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Writer's pictureBBRS Team

Dizziness And Vertigo

Updated: Sep 16

Woman standing with one hand on wall and the other on her forehead.

What is it?

Dizziness can be described as having diminished spatial awareness. Vertigo is a type of dizziness in which you may feel like you’re spinning or in a constant state of motion. Peripheral vertigo is brought on by issues in the inner ear or vestibular nerve and usually has a short duration. Central vertigo is connected to the central nervous system (CNS) (brain stem) and tends to come in potentially intense, long-lasting episodes.


What causes it?

An individual's sense of balance is controlled by input from parts of the sensory system, including the inner ear, sensory nerves, and the eyes. Any disturbances to this system could bring on a sensation of dizziness or vertigo.


Common causes of dizziness include:

  • Inner ear infection

  • Nutrient deficiency

  • Dehydration

  • Concussion

  • Brain diseases

  • Autonomic nervous system conditions

  • Stress/anxiety

  • Motion sickness

  • Low blood sugar


Common causes of peripheral vertigo include:

  • Positional vertigo

  • Specific drugs (aminoglycoside antibiotics, cisplatin, diuretics, salicylates)

  • Head injury

  • Vestibular nerve inflammation

  • Inner ear irritation

  • Meniere disease

  • Pressure on vestibular nerve


Common causes of central vertigo include:

  • Blood vessel diseases

  • Specific drugs (anticonvulsants, aspirin, alcohol)

  • Multiple sclerosis

  • Stoke

  • Tumors

  • Migraine

  • Functional Multisensory Intergration Dysfunction


What are the signs and symptoms?

Symptoms of general dizziness include:

  • False sense of motion or spinning (vertigo)

  • Lightheadedness/feeling faint

  • Loss of balance

  • Feeling of floating


Vertigo IS a symptom, but it can also lead to or cause other symptoms including:

  • Balance problems

  • Lightheadedness

  • Sense of motion sickness

  • Nausea/vomiting

  • Tinnitus

  • Sensation of fullness in the ear

  • Headaches

  • Nystagmus (eyes move uncontrollably)


Central vertigo could also cause symptoms such as:

  • Difficulty swallowing

  • Double vision

  • Facial paralysis

  • Slurred speech

  • Weakness in arms or legs


Some symptoms could become worse upon walking, standing, or moving your head in a certain direction.


How can we help?

Dizziness and vertigo involve regions of the brain called the vestibular system, the brainstem and the cerebellum. We have had tremendous success in resolving most cases we see by re-calibrating the visual system with the somatosensory and vestibular systems together. There are many steps to this profound method but what is most important is to leverage the gravity receptors of the vestibular system called otoliths. Performing otolith activities while inhibiting vestibular ocular reflexes is the hallmark of the Gravity Reset Method. The first step is to perform a VOR cancelation during a semicircular canal maneuver. Step two is a linear translation type of motion with VOR cancellation. Step three is a head/eye pursuit in a purposeful direction and step four is maintaining gaze fixation on a fixed central dot while an optokinetic background is running in a predetermined direction. Numerous additional therapeutic applications may need to be added to a personalized protocol. To view our lecture on The Gravity Reset Method click here.



References

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2022, December 3). Dizziness. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dizziness/symptoms-causes/syc-20371787

professional, C. C. medical. (n.d.-b). Vertigo: Regaining your balance. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21769-vertigo

 

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