Vertigo Treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine

Can we stop the spinning world naturally?!

Vertigo is a sensation of a whirling or spinning movement while stationary. It is a subtype of dizziness due to dysfunction of the vestibular system according to Western medicine.

Vertigo can be physiologic or pathologic. Repetitive spinning, as in childhood games, can induce transient physiologic vertigo, which disappears shortly on its own. Over consumption of alcohol can also cause transient vertigo, which goes away when alcohol is degraded in liver. However, pathologic vertigo can occur without apparent causes and appear as a persistent (insidious) onset or an episodic (sudden) onset. Vestibular migraine and Ménière’s disease are the typical examples.

Vertigo is a very disturbing feeling, and is often associated with nausea, vomiting and generalized imbalance. One cannot do anything when it occurs. Differential diagnosis of vertigo subtypes in Western medicine often takes advantage of multiple equipment and tests, including CT scan, and MRI, though some may still end up with insignificant findings (despite the vertigo). Treatment of vertigo in Western medicine is pretty much limited to symptom management with focus of sedating the vestibular system.

In TCM, vertigo is often considered as a result from retention of phlegmatic dampness along with excessive rising of liver yang due to liver yin deficiency. Regardless of the CT scan or MRI results, vertigo can be treated with acupuncture (e.g., Hegu, Touwei, Tianchong, Fengchi, Xiaxi, Taichong, etc.) and Chinese herbs (e.g., Shijueming, Gouteng, Tianma, Gouqizi, Heshouwu, etc.).

In fact, vertigo is one of the highly effectively treated health problems in my clinic. For example, one of my recent patients, who had frequent vertigo (multiple episodes daily) since 2008, gone through all kinds of diagnostic tests, including CT and MRI, ended with insignificant findings, had to rely on anti-vomiting drugs until she found me a few months ago. With treatments using acupuncture and Chinese herbs, her vertigo has almost gone (frequency down to about once a month). This is a relatively severe case. For mild or moderate cases, the vertigo can be completely controlled within a few treatments/office visits.

The difference here is that Western medicine mainly manages the symptoms: with vestibular sedating measures, vertigo can be temporarily alleviated, but after stop the treatment, vertigo comes back, and often with worsened symptoms. In contrast, treatment with acupuncture and Chinese herbs tackles the root cause in liver. When the treatment is complete, the symptoms will not relapse, unless the liver condition comes back.