Many patients want to know more about the physiological roots of their phobic behavior. If you think your phobias are the product of an inner-ear dysfunction, you may have the same concerns. How did you get this dysfunction in the first place? Can it get worse? Can it get better?

As might be expected, many people are born with an inner-ear dysfunction. But this problem can also be acquired in any number of ways throughout the various stages of your life. Let’s examine some of these possibilities.

GENETICALLY ACQUIRED

Inner-ear dysfunction is frequently in the genes, passed down from generation to generation in a faulty genetic blueprint. If you inherited your inner-ear problems, chances are that other members of your family (parents, grandparents, siblings) have similar problems.

Some of your family members may have phobias; maybe even the same ones you have. Some may have different inner-ear-related symptoms. Others may have phobias and other related symptoms. And some fortunate members of your family may have no visible signs of inner-ear dysfunction.

It all depends on the luck of the draw. But if your inner-ear dysfunction was inherited, chances are you will find ample evidence of some inner-ear problems in your family tree, once you know what to look for.

ACQUIRED DURING FETAL DEVELOPMENT

Many factors affect the physiological development of an unborn child. If any of these specifically affect the development of the inner-ear system you may be born with an inner-ear dysfunction, even though it´s not part of your genetic blueprint. These factors, which the pregnant mother may or may not have been aware of, include:

• Toxemia
• Disease states during pregnancy, such as diabetes and various glandular disorders
• Infections during pregnancy
• Drug use or abuse during pregnancy
• Falling or other accidents during pregnancy
• Anoxia during pregnancy, oxygen deprivation from a twisted or wrapped umbilical cord
• Malnutrition

ACQUIRED AT BIRTH

Various complications during delivery can damage a previously healthy inner-ear system, including:

• Premature birth
• Oxygen deprivation (from umbilical cord strangulation during delivery) Fetal “concussions” caused by:
                     a) improper use of forceps
                     b) tight birth canal
                     c) forced labor
                     d) precipitated birth

ACQUIRED DURING CHILDHOOD OR ADOLESCENCE

Even if you are born with a perfectly healthy inner-ear system, many factors can interfere with its normal development, including:

• Severe or repeated ear infections
• Mononucleosis
• Sinus infections and other illnesses known to affect the inner-ear system Concussion states (from a fall or other accident)
• Whiplash
• Malnutrition
• Allergic or toxic disturbances
• Drug use or abuse
• Various degenerative disorders
• Unusual or prolonged emotional stress Endocrine disorders (hypothyroidism, etc.)
• Surgery or anesthesia

ACQUIRED DURING ADULT LIFE

Regardless of your age, and regardless of how healthy your inner-ear system is, a variety of factors can damage that system at any time. Every item on the preceding list is capable of inflicting this damage. In addition, a healthy inner-ear system can be disrupted by the chemical changes brought on by menopause and by the degenerative effects of old age.

SETTING THE STAGE

As you can see, there are innumerable ways to acquire an inner-ear dysfunction. No wonder this physiological problem is present, to some degree, in more than 20 percent of the population. But regardless of whether you were born with this dysfunction or acquired it at some point in your life, the stage has been set. For once the inner ear is impaired, you are vulnerable to the onset of a vast array of phobias and related symptoms.

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