Anyone have a natural remedy for Vertigo?

[savingdogs]

I'm a Meniere's disease patient suffering from vertigo attacks that are debilitating to say the least. Looking for suggestions.

I am allergic to many plants so would have to explore plant remedies very carefully. For instance, I'm allergic to chamomile, sage and lavender, as well as alot of trees. Allergies are a component of Meniere's disease, so I need a non-allergen vertigo natural remedy.

Does such a thing exist? I do eat ginger cookies, those are helpful.

 

[abifae]

What causes your vertigo. I did a quick bit of research and here is what I've found:

It can be caused by inflammation in which case I'd assume you would want to avoid foods that cause inflammation and you'd want herbs that reduce it.

It can be caused by fluid changes (I'm assuming this is why allergies effect it, with sinus build up) in which case you'd want things that produce less mucous and inflammation.

It can be caused by blood pressure changes and you would need foods and herbs that addressed blood pressure.

Do you know what causes your episodes?

I would say go on a lowered carb diet, lots of fresh veggies and be sure to get plenty of hydration. That would address all three possible causes. I'm sure FreeM could list all kinds of foods in all the categories. But I'd suggest dietary change over medicating symptoms with herbal remedies just through my understanding of causation.

 

[freemotion]

Quick thought....have you looked into seeing a specialist...I have had several clients with terrible vertigo who went to a doc who simple manuevered their heads to get crystals to come out of the inner ear....instant vertigo cure. The crystals sometimes come back, but the cure is so simple, they now run back to the doc at the first signs.

Yes, see if you can find out what exactly is causing your vertigo. I get it a little from low blood pressure, and salt helps, especially in the morning. But I am weird.

 

[sylvie]

Ah, Vertigo, my old friend. Most people can't comprehend how debilitating it is. If mine gains a foothold I am bedridden for about 2 days.
I run daily but if I don't shower immediately afterwards, I chill and will get Vertigo. I have more than one trigger and have to be careful.
I don't have Menieres, but MDs can't tell me what causes my Vertigo or what triggers it. I doubt if they were right about anything regarding this.

For years I lived on antihistamines. One day I got exasperated with MD's and switched to a Naturopathic Doctor. She told me to lose the antihistamines, gave me a cleansing diet, some dietary guidelines. Within the week I was vertigo free and have only had 2 episodes since 2006. It was liberating! Antihistamine free, better on the liver!

She gave me an anti-inflammatory diet:
Essential fatty acids:
-fresh raw seeds like flax, pumpkin, sunflower
-cold pressed oils like olive,coconut,safflower,flax
-EPA, DHA, flax, borage, black current, evening primrose or pumpkin seed oil

fresh organic fruits and vegetables
seeds and sprouts

Vit C, E, B3, B6, Biotion
Copper, Magnesium, Selenium, Zinc ; all which can be found in foods

Avoid the inflammatory foods:
red meat, animal fats-grass fed beef acceptable
Canola oil
dairy
commercial eggs
processed foods
alcohol
coffee and black tea- green tea ok
peanuts (not a true nut)
nightshades IF you are rheumatic. Tomato, potato, eggplant, pepper
acidic fruits-citrus, red berries, pineapple, kiwi.

Increase whole grains, ie; actual wheat, oat berries.
Increase eggs, garlic, onions, and beans.
This forum has a certain diet regime that is being heavily promoted and I can tell you from my experience that, in its entirety, it doesn't work for my Vertigo. But may work for yours.

 

[savingdogs]

Thank you for the helpful information.

I'm a Meniere's patient, I already see a specialists specialist and they give me medication which helps, but I'm getting pretty chronic and they are not able to help me as much now. They are suggesting surgeries I don't want and was wondering about alternatives.

Meniere's patients already need to eat a low sodium diet, I try to stay below 2000 mg of sodium a day. This limits my diet quite alot. I'm also allergic to alot of foods, but they are such "building blocks" of our American diet I cannot avoid them for the most part: Wheat, Cane Sugar, Eggs and caffeine. I cannot avoid wheat, sugar and eggs without going on a very hard to follow regimen, but I do try to not consume them all the time. To make things worse I have irritable bowel syndrome so can't eat alot of the fruits and veggies now that I used to fill up on.

They have recommended I eat Kiwi and bananas daily because my problem has to do with the incorrect balance of sodium to potassium in my inner ear.

I do not consume caffeine or alcohol except on rare occasions when a coffee place makes a mistake or at a rare social occasion I'll have one glass of wine.

Sorry to ramble but I guess I needed to give more history.

 

[Occamstazer]

I don't have any solutions to offer, I just wanted to offer some major sympathy. My one experience with bad vertigo was horrible, I hope you find something that helps soon!

 

[savingdogs]

Thanks. Heh, I like your Heinlein quote. I had read all his books at one point.

 

[Janos&Jen]

Ginger root helps with vertigo. You can find it with the vitamins and supplements.

 

[savingdogs]

Thanks, so you know how much? I have some candied ginger.

 

[Mackay]

Sylvies advice is quite good but I would have to say, drop the wheat..... along with this...

This is a self sufficient forum, that you can't find a way to eliminate wheat and eggs and sugar is not very acceptable to us survivalist type mentalities. It tells me that you want a quick fix. I will tell you right now, there is no quick fix for chronic vertigo. Wheat and sugar is not the building blocks of the American diet, it is the destructive force in the american diet, pushed upon us by to over consume what can be dangerous foods for many by our industrialized food supply chain that thinks of nothing but profits and keeping you addicted.

I your case it could be crucial to seriously change your diet since you have irritable bowel syndrome. This kicks off so many toxins and irritants entering your bloood stream and your ears!

Almost all disease starts in the gut. If you don't get a grip on that situation then you will likely not a grip on chronic vertigo.

Chronic vertigo can be caused by yeast infection in the ears, which comes from the gut. It can also be caused by heavy metal toxicity. It can be caused by a history of ear infections, it can be caused by scar tissue in the inner ear.

If the gut is burdened by lots of pathogens, has diarrhea, gas, and bloating, your just got to know that the wall of the gut is damaged and you are having what is called leaky gut - toxins and microbes getting into the blood stream and setting up housekeeping in places they should not.

Toxicity can cause inflammation and swelling and drainage issues in the inner ear. This is why antihistamines are often prescribed. Some people they help, but they never cure and you just get to walk around in the antihistamine mental haze the rest of your life.

Not only does this IBS condition poison your body, it also causes malnutrition.

You should see a doctor that specializes in "environmental medicine", and what that translates to is one that specializes in diagnosing and treating allergy and heavy metal toxicity. I know an excellent one in Dallas, but most likely far from you. You would have to look around. Along with that you should see a naturopath that specializes in IBS and crohn's disease. Only he will have the expertise to heal your gut, get you past malnutrition and restore your health. In fact a good naturopath should be able to eliminate the need for an environmental medicine specialist. I just mention them because insurance should cover, where they won't with a naturopath, which is your best choice to find recovery.

NAET (do a search) helps some people with allergies, but in all reality you need to heal that gut or one disease after another will be springing up on you.

I will post a protocol for IBS here later today as I have to transfer it from my other computer to my laptop, I have an appointment to get to right now. This protocol is not to sway you from seeing a natuorpath but to help you to understand the seriousness of that condition and some of the things that can be done to treat it.

I am sorry if this sounds harsh, I have spent the last two weeks intensely counseling an IBS and a crohn's patient, as well as a woman who has short gut syndrome from multiple resections of the colon and small bowel due to diverticulitis disease, (caused by bad diet and putrification in the gut) These people under the leadership of conventional medicine are in a lenthy process of dying a miserable death.... there is hope if they wake up.