 Dizziness is a term used to describe everything from feeling faint or
lightheaded to feeling weak or unsteady. Dizziness that creates the sense that
you or your surroundings are spinning or moving is called vertigo. Dizziness
can usually be more specifically described as one of the following sensations:
-
Vertigo — the false sense of
motion or spinning
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Lightheadedness or the
feeling of near fainting
-
Loss of balance
-
Other sensations such as
floating, swimming or heavy-headedness
Partial causes of dizziness may include: high or low blood pressure, anemia,
fever, ear infection, poor cerebral circulation, pinched blood vessels, stress,
poor nutrition, aging, lack of oxygen to the brain, or brain tumor. In
addition, the sensation of dizziness can be experienced simply from rising too
quickly from a sitting or lying position.
Chinese Medicine has different disease categories and disease names than
Western Medicine, and dizziness is recognized as a disease (rather than a
symptom). The word for dizziness is Xuan Yun, with Xuan literally meaning
"blurred vision," and Yun meaning "dizziness." Dizziness
may also be referred to as "muzziness" or "fuzziness" with
a feeling of heaviness in the head and a lack of mental concentration. Symptoms
may include slight dizziness upon standing too quickly, or a more severe
sensation of vertigo in which the room seems to be spinning and the patient
loses his/her balance. There are many different "pattern diagnoses" associated with
dizziness, and each pattern diagnosis requires a different treatment, whether
herbs or acupuncture (or both) are utilized. The patterns associated with
dizziness are termed Liver Yang Rising, Liver Fire Rising, Liver Wind Rising,
Turbid Phlegm in the Head, Qi and Blood Vacuity, and Kidney Deficiency.
Whatever the root cause, Chinese medicine has a lot to offer to effectively
treat dizziness. The best known treatment is acupuncture, which involves
the insertion of tiny needles into your body to stimulate healing. In many
cases, Chinese herbal medicine—the use of a specific formula for a specific
condition—can also be effective.
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