VOR gaze exercises

Yet another attack on Jauary 2nd, this time enough to land me in hospital with difficulties with breathing, and an abnormal ECG. I guess I must have gotten into shock. Long story short - I decided if this is going to be the rest of my days, I might as well retrain my brain get used to it. So I decided a different approach is required.

You may recall on an older post, I talked about neuroplasticity and rewiring of the brain. I decided to research how dancers and ice skaters can spin round and round and resume a technical balancy move, where most lay persons would fall over. So it turns out this is a trick with 2 parts to it. 

The first part is the trick achieved through spotting. Thanks to various people who have helped me out, I'm now practising this technique, and with a surprising realisation. I can spin one way without creating nystagmus, but another way results in immediate nystagmus after just one revolution. So it is likely I have a problem with the left side of my ear. This pairs well with my tendency to have blocked ears on the left side. Anyhow, I was able to use the spot to override the involuntary nystagmus, if only just!

The second part of this trick, is telling the mind, specifically the cerebral cortex, that I am not sick, that the world isn't falling apart. This part I do through mindfulness, together after the spinning exercises. It does help me understand the common feeling of impending doom when the spins take over, and the anxiety/panic attack overwhelms. 

There are 2 forms of exercises that I am trying. 

VOR Gaze exercise

The first is the simple VOR gaze exercise. So apparently there is a reflex which connects closely to the eye[1]. There are 2 dimension to this problem, the vertical and the horizontal plane. For me, it is clearly the horizontal plane which contributes to my vertigo. You should definitely pay attention to your nystagmus next time it happens so you can see. Anyway, the exercises aims to disconnect and override this tendency of your eyes to follow become enslaved to this reflex, and allow the cerebellum to control your gaze. 

[3]I started off firstly with my thumb in front of me, then constantly moving my head side to side, one cycle every second for a minute. I found this really hard to do at first. After 20 seconds I felt nauseas and my eyes hurt. However, this is a good time to sit quietly and watch the sensations and emotions happening in the head - try and remain calm and watch, and reiterate that this is not impending doom, everything is under control. 

It didn't take long before I am now moving my head and thumb in opposing directions, fairly quickly, and not have the feeling of motion sickness. Best of all, it's only been a week since I started the exercises.

Spin and spot

This is especially difficult for me. I pick an object on the wall and spin, basically in one direction and then spot the same object again. Then I spin the opposing direction and repeat the same. This is the second stage exercise and I'm only achieving one revolution so far, and already experiencing nystagmus. However, the trick is to stare at that one object no matter how difficult - overcoming the nystagmus.

This has the same effect, but much much more violent than the VOR gaze exercise above. I want to thank my friends (who I cannot name to protect their privacy) who have given me some insights into these techniques. 

I hope I can achieve a point where, I can override all nystagmus on command - and be able to retrain my cerebral cortex against sending motion sickness signals that are so debilitating, even, in the next attack. Although I prefer not to have another attack anytime soon. Will update if this brings success.

1. http://www.neuroanatomy.wisc.edu/virtualbrain/BrainStem/13VNAN.html
2. http://neuroscience.uth.tmc.edu/s3/chapter08.html
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnGSQbDMMgA

Went without Chlorella, paying the price

For experimental sake, I decided in the last week that I would go without chlorella. We went away for a weekend to an elevated area in the mountains, one of the highest rainfall areas in this region - and it wasn't too long before an attack came - frustratingly ending our holidays short, and no more climbing. 

So here I am after recovering somewhat, wondering what triggered it all. During the celebration of my daughters birthday, I had 2 glasses of champagne, and blueberries by the bucket loads. I remember feeling unable to open one of my eyes, and I thought it could have been allergies. But when I looked into the mirror, my eyes were no longer looking straight, one was again tilted higher than the other. Also, the madness of the weather didn't help - summer was at its craziest, the temperature peaking in the city at a little over 45C and where we were 40C, dropping to a mere 16C at night, followed by 2 cold rainy days.

Is it the vitamin D or the anti-oxidant properties of Chlorella ? Or was it completely placebo ? I remember sitting in the car, having forgotten I have forgone Chlorella - and watching the way I reacted. My head inclined one way to prevent triggering that crazy migraine that comes when the vertigo goes to nausea. Any movements - my breathing becomes short and body spasm, hands become completely numb, pins and needles, legs are uncomfortable, and I can hardly find it in myself to explain how I feel. 

Again, when I got home - I forced myself to drink a bit of water, and a vitamin D tablet. An hour later, woke up and I could sit up again without feeling like throwing up - was even able to eat a little bit. What happened ? 

How can the anxiety attacks and emotional roller coaster in the last 5 years end me in this state of chronic disability ? How can mental disease affect you so badly physically ? Is there a link between anxiety and the vestibular sensory organs or brain area ?

Answers

This is an opportunity for me to reflect back now on the questions asked.

Given how quickly I was able to recover by taking Vitamin D tablets, I think the main component in Chlorella that helped me so much was most likely Vitamin D. Furthermore, I recall during the time of my last big hoohaa around Vitamin D, and sunlight exposure, I was strong, my body was working efficiently when I wasn't feeling unwell, and yet my blood tests came back less than half the Recommended Vitamin D levels.

One of the biggest contributors to the increased difficulty of dealing with this disease is anxiety. Any signs of panic attack sends the body into spasms, and the best way to be in this situation is to remain calm and concentrate on nothing but the touch of my breath. Panic, brings more pain. 

There are numerous people out there with severe nystagmus on a constant basis that go on with their lives. The brain will retune and leave the vestibular organ as the primary source of balance, it can happen, but the best way to allow it to adjust to this new equilibrium, is to begin mindfulness and awareness, and not react, retuning itself to its new normal.

Conclusion

I've had a really good run, and chlorella has been a huge help to me. Be it its anti-oxidant properties or not, it has been time and time again proven for me, without it, I would suffer. Be it placebo or not, if I can believe that I am able to cope with snake oil and rid of my symptoms, then I can learn to accept that I can retrain my brain to not allow the panic attacks to follow through on its course.

But Vitamin D has helped me recover quickly so from here on onwards, I am trialling replacing my daily dose of Chlorella with that of Vitamin D. I am not sure why Vitamin D tablets are not sold in more than 1000IUs in Australia, however, we are a little backwards in Australia, we still advocate covering up and using sunblock uncompromisingly despite the epidemic of Vit D deficiencies, but I have ordered some 5000IU units online to trial for myself. 

Will update as I go.


BTW, a VERY good site on Vitamin D http://vitamindwiki.com/VitaminDWiki