Vertigo

I have experienced Benign Positional Vertigo for just over 10 years.

If you experience dizziness at times that lasts for hours or even days at a time, you’ll appreciate some of the resources on this page.   In this article I’ll share some of the treatments I have used for ‘curing’ Benign Positional Vertigo.

Vertigo Explained

Benign vertigo Vertigo is naturopathically defined as: “An abnormal sensation that causes you to feel as though you or your environment is moving or spinning (this is an actual sensation of movement and is different than dizziness). It occurs when there is a problem in the vestibular labyrinth, the portion of the inner ear that control’s balance.” – Lise Bourbeau

Still not sure what vertigo is?

Imagine being drunk or on a roller coaster for an entire day. Sure, it might be fun for the first 15 minutes or so, but an entire day of feeling dizzy can be draining.  That’s what vertigo is.

Yesterday I got a wave of Vertigo.  It was the first time I’ve had symptoms in about a year.  It came on so suddenly and was so violent that I went straight to bed.

I woke up 3 hours later and still had a dizzy spell.  When I woke up I felt angry for feeling so weak and useless.  When I get these dizzy spells, I can’t do much.  I can barely brush my teeth because standing along triggers the nausea.  Most times, all I can do is lie in bed.

Cause of Vertigo

The vertigo “dizziness” occurs when there is a problem in the vestibular labyrinth, the portion of the inner ear that control’s balance.  Apparently, there is a small crystal that gets lodged in the inner ear and sits on nerve endings.  This triggers the “off-balance” or “spinning” feeling.

Back in 2003 I had my first waive of vertigo.  It was the first time I noticed these symptoms and even though I don’t believe in traditional medicine or drugs, I had to do something about the nausea.  At that time I went to see a local medical doctor.

The doctor said that sometimes a tiny crystal in the inner ear can cause this imbalance.  What he did was walk me through a series of body rotations that would help me dislodge the crystal and ‘pop-it-out’ of my inner ear.

After doing the exercise a few more times at home, the vertigo subsided.  No drugs.  No medicine. I just did the home treatment and I was back to normal in a couple of days.  You can find the exercise here: Vertigo Home Treatment for Left Ear

Using Meditation

In the last year I’ve also used meditation to release dizzy vertigo spells.  I’m surprised how well this has worked for me.  Even 20 minutes of meditation helps me restore balance and get more grounded.  I’m still not sure if the meditation is what helps the grounding-effect or if it is the insights I gain from the meditation.

Healing Vertigo – 3 Pronged Approach

You can heal your body.   You don’t have to suffer.  Yesterday at around 3pm EST I had severe vertigo symptoms that knocked me right off my feet.  I was useless.  And today – just about 24 hours later – the dizziness has almost completed subsided.

Here’s my 3-Pronged Approach to Healing Vertigo:

  1. Home Treatment
  2. Meditation – start with this video
  3. Get Grounded in a New Direction

I’ve already talked about the Home Treatment and the Meditation.  Both helpful steps.

The last step seems to come as an effect of completing the first two.  The point is to re-focus.

Here’s the pattern I’ve noticed for myself.  Normally there is a point in the work that I do (either consulting or coaching) where I get off track either mentally or emotionally.  And that I know I’m off track is when I experience these vertigo dizzy spells (or feel any illness at all).

On one side there are activities that make me feel ill.  These activities trigger the vertigo.  And on the other hand I there are activities that give me energy; that make me feel alive.  The key is to notice the difference and the contrast, and choose the activities that make you feel alive.

Here are some other insights I’ve gained from this 3-Pronged Approach:

INSIGHT #1: 

Experiencing illness or feeling sick is ok in moderation.  It gives you contrast so you can experience what you don’t want. Experiencing what you don’t want, helps you get clearer and build a desire to go after what you really do want.

INSIGHT #2:

When you feel off or ill it’s because you’re not listening to your body.  Your body is trying to tell you something about the direction you’re heading.  The more intense the body symptoms, the more off course you are.  The way to course correct is to get grounded and focus in on a new direction; a direction that inspires you and makes you feel good.

INSIGHT #3:

The work or daily activities you do either gives you energy or takes it away.  Begin to notice what activities gives you energy and do more of that.  These activities are where you will soar. These activities are where you excel.

“Vertigo indicates that you perceive a loss in your psychological balance. You feel you’ve lost your footing or your grasp on what you thought was a balanced life, even though it wasn’t meeting your true needs. You may feel anguished about making a decision regarding a new direction and, as a result, your dreams remain unfulfilled. It’s possible that you have just experienced a dramatic change in some area of your life that appears not quite balanced and causes you either to feel a temporary imbalance or to have others judge you as unbalanced. You have a difficult time dealing with judgment of others, even if you refuse to acknowledge it.” ~ Lise Bourbeau

Read more: Lise Bourbeau on Vertigo

4 Comments

  • Ana

    Reply Reply March 21, 2012

    Been there…I had it once, and since then I have not been able to ride a roller coaster, or almost any 3d Ride.

  • Steve

    Reply Reply March 21, 2012

    Hey Ana – yeah, I know it sucks :( …but I have found other ways to get my thrills :)

  • Yoppy Soleman

    Reply Reply June 15, 2013

    I experienced two episodes of positional vertigo especially when my head towards the back and to the right since May 14, 2013. Hopefully this article can help. Thank you very much.

  • Yoppy Soleman

    Reply Reply July 15, 2013

    At around 10 July 2013, the vertigo sympoms that I felt for nearly two months before have disappeared. And hopefully, these symptoms will not appear again. Thank you very much for your article.

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