I keep hearing my students and
clients complaining about the onset of Vertigo – the demographic is women from
45 – 65 years of age. This has been so
profound over the past year that I feel compelled to do a post on the subject
to offer solutions.
What is Vertigo? It is caused by an inner ear problem. Some of
the common causes include: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (or BPPV),
which develops as tiny calcium particles build up in the ear canals; Meniere’s
disease, which is caused by fluid pressure in the ear and Vestibular neuritis,
a viral infection of the inner ear nerves. All of these cause the body to
become unbalanced, resulting in a feeling that the world is spinning or tilted
and dizzy spells that come and go for about 20-seconds as your head changes
positions.
Symptoms associated with Vertigo
include:
Distorted Balance
The primary symptom of Vertigo is a
feeling of spinning, you may feel tilted yourself or you may feel that the
world is swaying, which causes an unbalanced sensation that you are being
pulled in one direction.
Migraine Headaches
People with Vertigo often experience
severe migraine headaches, caused by the pressure buildup of fluid or calcium,
and a sensation of being off balance.
Nausea
A severe feeling of nausea will often
set in when the world is thrown off balance. This is due to the unbalanced
feeling of spinning or falling. In
severe cases, Vertigo can cause vomiting.
Ringing in the Ears
Tinnitus, or a loud ring or ping in
the ears, can occur in conjunction with vertigo episodes. Over time, it can
become more intense.
Fatigue
Most people find the unbalanced
feeling that Vertigo causes to be physically exhausting. The uncertainty when
episodes will come on or how long they will last can cause severe physical and
emotional stress and fatigue.
Sweating
The sudden onset of a Vertigo attack
can cause severe panic and profuse sweating—particularly on the forehead, head,
neck, and chest. Clammy chills due to excessive perspiration may sometimes
travel along the entire body.
Hearing Loss
Vertigo, especially if it’s traced to
Meniere’s disease, can cause progressive, low-frequency hearing loss that
affects one ear. Your hearing may become “tinny” and load noises may be
painful. Hearing typically becomes progressively worse as time passes and
patients may become completely deaf in the affected ear.
Twitching Eyes
Twitching eye muscles is often a sign
of Vertigo, which occurs due to this fatigue and stress and causes the muscle
in the eyelids to spasm for periods that can last a few hours to a few
days. Rest will alleviate eye twitching.
Ear Pressure
The feeling of pressure inside the
may be caused as the barometric pressure shifts and Vertigo sets in. This can
occur when the head shifts planes or pressure changes, for instance, when
descending in an airplane.
Panic Attacks
Many individuals affected by Vertigo
complain of lengthy panic attacks that can occur sporadically and last up to
30-minutes, virtually draining them of energy.
Treatment for
Vertigo……………
Vestibular
rehabilitation This is a type of physical
therapy aimed at helping strengthen the vestibular system. The function of the
vestibular system is to send signals to the brain about head and body
movements relative to gravity. Vestibular rehab may be recommended if you have
recurrent bouts of Vertigo. It helps train your other senses to compensate for
Vertigo.
Medicine In some cases, medication may be given to
relieve symptoms such as nausea or motion sickness associated with
Vertigo. If Vertigo is caused by an
infection or inflammation, antibiotics or steroids may reduce swelling and cure
infection. For Meniere's disease, diuretics (water pills) may be prescribed to
reduce pressure from fluid buildup.
Acupuncture This system works to tonify the various
organs that are involved with Vertigo.
For example, the liver deals with stress and is also responsible for
detoxification of the body. When the
spleen is “damp”, the patient will experience severe dizziness and nausea. Most people with Vertigo experience kidney
deficiency and blood deficiency. The
latter could be why women of perimenopausal and menopausal age complain about
Vertigo so much. Your practitioner will
examine your pulse and tongue and your entire body for signs of
disharmony. Acupuncture seeks to
balance the Qi in the meridians and to harmonize and strengthen the internal
organs. Calming points are added to
address the stress.
I
have heard people use Acupuncture with great success. It just requires multiple sessions and
patience to kick inJ
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