Related Terms :
- Benign Positional Vertigo
- Meniere's Disease
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
- Vertiginous Syndrome
Vertigo is closely related to dizziness, but involves the perception of actually seeing the room spin about you, similar to what happens when you spin around rapidly and then stop. Often, vertigo is accompanied by nausea and a loss of balance. Vertigo may pass quickly, or it may last for hours or even days.
There are many possible causes of vertigo including motion sickness, infection in the inner ear, vision problems, head injury, insufficient blood supply to the brain, and brain tumors. A condition called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo leads to attacks of vertigo triggered by certain head positions; its cause is believed to be deposits of calcium in the inner ear. Another condition, Meniere's disease, is characterized by sudden, intense attacks of vertigo often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, along with ringing in the ears and progressive deafness. Its cause is unknown.
Proposed Natural Treatments
Several natural treatments have been tried for vertigo; however, the scientific evidence for these treatments is very preliminary at this time. Note: Treatments (such as ginger ) used specifically for motion sickness are discussed in the motion sickness article.
This topic is also discussed in the homeopathy database, in the vertigo chapter.
- Reviewer: EBSCO CAM Review Board
- Review Date: 07/2012 -
- Update Date: 07/25/2012 -