Information for Patients with Dizziness

IF you have a balance disorder as a result of an ear problem you should know:

The ears work together to create balance. The ears send a balance signal to the brain, and the brain compares the two signals. Normally these signals are the same. Vertigo is triggered when the balance signals are unequal, such as when one ear sends a strong signal and the other is a weak one.

Sedating medications do not help the healing process. Medications like Antivert (Meclizine), Valium (diazepam), and some antihistamines suppress the vestibular and central nervous systems. This delays the healing process because the medication reduces the neural response as the brain tries to balance the two signals, and delaying rehabilitation makes balance problems worse.

The ears need to learn to work together. Some patients do not want to move because they are afraid of creating vertigo, but this is a mistake. The brain needs to relearn how to coordinate the balance signals from both ears. The more often the brain deals with the signals from the ear, the quicker the dizziness problem will be resolved.  When the brain learns how to coordinate the signals from both ears, balance results.

Balance exercises help. Vestibular rehabilitation is a series of instructions and exercises to help your brain adjust to a weak ear signal. Remember, professional ice skaters and ballerinas learn to spin rapidly without getting dizzy. Rehabilitation classes help patients adapt to the signal imbalance coming from the ears.

You do not have a life-threatening disease. Dizziness, vomiting, and nausea are not fun, but they are not dangerous and your condition is not life-threatening. You can learn to suppress and control vertigo so they disappear altogether.