Function and disease of the inner ear The inner ear contains two sensory organs: The organ of balance in the labyrinth The organ of Corti in the cochlea In the cochlea, the waves of vibration (sound) mechanically transmitted there via the eardrum and the ossicles (middle ear) are first compressed by means of a highly complex fluid system and then converted into electrophysiologic impulses that are passed on to the central nervous system. This conversion process can be explained in detail with today´s biological knowledge. It takes place in the auditory cells of the cochlea and is connected with movements of hairlike receptors on the cellular membrane and other processes within the cells of the inner ear that depend on ATP as a source of cellular energy (the ion pumps of the cellular membrane, for instance). If the cochlea is acutely or chronically overstrained, its sensory (auditory) cells and their various cellular organs are affected as well, and they inevitably loose part of their functional capacity. The cells are suffering from a lack of ATP. DIn the cell, ATP is produced by the mitochondria.. A continuous lack of ATP within the inner ear cells of the cochlea leads to either a gradual or sudden impairment of the entire hearing organ. This is experienced by the patient as an insidious respectively acute disease: as a sensation of pressure in the ear, as acute loss of hearing, as acute or insidious tinnitus, as hypacusis etc. In the semicircular canals of the organ of balance, any changes in the position of our head and body are also conveyed via a fluid system and the movements of hairlike receptors. For this reason the ATP-consuming processes within the cells in question are almost identical to those in the cochlea during the act of hearing: mechanically transmitted motions are first converted into electro-physiologic impulses and then passed on to the central nervous system. A continuous lack of ATP within the inner ear cells of the labyrinth leads to either a gradual or sudden impairment of the entire organ of balance, This is experienced by the patient as an insidious respectively acute disease: as a sensation of pressure in the ear, as acute rotatory vertigo, as insidious vertigo etc. In addition to their similar functional porperties, the labyrinth and the cochlea are connected by means of a common fluid system. This is why inner ear diseases often affect both organs at the same time and show a large variety of symptoms. It goes without saying, of course, that - just as with any other illness - the extent of the respective impairment varies from person to person as well. But although these factors result in individually different healing processes, the low level laser therapy is able to produce a positive biological reaction no matter what kind of inner ear disease is concerned. This is due to its elementary and biologially compelling working mechanism. d On account of the basic conception of our cellular energy-converting system (collector principle), the electro-magnetic energy released by the oxidation of nutrients is utilized as a source of primary energy for the production of the cellular fuel ATP. The antennae of the mitochondria can - in addition to the absorption of the released metabolic energy - utilize both the photons of the natural solar radiation ( = apparent biostimulative effect of sunlight on human cells) and the photons of low level laser light ( = clinically proved biostimulative effect of low level laser light on human cells) as a source of primary energy.