How Acupuncture Improves Dizziness and Related Symptoms
Are you struggling to find an effective solution for your dizziness? Although medication and other therapies ease dizziness and vertigo for some people, others aren't so lucky. Acupuncture offers another treatment option. Acupuncture treatments relieve symptoms and prevent dizziness from happening again by targeting the source of the problem.
What Causes Dizziness?
Dizziness and vertigo affect 15 to 20% of US adults every year, according to an article published in the Handbook of Clinical Neurology. Vertigo, a sensation that feels like the room is spinning, often accompanies dizziness.
Some people develop dizziness after an illness or if they're dehydrated or haven't eaten in a while. Dizziness can also be caused by:
- A Sinus Infection
- Allergies
- Standing Up Too Quickly
- Low Blood Sugar
- Side Effects of Medication
- Meniere's Disease
- Ear Infection
- Inner Ear Imbalance
- Inflammation in the Inner Ear
- Migraines
- High Blood Pressure
- Medication Side Effect
- Anxiety
- Cervical Vertical
- Heavy Menstrual Cycle
- Peripheral Vestibular Vertigo
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
Dizziness and vertigo cause nausea and vomiting and make it difficult to keep your balance. Unfortunately, dizziness and vertigo become more common with age and can lead to fractured bones and serious injuries if you fall after losing your balance.
According to Chinese medicine, dizziness and vertigo are related to specific deficiencies that trigger the symptoms. For example, you might suffer blood and Qi deficiencies after an injury or illness. Qi, a life force that circulates throughout your body, is important for good physical and mental health. If you have a blood deficiency, your blood may not be nourishing your body appropriately. Dizziness may also happen due to phlegm, fire, or wind deficiencies caused by weakness in certain organs, like the kidney or spleen.
Your acupuncturist will perform an exam that will help him or her identify the deficiencies or imbalances responsible for your symptoms. Based on the results of the exam, your acupuncturist creates a treatment plan to address the deficiencies and relieve your dizziness and other symptoms.
Improving Your Symptoms with Acupuncture
During acupuncture treatment, hair-thin needles are inserted into the pathways that carry Qi through your body. Treatments restore the normal flow of Qi while also strengthening your organs and neutralizing the effects of fire, wind, or phlegm. After a few treatments, you may notice that dizziness, vertigo, nausea, and other symptoms have decreased and you no longer feel unsteady on your feet.
Just six acupuncture sessions stopped spinning dizziness in a patient with peripheral vestibular vertigo and suspected Meniere's disease in a case study published in Medical Acupuncture. In a research study reported in HealthCMI, emergency room patients in Taiwan noticed an immediate reduction in dizziness and vertigo after receiving acupuncture.
Acupuncture treatments may also improve underlying conditions that cause dizziness. Treatments could help you control dizziness caused by high blood pressure or by the medication you take to control your blood pressure. Acupuncture lowers blood pressure by making it easier for your brain to manage hormones that control electrolytes and blood pressure.
Do your allergies make you feel dizzy? Acupuncture eases many of the symptoms of seasonal allergies, including dizziness, nasal congestion, runny nose, watery eyes, coughing, wheezing, headache, sore throat, and blocked ears.
When stress causes dizziness, acupuncture lowers your body's production of cortisol, a key stress hormone. Treatments also target the brain's stress center, improve your sleep, and help you feel calm and relaxed.
No matter what the cause of your dizziness, acupuncture may offer a simple solution to a frustrating problem. If you're ready to say goodbye to your dizziness, give us a call.
Sources:
PubMed: Handbook of Clinical Neurology: The Epidemiology of Dizziness and Vertigo, 2016
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27638063/
Liebert Pub: Medical Acupuncture: Acupuncture Therapy for Peripheral Vestibular Vertigo (with Suspected Ménière's Disease), 4/13/2023
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acu.2022.0012?journalCode=acu
HealthCMI: Acupuncture Relieves Dizziness and Vertigo, 7/6/2015
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Efficacy of Acupuncture for the Treatment of Cervical Vertigo: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 5/9/2017
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2017/7597363
Mayo Clinic: Dizziness
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dizziness/symptoms-causes/syc-20371787?p=1
WebMD: What to Know About Dizziness in Older Adults, 4/7/2023
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/what-to-know-about-dizziness-in-older-adults