Vertigo Cause, Symptoms & Treatment

The causes of vertigo, or dizziness, are many. We'll cover the most common 90% which all come from disorders of the inner ear - these are Benign Positional Vertigo, Vestibular Neuronitis, and Meniere's.

To understand dizziness and vertigo look at how we balance in the first place. On either end of both sides of your ears there's two strange looking structures connected together. One looks a snail shell and is called the cochlea, and the other looks like a pretzel and is known as the semicircular canals. Both are filled with liquid and exist in what's known as the inner ear. The shell is used in hearing and the pretzel for balance.

When your head moves the liquid in the pretzel moves too just like a carpenters level instrument. This liquid then wafts little hairs inside the canals which tell the brain some motion is going on. Comparison of the signals from the two pretzels then makes your sensation of moving. If the signals don't add up then you feel sick in your stomach and off balance.

I feel like I'm walking a circus wire!

The Common Symptoms of Vertigo are:

• Seeing and feeling as if the room around you is spinning when it's not. It's alot like how you felt after spinning yourself around as a child.
• Neasea, feeling upset in your stomach like you'd like to vomit.
• Unsteadiness as you walk like after getting off a merry-go-round.

Vertigo Treatment:

The mainstay of general vertigo treatment is to sedate the semicircular canals (pretzel) and quiet their signals to your brain. The underlying problem will correct itself given enough time, on its own, in most cases. The most popular tablets given to do this are antihistamines but antipsychotic medications also work fabulously. In benign positional vertigo a series actions called the Epley maneuvers are designed to dislodge and move debris out of affected semicircular canals. Decongestants in combination with the anti-nausea antihistamines is a useful addition in treating vestibular neuronitis.

Very sweet and very salty food changes the 'sweetness' and 'saltiness' of the fluid in your inner ear. So these foods, coffee and alcohol are not recommended in the dizzy prone.

Always remember that dizziness can also be caused by medications. So when going to your doctor carry any medicine you're taking at the moment with you so they can pinpoint if that might be the source of your vertigo.

And remember to take extra safety precautions! Get up from bed or sitting slowly. Make sure your home is well lit. Don't take chances driving or climbing ladders or stairs without assistance.

DS!

13/2/2009 8:50 pm

Sounds like benign positional vertigo

Allen Stewart

27/1/2009 5:26 pm

I currently am experiencing dizziness. When it happens, movement of my head from right to left also brings whatever I am looking at with it. I have to lie down until it settles. Is this vertigo?

trawets@shaw.ca

DS!

12/12/2008 9:27 pm

The cold air may be changing the volume of balance liquid in your ear. Two suggestion: try wearing ear plugs or warmers in winter, OR take an antihistamine like Reactine once a day during winter.

Pratik Shah

12/12/2008 5:47 am

I sometimes feels specially in cold. What precautions should I take? What medicin can help me instantly? (shahpratik@rediffmail.com)

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