October 11, 2018 - Vertigo
Hey folks, it’s Dr. Sam and I’m on a great walk today in the Santa Fe National Forest. Having a wonderful day. I wanted to talk to you about vertigo. I get this question a lot.
I have a lot of experience with Vertigo because during my time working in hospitals with people with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), vertigo was at the top of the list in terms of problems that people suffered from.
What is Vertigo?
Vertigo is a sensation of motion sickness and can feel like either spinning or moving. So when you move or experience the world moving, it can create a lot of disorientation or nausea. In severe cases, it can even result in vomiting.
One major disease that is associated with vertigo is called Meniere’s Disease. This is an imbalance in the inner ear. If a person is suffering from Meniere’s Disease they can also have tinnitus – that’s a ringing in the ears – and they can also have an inconsistency in their hearing.
Causes of Vertigo
So some of the causes of vertigo include:
- inflammation or swelling in the nerve of the ear.
- medications is a big cause of vertigo. So things like antibiotics, pain relievers, seizure medications, and antidepressants. So if you are suffering Vertigo, I would go back to your doctor and I would talk with him or her about the medications you’re taking in the dosages you’re taking.
- Multiple sclerosis
- Seizures.
- And this is a big one, traumas. So if you’ve had head trauma or concussions, this can lead to vertigo, migraine headaches, and vision problems.
In the next video, I’ll talk more about vision problems and how our diet affects vertigo.