Dizziness


Not sure I stand up I am off balanced I thought dizziness maybe is vertigo drives me nuts non stop
Julie in Colorado said:

Excellent information. Thanks for posting.

Cicina said:

Here is a quote from Webmd to explain the difference between dizziness and vertigo.


" Telling the Difference Between Vertigo and Dizziness
People often use the word "dizziness" when they are talking about a variety of symptoms, including:
Vertigo (a feeling of spinning or whirling when you are not actually moving).
Unsteadiness (a sense of imbalance or staggering when standing or walking). This sometimes is called disequilibrium.
Lightheadedness or feeling as if you are about to faint (presyncope). This may mean there is a heart problem or low blood pressure.
Dizziness caused by breathing too rapidly (hyperventilation) or anxiety.
It is important for your doctor to know which of these symptoms you mean when you say, "I am dizzy," because the cause, diagnosis, and treatment are different for each symptom. When someone complains of dizziness, the symptom is vertigo only about half of the time.
For more information about whether your symptom really is vertigo, see the topic Dizziness: Lightheadedness and Vertigo. It can help you tell the difference between vertigo and other types of dizziness.
By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Barrie J. Hurwitz, MD - Neurology
Last Revised April 12, 2012
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Last Updated: April 12, 2012
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information."

Colorado Doctor Finds Way To Treat Common Vertigo

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) – More than seven million people in the U.S. suffer from vertigo with 50,000 in the Denver area alone. The symptoms include feeling surroundings spinning when nothing is moving.

Now there’s a new do-it-yourself way to treat the most common form of vertigo. CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh met the doctor who discovered the maneuver. Dr. Carol Foster is at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Foster’s recently published research is a breakthrough in the treatment of vertigo and could be life-changing for people who are disabled at times by extreme dizzy spells.

“You’re rolling over in bed and suddenly you’re hit with this incredible spinning and you see the room going around like you’re in the inside of a washing machine,” Foster said.

Foster has experienced the most common form called positional vertigo. It happens when particles in the ear that sense gravity get dislodged and end up in spinning sensors.

“It can make people have falls, they can be unable to go to work because they’re so dizzy, they can be vomiting,” Foster said. “So it’s very, very unpleasant.”

Foster is director of the Balance Laboratory at the CU School of Medicine. One morning, in treating herself, she came up with her own spin on how to fix vertigo at home. It’s called the “Half Somersault Maneuver.” Patients put their head upside down like they are going to do a somersault. They wait for dizziness to end then raise their head to back level. They then wait again for dizziness to end and then sit back quickly

Dr. Carol Foster instructs how to properly do the Half Somersault Maneuver (credit: CBS)

Dr. Carol Foster instructs how to properly do the Half Somersault Maneuver (credit: CBS)

“And that causes the particles to leave the semicircular canal,” Foster said.

A six-month study showed patents preferred the exercise over the one commonly used by doctors.

“I was surprised at how well it worked,” Foster said.

Foster has posted the breakthrough on the Internet.

“My goal in life is to basically get rid of all dizziness on the planet Earth,” she said.

She’s on her way — one half somersault at a time.

People liked the half somersault because they weren’t as dizzy and had fewer side effects. None of those patients returned to the doctor for dizziness treatments.

Lockie can U tell me what the exercises are maybe I can look them up on u tube or somewewere thanks so much!Lockie said:

I am not sure if this helps because dizziness does seem to be part of Ataxia as others have said already.
I originally went to the GP because I was so dizzy and had become so unsteady. I really thought I had something wrong with my inner ear like Ménière's disease which I thought was curable. An MRI confirmed that I had Ataxia and I thought that this dreadful dizziness was one of the symptoms .
In consultation with my neurologist he referred me to one of his colleagues in the Audio Vestibular department. After a few tests he established that I also had BPPV. In short vertigo with nystagmus. He gave me a short exercise to do, which I did for a few days and the dizziness disappeared.
It returns after a month or so and I do the exercises again.
Of course I still have Ataxia and nystagmus (which seems to be shared by both conditions) but life is so much better without the dizziness. Yours may not be the same as mine but you could mention it to your neurologist and ask for a referral to the Audio Vestibular department.
I do hope that you can get rid of the dizziness it is so debilitating.
All the best for the future.
Lockie