Vertigo Case Study

Why this healthy 65 years old lady suddenly develop vertigo?

Lisa Wang was born in Boston and has had a happy marriage for over 50 years. She has been a teacher in Wellesley for over 30 years and really enjoys her work. She has a very strict routine: going bed before 10 pm, sleeps for 8 hours, never eats sweets or any processed food. She has had a very healthy weight for all her lifetime.

When she came to Boston Chinese Acupuncture Clinic for her vertigo, she was 65 years old and otherwise a healthy lady. She looked at least 15 years younger than her real age, even though she had a lot of stress from her children. She was able to manage well with her lovely husband.

She lives in Dover, MA and tends to feel cold most of the wintertime because she has always been on the thin side. When she turned 63 years old, she started drinking red wine. She passed having menopause without hot flashes and night sweats a few years ago. The red wine helps her thin body produce more heat. She feels happier with her daily walking and other routines.

Two years after she started wine drinking to warm up her body, she developed severe vertigo. She cannot drive because when she turns her head to left or right, her vertigo started. Stress can make her vertigo worse. She tried PT, massage and homoeopathic remedies but nothing works. She finally decided to try acupuncture and Chinese herbs for her vertigo. When her husband drove her to Boston Chinese Acupuncture Clinic in Needham, her acupuncturist was very surprised that she did not ask for the heat in the room, as other thinner people do during the Boston bitter wintertime. Her face looks slightly red, and her tongue looks red on the tip and edge. Her liver pulse is thin and wiry even though her liver function is normal. She does not eat much meat or other heat-producing food such as spicy food.

Her Acupuncturist combined acupuncture and Chinese herbs to help restore the balance function of her vestibular. The vertigo was better after 10 acupuncture treatments, but she still feels unsteady when she turns her head too fast. Finally, her acupuncturist asks her to stop drinking the red wine, wear warmer clothes and take Chinese herbs to keep her thyroid function stronger during the wintertime.

Her vertigo went away completely after 3 months of the acupuncture and Chinese Herbs.

Lisa stopped both acupuncture and herbs after her vertigo was completely gone. However, when she has high stress or eats restaurant food with high salt, sugar and pepper, she needs to take herbs for a few days and vertigo will go away. She has a very sensitive nervous system to detect salt, sugar and spices. Chinese herbs help her restore the balance whenever the physical and mental stress occurred to her.

Questions for the practitioners:

  1. Why do dehydration and spicy food lead to vertigo?
    a. Low blood pressure
    b. Histamine release
    c. Poor circulation
    d. All of the above
  2. Why can histamine make your vertigo worse?
    a. Histamine can cause hypersensitivity of nervous system
    b. Histamine can lead to swelling of the sensor in the vestibular system
    c. Histamine can lead to inflammation of the nerves and blood vessels.
    d. All of the above.
  3. Which Medications can lead to Vertigo( BPV)?
    a. Anti-seizure medications
    b. Blood pressure medications
    c. Anti dépression medications
    d. All of the above
  4. Why can tight muscles cause dizziness?
    a. Tight muscles can influence blood circulation
    b. Tight muscles can irritate the nerves leading to vertigo
    c. Tight muscles can induce histamine release
    d. A and B
  5. Why can prolonged supine position cause Vertigo( BPV)?
    a. It may cause very low blood pressure
    b. It may lead to histamine release
    c. It may cause dehydration
    d. It may stimulate the sympathetic nervous system
  6. Why can extreme cold and surgery cause dizziness?
    a. Extreme cold can cause poor circulation to your inner ear sensor
    b. Surgery can cause damage of the nerves in the inner ear
    c. Surgery can damage the blood flow to the vestibuar sensor
    d. All of the above
  7. Where is the little sensor for a head position located?
    a. Cochlear
    b. Vestibule
    c. Middle ear
    d. A, B, and C
  8. What are the two main structures of Otolith organs?
    a. Utricle
    b. Saccule
    c. Vestibul
    d. a and b
  9. Which of the following detects the vertical movement?
    a. Vestibule
    b. Utricle
    c. Saccule
    d. None of the above
  10. What is the maneuver patients can do to put the crystal back to its position in order to stop vertigo( BPV)?
    a. Brandt and Daroff
    b. Meditation
    c. Chi Gong
    d. None of the above
  11. Why can dehydration lead to vertigo ( BPV)?
    a. Histamine release
    b. Low blood pressure
    c. Poor circulation
    d. b and c
  12. In the case study, what is the main factor leading to vertigo for Lisa?
    a. Alcohol
    b. Cold
    c. Heat
    d. Insomnia
  13. Why can adrenal fatigue cause vertigo (BPV)?
    a. The fluctuation of the blood pressure
    b. Low blood sugar
    c. Inflammation
    d. All of the above
  14. Why can hormone imbalance cause vertigo or dizziness?
    a. Hypersensitive sensor in the inner ear
    b. Dehydration
    c. Neck tightness
    d. Poor circulation
  15. What Chinese herbs can we use to treat vertigo (BPV) with Phlegm condition?
    a. Ban Xia
    b. Sheng Bai Zhu
    c. Shi Chang Pu
    d. All of the above herbs
  16. 16 . Which herbs can we use to treat vertigo (BPV) with Liver Yang rinsing?
    a. Mu li
    b. Gui Ban
    c. Long Gu
    d. A, B and C
  17. Which herbs can help improve the digestion, thus help build the stronger gut lining?
    a. Fu Ling
    b. Dang Gui
    c. Chuan Xong
    d. Lian Qiao
  18. Which Chinese herb can help clear up liver and heart fire to prevent vertigo (BPV)?
    a. Zhi Zi
    b. Dan Zhu Ye
    c. Mu Dan PI
    d. A, B, and C
  19. What are the main symptoms for Vertigo (BPV) caused by phlegm condition?
    a. Tendency to have cysts or lipomas,
    b. Nasal congestion,
    c. Post-nasal drip
    d. All of the above symptoms
  20. What are the main symptoms for Vertigo (BPV) with liver and heart fire?
    a. Dizziness that gets worse when you get angry or stressed
    out
    b. Red face with high blood pressure, dry skin,
    c. Tend to be thirsty
    d. All of the above symptoms