Sometimes our world feels like this:
Literally, everyone’s least favorite ride. Everything is spinning, we can’t catch our balance, we can barely see, and there’s this unexplained ringing in our ears that may well drive us completely crazy.
While this could just be another Tuesday in America, as a chiropractor for vertigo in Springfield, IL, I know this feeling isn’t just the byproduct of being alive in 2023, we can actually do something about vertigo.
40% of people over the age of 40 will experience vertigo at least once in their lifetimes. So I’ve got plenty of time until I have to worry about that.
Vertigo isn’t one single condition so much as it’s a cluster of symptoms from a bunch of different disorders. Yay! (sarcastic)
As chiropractors, we search for the underlying cause of any issue, correct that, and then work to prevent it from ever coming back.
Ok, ok, I’m on it.
What is Vertigo?
We have a bunch of systems in our body that are responsible for keeping us balanced and helping our brains understand where the heck we are in space. There’s the:
- Sensorimotor Control System – controlling our senses like sight and hearing
- Proprioception System – touch
- Vestibular System – helps us move without falling over (this one is very handy)
For some people, these systems are totally discombobulated, and there’s not much I can do to help.
But for most people, chiropractic care can provide natural vertigo relief. Yay! (real) The inner ears are critical to this relief. When the sensors in the ears can’t send accurate information to the brain about where the head is in space…
Common vertigo symptoms include:
- Dizziness
- Spinning Sensation
- Being Off-Balance Moving and Walking
- Nausea and Occasional Vomiting
- Hearing Loss or Ringing in the Ears
- Headaches
- Increased Sweating
- Abnormal Eye Movements
- Fainting
How To Get Rid of Vertigo
Reduce Stress
Everyone loves being told to “relax”. It is a command that is almost always obeyed with the highest respect and rarely turns into a bare-knuckled fistfight.
Stress is our most loyal ally and our arch-nemesis. It can help us outrun a bear, hit a deadline, and get stronger – physically, mentally, and emotionally.
That is, if it doesn’t kill us. Stress also reduces our immunity making it more difficult to combat illnesses like ear infections. It makes us less likely to exercise or get good sleep. It also increases inflammation which is the genesis of all diseases.
Suffice it to say chronic stress is dangerous. Finding natural stress management techniques like exercise, meditation, essential oils, or hanging out at a dog park when you don’t own a dog are great stress relievers.
Stress increases our risk for vertigo, along with a whole host of other problems, so just relax.
Healthy Diet
Conventional medicine loves to prescribe medication to reduce inflammation or fight ear infections (a potential cause of vertigo), it’s very suspicious. There are more effective and natural strategies to lower inflammation. As they say, we are what we eat.
An anti-inflammatory diet can reduce inflammation and lower blood pressure levels, and the diet is usually very hydrating. Usually, I don’t recommend gorging, but feel free to gorge away on:
- Leafy greens (those high in potassium)
- Fresh fruit (bananas and avocado)
- Healthy fat (wild fish, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil)
- Lean protein (grass-fed meat, cage-free eggs, pasture-raised poultry
- Water (hopefully self-explanatory)
Lowering our intake of caffeine and alcohol will also help reduce dehydration and a general feeling of dizziness.
Stay Active
Exercise is the perfect tonic. Literally, the definition of tonic is to invigorate. Exercise is crucial to a body that was designed for movement. In fact, movement keeps our joints lubricated, our muscles from atrophying, and our body’s immune system firing on all cylinders. It lowers blood pressure and reduces stress, and we know by now that high blood pressure and stress are two of vertigo’s closest friends.
Exercise also improves our quality of sleep, the time when our body heals and recovers from the maelstrom we put it through every day. Exercise and sleep are besties.
Epley’s Maneuver
We’ve got a bunch of crystals in our ears. They have special healing powers that interact with our body’s energy field, creating balance and alignment. They promote the flow of good energy and help eliminate negative energy from our body and mind. Like rose quartz to restore trust in our relationships, tiger’s eye to help us make good decisions, and jasper to protect against bad vibes.
I’m so sorry, I got confused. We do have crystals in our ears, they’re more so calcium deposits, and they help us with balance. When these crystals get displaced, we run into a lot of problems with balance. Epley’s maneuver uses a series of deliberate head movements to naturally guide the crystals back into their rightful place. Vertigo relief can often be instant after this maneuver.
Chiropractic Care
Don’t know how to perform Epley’s Maneuver, no problem, we do! There are plenty of medications to take care of nausea and vomiting, but those only address the symptoms and not the actual cause. Chiropractic treatment is not just for back or neck pain relief, though we are really good at that if I do say so myself. Chiropractic is holistic health care that optimizes the nervous system for the benefit of the entire body.
Chiropractic care addresses the underlying cause of vertigo. Rather than exhausting ourselves chasing vertigo symptoms, chiropractic lays a foundation for more sustained healing. Whether it’s Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Meniere’s disease, or a concussion – all common causes of vertigo – the chiropractors at the Springfield Wellness Center can use chiropractic adjustments, therapeutic exercises, and lifestyle changes to provide life-changing, natural vertigo relief.
Vertigo’s warped reality is not a realm of the multiverse that anyone wants to live in. While it might not be life-threatening, it can make the life we’re living miserable. Call us or schedule a time to meet with one of our amazing doctors. We’ll help stop the spins and restore reality.