Meniere's disease is a controversial disorder of the inner ear that has a variety of symptoms. It was first discovered by the French physician Prosper Meniere in 1861 after seeing a series of patients with episodic attacks of dizziness. (John Jacob Ballenger, 1996). After a series of research, Prosper Meniere theorized that the symptoms his patients experienced, such as tinnitus and dizziness, did not come from the brain but actually came from the inner ear. These findings lead to research into inner ear disease and its association with inner ear balance disorders. (P.J. Haybach). What exactly is Meniere's disease? Meniere's disease is a disease that affects the inner ear. It is characterized by unilateral sensorineural hearing loss especially in the lower frequencies that often fluctuates, tinnitus, irregular intervals of dizziness that can last from a couple of minutes to a couple of hours (John Jacob Ballenger, 1996). What are these symptoms? Sensorineural hearing loss is a type of hearing loss caused by damage or alteration of the sensory mechanism of the cochlea or other neural structures (Clark, 2012). Tinnitus is noises in the ear or head. It is usually described as a ringing or hissing sound in the ears. Vertigo is a sensation that makes us feel as if we or the room are spinning (Clark, 2012). People with Meniere's disease often report experiencing a sense of fullness in their ear. The patient may also report symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and excessive sweating. When the patient experiences a dizziness attack, fluctuation in hearing often occurs as well. After the attack of dizziness, the patient suffering from Meniere's disease is generally left exhausted in the... middle of paper... auditory and vestibular system. (Orji, 2014). Patients with Meniere's disease tend to be more depressed and have a worse outlook on life than patients with other diseases. In a study by Van Crujsen et al, patients with Meniere's disease documented lower quality of life scores than normative values. These patients had worse perceptions of their overall health and poorer social functioning. It was also found that a worse quality of life was reported in those patients who had more severe symptoms. It was also found that when comparing patients with more severe symptoms to those with less severe symptoms, symptom severity affected quality of life more than it did coping or daily stressors. Coping strategies and frequency of daily stressors were the same in both groups. (Orji, 2014).