpredictable until you get this really under control and figure out what the triggers are. I am four weeks into the diet and I have to say that I haven’t had any vertigo but I still get occasional lightheaded and motion sickness in the car. I am still trying to figure out what I did or ate the day before and after. A lot of my symptoms I am finding is from foods because I eat out a lot and the bright lights. I have decided to eat at home more so I know what I am eating and avoid the shopping malls and stores with the bright lights. The restaurants are a nightmare. But I have to say my symptoms have improved 75%. My worse time is sleeping. I usually have a little bit of swaying motion when I lie down but it starts to subside after about 10 minutes. I don’t get a good nights sleep and wake up exhausted. That’s where I think I could use some meds.

Yes. It is pretty much the same diet that is posted. I find that avoiding gluten has helped me a lot. The vertigo has stopped and I feel I am slowly getting better. I know what my triggers are. It’s definitely food, bright lights and noise, motion sickness in the car (my symptoms get worse as a passenger) stress and not enough sleep. I feel I may need a medication for sleep. I have a followup soon and will inquire if I need medication at bedtime.

I wanted to mention that I just started on magnesium and B2 supplements. I want to give the supplements some time to see if that will help prevent some of my lesser annoying symptoms like the occasional off balance moving sensation and lightheadedness. This gives me some time to try the supplements before my follow up in December.

Many thanks Helen. I see the Physio next week so I will talk to her. Am really trying to stay off meds and manage it with diet and lifestyle.
Clare

Best non-pharmaceutical treatment is trigger avoidance. I suspect you are pushing yourself too far trying to be normal’ which results in exhaustion and inability to sleep. Helen