Dizziness in Women

When my cousin Ellie got up one morning, she felt that her room was being swept around. She was nauseous and felt off balance. A stunned panic sets up with his doctor. Her diagnosis: benign positional vertigo (BPPV). Dizziness is one of the most common reasons people visit their doctor, according to Mayo Clinic. Vertigo is a frequent cause of vertigo and BPPV is a more serious type of vertigo.

What is vertigo?

Vertigo is the feeling of being moved by those around you or the place around you. A temporary disturbance of the structural balance in the inner ear is caused by BPPV, migraine, inflammation of the inner ear. too much fluid in the inner ear (Meniere’s disease) or a non-cancerous growth on the vestibular nerve (acoustic neuroma). Women are twice as likely to suffer from BPPV, the most common type of vertigo, as men. BPPV can cause nausea and vomiting and last for minutes, hours, or intermittently for weeks. After treatment, BPPV still recurred, as Ellie discovered.

Causes of BPPV

The inner ear controls balance by communicating nerve impulses with the brain. BPPV is caused by bone crystals like calcium breaking off and floating into the inner ear, causing a disturbance in the nerves sending messages to the brain. In people under the age of 50, BPPV is often caused by head trauma, such as head banging. in the hard It is not known what causes BPPV in older people. The incidence of BPPV increases significantly in men, especially women, over 60 years of age.

Link to osteoporosis

A study, published in the journal Neurology in 2009, found that people with osteoporosis were three times more likely to have vertigo or BPPV than people without osteoporosis. Twenty-five percent of women with osteoporosis had dizziness, and another 47 percent of women with osteopenia had dizziness (low bone density ), while only nine percent of students without vertigo had osteoporosis and 33 percent had osteopenia. Although osteoporosis was lower overall in men, men with vertigo had a higher incidence of osteoporosis. The researchers suggest that the link between BPPV and osteoporosis may indicate a problem with calcium metabolism.

treatment options

Ellie was successfully treated in her role as a doctor through a physical manipulation called the Epley Manouver. The Epley Maneuver consists of a series of precise head movements to relocate the calcium particles of the ear. Although the Epley Maneuver can be performed at home, an assistant works best. Recently, a new exercise, the Half Somersault Maneuver, has been developed. The Half Somersault Maneuver is also a home exercise and does not need an assistant. It is very effective, and there is less chance of calcium crystals moving into the wrong part of the ear, which can make the vertigo worse.

For any dizziness, or if you suspect that you have BPPV, visit your doctor to have your symptoms not related to stroke< /a>, cardiovascular factors , or other abnormalities.

• voices.yahoo.com/how- inner-ear-controls-balance-6400048.html