48 Comments
Mar 21Liked by Maia Toll

Oh wow. I’m a bit behind on my reading. I really appreciate you sharing. It’s vulnerable and real and also, maybe helps both you and the rest of us not feel alone?? Hugs. I don’t have any knowledge or experience about this condition but will definitely keep my ears open :). That’s intense.

Also omg it’s so hard to re-align how we think about what our bodies and minds can do, especially if it feels like less.

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Hi Carrie! I think that last sentences nails it-- it's really hard to re-align as our body changes, whether from illness, age, accident, or anything else.

Thanks for being here.

xx

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Mar 8Liked by Maia Toll

Hi Maia. I don’t have experience with what you have been diagnosed with, but I can tell you I have had my own journey with illness when doctors unfortunately couldn’t help me, but through journaling and really paying attention to my body I have found my way.

When I was 13 I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and became very ill throughout the years. I had 2 surgeries between 19 and 27 eliminating 5 feet of my intestines. Sorry I don’t to tell you my life story, but want you to understand the severity.

Through much work I have been good for approximately 17 years.

I did cupping for many years which really helped my body to heal and remain good. I kept this going by doing other forms of energy work and having different energetic work down (things such as soul retrieval, past life regression and being better about self-care in general). In addition to this, I know that what I eat is super important, so I do lots of cooking and making sure I get ingredients from reputable places (even flour).

As you probably know emotions play a big part with ailments. I know that my ailment had a lot to do with my relationship with my mother in addition to myself and Mother Nature.

Start simple, explore the outdoors, plant your feet in Mother Nature and listen. Find your favorite tree and sit with her. I know you will find the answer, it is always within ourselves.

LOVE and LIGHT Maia. You are a beacon for us. 💗💗

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How strong you are, Melissa! Sounds like you’ve been through quite a bit.

💜💜💜

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Mar 8Liked by Maia Toll

You are too Maia and I know you too will come out on top. 💗💗

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Mar 7Liked by Maia Toll

Maia - You are an amazing person! Since our time as neighbors on that little dead end street I have been and continue to be so inspired by you and all you have created. I am so sorry you are going through this. I humbly offer two things that maybe you have not yet tried: 1) epley maneuver maybe not for exactly this but it might not hurt to try https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=9SLm76jQg3g&fbclid=IwAR0s-6ynGGLuWEqoWpMbhvnncWHmN2pvQ3u0vBAxXQlYvAuRo44QBE4-Zfk and 2) I’m not done reading this yet but it might be a game changer especially since you have been working with a diversity of health care providers and healers -- Existential Kink by Carolyn Elliott

Sending love and hugs and envisioning you vibrant and feeling fabulous. Xox Lisa

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Lisa! So fabulous to see your name here. Unfortunately the Epley maneuver does nothing for me because this is not a problem with ear crystals.🤷🏻‍♀️ And I’m going to look up that book right now! While I don’t miss Philadelphia, in general, I do miss our little dead end street and all of you.

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Mar 6Liked by Maia Toll

Maia - I am sending you love, love, love. Your post touched me deeply. We never know what someone else is going through. Although I have not struggled with a physical disease, I am 72, and my life has been a journey of healing and searching and overcoming in part to "find balance for my mercurial physicality". I am finally at peace most of the time. What I have noticed recently is in the quiet, when I listen and trust what I am drawn to that is often/always where the healing is. It is not necessarily another herb, or a therapist, or a medical procedure. It is all about the listening and trusting and choosing. For me (I am retired) it is gardening, it is my bees, it is knitting and the last few months it has been the tarot. It is different for everyone. I know/imagine this sounds too simple, but it is my belief at the moment, and I wanted to share it with you in case it resonates for you. Again, much love!!

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Oh! It's not too simple! I've had to rearrange my life so I can have more simplicity and this makes such a huge impact on my health. Thank You! I also love the Tarot too, and an inside potted garden tp care for! 😊

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This is so beautiful, Susan. Thank you.

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Mar 6Liked by Maia Toll

Hi Maia 🙌.

I have enormous respect for your work. I also have an enormous amount of empathy for you, as my husband was diagnosed Meniere's Disease and hyperacusisis 2 years ago. It completely transformed our lives. I've watched him struggle with random things (e.g. the sound of water), and observe as he's become a barometer for weather events, i.e. when the air pressure changes his ears tell him.

While he still has a ways to go, he's improved a lot from where he initially was. I'm a Naturopath and Human Design Analyst and I've investigated his situation meticulously.

We found that herbs helped only slightly, certain foods can be a HUGE trigger, stress is a definite trigger (even from TV shows), and that a specialist physio removed his vertigo almost completely.

I believe he has the potential to recover much more. However, he is stubborn and resistant to making 'inner' changes as he chooses to push through things even to his detriment.

I specialise in using Human Design for Health and, in my professional opinion, I can see - energetically - where his core issues likely stem from, the wounds he's dealing with related to this condition, and ways to begin clearing them. There are many human design gates related to the ears, and these are prominent in his HD chart.

He's not ready to make these changes yet, so I wait patiently. I will be here when he is ready.

Why am I confident I can help him improve so much more?

Because I've supported an abundance of health conditions using this energetic method of tracking the source of the imbalance. I've also been a Naturopath for 20 years, so I understand the body well. The trick is that the client needs to be ready make a change.

What I'm talking about isn't an overnight solution. But I wonder - Have you looked into your Human Design from a health perspective? There are likely individualised clues there that support your healing.

Apologies for this long message, but the healer within me and emotional side of me was activated in your post.

If you have any questions about anything I've mentioned, feel free to reach out anytime as I'm happy to help in anyway I can.

I genuinely wish you the very best of everything, Maia.

Much love,

Clare 💜💫💜

P.S. There is a big focus on the ears in current human design transits. This tells me that you're reaching out for support is divinely timed.

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Hey Clare. Human Design is so interesting to me.... like how did someone mash up all those other systems to get to HD???? For many years, clients and friends were into it and I just didn't resonate. But I recently read something on Reflectors that actually felt like a reflection... which made me more interested.

It's so frustrating, as an herbalist. that herbs (really) don't touch it. Homeopathy helps and one of my closest friends is also a naturopath so she helps me sort the remedies (If you want a list of what's worked, LMK). Acupuncture helps. I have a brilliant chiropractor (who is pretty certain the issue is structural and is working on prosthetic with a dentist). And I agree with you on stress--huge component. The episode I'm in now is 1/5th of last years so I feel like I'm making progress with it, slowly, slowly.

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Mar 6Liked by Maia Toll

Human Design speaks to my soul! And it's totally fascinating how it was 'born' through a mystical experience. But then lots of evolutionary things are, right?! It sounds like HD may be finding you again because of your Reflector reflection (😊), so it'll be interesting to watch where your energy leads you.

I/we also found that structural components are very important with Meniere's. My husband tried a number of 'alignment' treatments to follow this theory, and we were very hopeful a number of times. Chiropractic helped the most, but it only offered short-term relief. It's such a complicated condition. I believe there's also a latent viral element that inflames the nerves around the ears, which makes them extra sensitive. This is where I personally like herbs, like Cat's Claw (one of my favs).

Above and beyond everything else, I'm SO happy that you're making progress. Yay, you!!! ✨

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I think you're on to something with the viral component-- I've been experimenting with Lysine, Rhus Tox, St John's/Lemon balm/Lomatian combo on the theory that it might be something in the herpes simplex family and it seems to be helping.

xx

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Mar 6Liked by Maia Toll

Dear friend, your path crossed mine so many beautiful moons ago for reasons we trust and understand on some heartfelt level with no need for deeper discernment. That shit was supposed to happen. For me. For you. For others in our shared orbit. By trusting nature and pursuing it, my life has brought me to a very happy and whole place out among many farmers and herbalists. In particular, a family of herbalists live just houses from me on a farm called Crystal Organic Farm (for the quartz abundant in their fields). They follow you, we share how much we love you on many an occasion (I buy your books for my friend Jeni there), and they’ve offered to connect with you if you feel a desire or ability to delve into their plant medicine knowledge and experience. I’ll encourage Jeni to reach out to you separately but wanted you to know we are both talking about you and thinking how we might leverage our love and knowledge in service to your healing.

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Jack! Thank you. I love knowing that you've ended up out with the farmers and herbalists.

I don't know if you recall, but I am trained as an herbalist and worked as a clinician for a dozen years. I am (very) sorry to say that herbs don't touch this. They help with some of the peripheral symptoms but I have tried so many herbs and essential oils in various preparations, dosages, and combinations, with the help of other herbalist friends, that I feel pretty sure that's not the way through. Which makes sense in my own journey--I'm going to need to learn something new and expand to encompass this.

It is lovely to know you're out there beaming some love this way. Sending it right back.

xx

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Ideas to help... what took me way too many years to figure out: come up with a written game plan of how to handle care. Is there medication to take? Electrolytes to drink? Teas that help? Specific foods? Etc. Plan for routine daily care and also acute attack care. I have a service dog that let's me know before something will happen. You can train your own. This has been the biggest help so I can make sure I'm in a safe space. I had to make alot of lifestyle changes for my stuff. Tested for food allergies too that may increase likelihood of acute attacks. My stuff doesn't have a cure. I'm on essentially long term palliative care. How can you be kind to your self? What makes YOU feel good and keeps your stress lower? Find a really good Dr you can rely on. Stay hydrated, frequent snacks, are you eating enough in general? Are there any underlying conditions making it worse? I hope this helps.

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Ah, Isabella, you sound like a pro at this. I put a star in sharpie on the bottle of any supplement or remedy that works so I'll remember for next time but it probably would be very smart to write it down (I'm on the desk top and don't have emojis but feel like I need a few!). Thank you.

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Mar 6Liked by Maia Toll

Maia - I'm about to share your post with a dear friend of mine who also has Ménière’s. My friend is an accomplished opera singer who's had a lovely career. She's a real-life diva in the best sense of the word, with a magnetic personality and a powerful presence who, for the most part, no longer performs because of Ménière’s, although she teaches. She has taken a lot off her plate and she continues to do so, no regrets. All this to say, I have a teeny tiny idea, in a third-party kind of way, how much this sucks for you. Sending love.

PS - Letting Magic In is a wonderful book! Thank you.

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Ah, wow. I remember how distorted music was in last year's episode-- that must be especially horrible for someone who has made music their life's work.

And I am vastly relieved the LMI is wonderful! (If I wasn't on a desktop there would be a laughing emoji!). Editing it was not easy.

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Mar 6Liked by Maia Toll

I feel for you having to navigate this space. My first thought jumped to learning sign language as a fellow do something based person. It's never going to be a wasted skill even if you end up not needing it yourself. No advice nuggets but holding space for you.

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Abbey, you are a woman after my own heart. I already have talked to Andrew about learning sign language. And I was out with friends the other day and they were like "wait! Are you staring at our lips when we're speaking??" Ummm, yes? Might as well start learning to use other cues just in case.

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Mar 6Liked by Maia Toll

Have you tried regenerative wellness practices? https://www.wisewellness.net/

This clinic is truly life changing but you have to be willing to do the work❤️

Sending oodles of love and encouragement ❤️

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Thanks for sending this info! I'm not familiar with the term "regenerative wellness" but in looking at the site, it seems much aligned with the way I learned herbalism. We called it treating the root (instead of the branch). That's been a big part of how I'm handling this, actually. I'm using the term Ménière's disease only in situations like this where I'm trying to gather information and instead tracing the sources of imbalance with various practitioners trying to find root cause. Because especially with MD, I suspect that there are a multiplicity of causes and they all get lumped under one disease diagnosis based on symptoms.

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Mar 6Liked by Maia Toll

Oh Maia…while my heart hurts that you are going through this challenging time; please know that you are not rowing this boat alone. As they say when raising a child, “it takes a village”, this holds true when we encounter challenges in life. It’s the villagers that surround us that help us to find a way though. While I have no words of wisdom or experience to help you, I can say that I am sending you an abundance of positive energy and encouragement. You are a powerhouse of a human being. I know that this will only make you stronger! Time to get fitted for that superhero cape!

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Tammy! Thank you. And it's actually kind of amazing how much new-to-me info I'm getting from this village.

xx

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I have a lot of stuff... my symptoms are very similar. My doctors told me this year... not everyone gets better. I have to accept this too. It's hard. BIG HUGS! Ps... your book was brilliant! I read it in less than 1 week, which is a record for me post brain injury.

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Phew on the book! And thank you for the suggestions above.

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Mar 6Liked by Maia Toll

I do not have Meniere’s, but I do get Vestibular Migraines which sound quite similar. When I did accept my condition, I immediately began to improve. I’ve learned that I have to be in touch with myself and take breaks when I need them. I also have ME/CFS which requires pacing. I’ve tried a bazillion things and some things help. Accupuncture is my favorite!

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Oh yeah. Acupuncture is so helpful. Also, upper cervical chiropractic care has near eliminated my migraines and it's been very helpful for the vertigo. They considered a vestibular migraine diagnosis for me-- I think there's a lot of symptom overlap.

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Mar 5Liked by Maia Toll

I also am reminder to “Go with the flow.” My spouse reminds me often. Fighting the flow is a lot of work.

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Going against the current is exhausting... so I’m just gonna bend the river.🤣🤣🤣

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Mar 21Liked by Maia Toll

Ha! Same…. 🤷🏽‍♀️

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Having migraine, reoccurring stenosis in my throat and dealing with c-PTSD I sympathise with your health journey and having to deal with all those life lessons. Some days are just crappy others just are and some days you're on top of it all. I guess in many ways that's just life.

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Oh Sophie, I'm sorry. That's a lot. And, yeah, some days are just gotten through. I've given myself permission to watch Notting Hill as many times as I want on those days.

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I do the same but with Eat, Pray, Love. X

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Would you believe I have. Never watched that??

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Really?! I highly recommend it.

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Mar 5Liked by Maia Toll

I'm so sorry you have this. I have erythromelalgia and Reynaud's and it took me a while to accept them, but I did feel better emotionally once I did. I hope you feel better. Hugs

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💜💜💜

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