Feeling dizzy is the most common reason people go in for a doctor’s visit or even the emergency room. Dizziness is a reasonably general term that can mean anything from feeling light-headed, dizzy, faint, off-balance, or unsteady to feeling nauseated or like you’re about to pass out. Vertigo is a specific type of dizziness that refers to a spinning sensation as if the room around you is moving. You might feel like you’re leaning to one side or about to fall over.
What Causes Vertigo?
It is essential to understand that vertigo is not a disease but a symptom of another condition occurring in one’s body. The inner ear and brainstem issues mainly cause vertigo. The most common medical diagnoses that I’ve seen a lot in my clinic experience include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease and vestibular neuritis. Pathologies of the neck can also cause vertigo.
❤️ Acupuncture for Vertigo
The study reported in HealthCMI demonstrates that the application of acupuncture PC6 (Nei Guan), located on the palm side of the wrist, and ST36 (Zu San Li), below the knee, results in immediate reductions in discomfort and improvements of VAS for dizziness and vertigo. (According to the study provides clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture to treat vertigo and dizziness in the emergency department at the Changhua Christian Hospital, Taiwan)
❤️ Herbal Treatment for Vertigo
In TCM, vertigo and dizziness are due to root deficiency and branch excess symptom complexes. The most common root deficiency etiology cause is a Spleen Qi Deficiency with heat accumulation in the Middle Jiao (everything between the diaphragm and the umbilicus) leads to food stagnation and phlegm. Also, Kidney Yin and Essence deficiencies can generate liver wind, driving phlegm upwards. In TCM, phlegm is the key pathogenic factor in vertigo.
The most effective formula for vertigo is Ban Xia Bai Zhu Tian Ma Tang (Pinellia, Atractylodes, Gastrodia Decoction) which addresses this complex of deficiency, wind, heat and phlegm.
Any time a person suddenly experiences vertigo, serious health problems should be ruled out first. The integration of acupuncture, herbal remedies, and dietary therapy greatly benefits treating the symptoms of vertigo and dizziness.
