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Persistent Vertigo

Vertigo is a specific medical condition in which there is a sensation of spinning or objects spinning around you.

Vertigo is typically referred to as dizziness and may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. It can be severe enough to affect the quality of life, the patient being unable to do everyday tasks or just move about.

There are several causes of vertigo; the most common one is from an inner ear problem referred to as the vestibular system which is in the brain. There are also central nervous system causes of vertigo arising from the balance centers of the brain. The latter is usually more constant but milder and may be accompanied by slurred speech, double vision or nystagmus. Meniere’s disease and labyrinthitis are also conditions that can cause dizziness.

Any person experiencing persistent vertigo should have a thorough evaluation by a health care professional. Usually an ENT (ear nose and throat specialist) and/or neurologist should be seen to rule out brain tumors and lesions, and neurological diseases such a multiple sclerosis. They can also recommend appropriate testing to help accurately diagnose the cause.

More often than not the etiology is from the inner ear. Vestibular rehabilitation along with medications is the standard medical approach and may produce the desired results. When the symptoms persist, despite medical intervention there are extremely effective alternative approaches that produce rapid results.

Muscle resistance testing, commonly referred to as kinesiology is a system whereby the examiner applies pressure to a certain area of the body or gently touches over a specific location. When there is a disturbance in the area being touched or challenged a strong muscle will immediately go weak. When there is vertigo, kinesiology testing typically reveals a weakness of the inner ear, which can be found simply by applying a tugging type of pressure to the outer ear. Different directions of pressure may be needed to induce the weakness, and it may be unilateral or bilateral. In less severe cases, the head needs to be rotated slightly or flexed and extended to observe the weakness. In patients that have vertigo where they feel well when they are perfectly still there is a window of one second or less where the weakness of the ear can be observed after applying pressure to it. Astute muscle resistance testing can always pick up these weaknesses and allow the practitioner to observe and correct the imbalances that exist.

There are several common causes for the weaknesses found in the inner ear. It is frequently related to tissue toxicity of the inner ear. Metals toxicity is probably the most common, however there is usually a need to utilize several formulas to strengthen the tissue area of the inner ear. Testing is done to see if there is any adverse affect from various foods, insecticides, environmental exposure, medications, cosmetics, etc. If offending substances are found they are removed from the diet. If it is believed to be medication related, you will need to discuss that issue with your medical provider.

Kinesiology gives immediate feedback to the practitioner, so when the proper formula is found there will be an immediate strengthening of the observed weakness. As the patient improves over time, more rotation and flexion/extension is applied to further observe any additional imbalances. As weakness is observed, it is neutralized with the next strengthening remedy. Results are rather dramatic and chronic conditions will usually resolve over a four to eight week period.

Dr. Silverman is a chiropractor and state certified nutritionist who has been in practice for 20 years. He has taught college level courses in holistic health and nutrition and has appeared on many TV and radio shows including the Gary Null show and News 12. He has lectured and consulted for several homeopathic and nutritional companies and has two offices, one in Hauppauge (631-724-6780) and one in Roslyn (516-484- 0776.)

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