What is Vertigo?
Vertigo is far more than just feeling dizzy. It is an extreme perception of the world spinning like a top. It is the world spinning around you as you yourself feel like you are spinning or the ground beneath your feet moving at a different speed than that of your body. A sense of nausea, more often than not, will go hand-in-hand as the sensation of vertigo hits. In addition to feeling a little sick, someone with vertigo may feel tingling, numbness, and double vision. Needless to say, it is a difficult condition to have occur and an even more harsh reality to live with.
Vertigo throws off one’s equilibrium and balance, making the most mundane of tasks seem difficult to accomplish. Caused by inner ear or brainstem complications, thankfully most causes of vertigo are not particularly dangerous. Despite this, however, everyday, common tasks such as walking, driving, and focusing on work can be affected. Vertigo may be the result of something serious. While typically most cases of sudden vertigo are nothing to worry about, perhaps a simple case of not eating enough or dehydration, with any health-related change to one’s body, seeing a physician is always a good idea. Prolonged or recurring battles with vertigo should certainly send one to the doctor’s office immediately.
Treatment Options
The Epley maneuver, a form of physical therapy, is a great exercise where one moves their head and body in relation to their vertigo. To learn how to perform any physical therapy correctly, it’s always a good idea to be shown by a doctor or specialist before trying them yourself at home. Another great alternative to prescription medicine usage would be to try acupuncture. There are plenty of acupuncture methods that professionals have used to help those struggling with vertigo.
In avoidance of prescription medications, natural supplements have been proven to not only help with dizziness but possibly aid in deterring it. Herbs such as ginger root have been shown to be beneficial to vertigo sufferers as well as good old Vitamin D, a vitamin that is given to help those dealing with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.
When dealing with any vertigo, it’s good to avoid substances such as caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco. Keep in mind also never to self-diagnose. If you are dealing with vertigo and looking to relieve your pain by any means, always see a doctor first and foremost.
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