Vertigo and dizziness

For spinning, swaying or lightheaded spells once a physician has looked for the cause. Acupuncture and herbs read by pattern, alongside your ENT, neurologist or vestibular therapist.

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Read through

BothWesternClassical

Two lenses, one plan

Wood 木 is the phase it is most often read through. Here the Western lens leads, with the classical lens alongside.

The Western lensAnatomy, physiology, biomechanics

The balance system

Balance comes from three inputs: the inner ear, the eyes and the sensors in the muscles and joints, especially the neck. The brainstem and cerebellum combine them, and when one input disagrees with the others the result can be spinning, swaying or nausea.

Crystals out of place: In BPPV, tiny calcium crystals slip into one of the inner ear canals and keep moving after the head stops, which is why brief spins come with rolling over or looking up.
Neck-related dizziness: After whiplash or with long-standing neck tension, the neck's position sensors may send faulty signals. The dizziness then follows neck movement and posture rather than head position alone.
Vestibular rehabilitation: Habituation and gaze-stability exercises help the brain recalibrate, and they need regular practice. Acupuncture is planned around them, not instead of them.

The classical lensChannels, patterns, the five phases

Dizziness, 眩暈

The classics name it xuàn yūn, blurred vision with spinning. One saying holds that without wind there is no dizziness, another that without phlegm there is none, a third that without deficiency there is none; most cases mix the three.

Formulas follow the pattern: When phlegm-damp clouds the head, a practitioner might consider Ban Xia Bai Zhu Tian Ma Tang (Pinellia, White Atractylodes and Gastrodia Decoction, 半夏白朮天麻湯); when Liver yang rises, a calming, descending formula instead. Any formula is checked against your medications.

Patterns we often see

Liver yang rising gān yáng shàng kàng 肝陽上亢
Phlegm-damp obstructing the middle tán shī zhōng zǔ 痰濕中阻
Qi and blood deficiency qì xuè liǎng xū 氣血兩虛
Kidney essence deficiency shèn jīng bù zú 腎精不足

Patterns are examples of how this is often read, never a diagnosis. Yours is read at your visit.

How we work: one plan

Acupuncture at the base of the skull and crown, scalp acupuncture above the ear, distal Master Tung's points, and needling of the neck muscles when the neck is involved, with herbs and food advice for the pattern. It sits alongside your ENT, neurologist and vestibular therapist, and your repositioning maneuvers and exercises continue.

Formulas here illustrate how pattern diagnosis shapes treatment. They are not recommendations; a practitioner selects and adjusts formulas for the individual.

Vertigo, dizziness or unsteadiness

Dizziness covers several sensations. Vertigo is a false sense of movement: the room spins or tilts. Lightheadedness is the faint, about-to-pass-out feeling, often tied to blood pressure, dehydration, heart rhythm or medication. Unsteadiness is a sense that the ground is unreliable. The inner ear causes much of the true vertigo: BPPV brings brief spins when you roll over or look up, vestibular neuritis brings days of spinning after a virus, and Meniere's disease brings attacks with ear fullness, roaring and changing hearing. Vestibular migraine and a tight, injured neck are other sources. Your ENT or neurologist sorts these out.

When dizziness is an emergency

Sudden, severe vertigo together with double vision, slurred speech, a facial droop, weakness or numbness, trouble walking, a sudden severe headache or new hearing loss can be a stroke. Call 911. Dizziness with chest pain, palpitations or fainting also needs emergency care first.

How we work with it

The pattern comes from how the dizziness behaves. Heavy, foggy spells that are worse in the morning or after rich meals, with nausea, lean toward phlegm-damp. Spells with stress, a flushed face and temple headaches lean toward rising yang. Faintness on standing that is worse when tired leans toward deficiency.

Acupuncture often uses points at the base of the skull and the crown, with scalp acupuncture over the zone above the ear traditionally used for vertigo and hearing, and distal Master Tung's points. When the neck is involved, needling of the neck muscles is added. Herbs follow the pattern, and for phlegm-damp, food advice from dietary therapy matters as much as the needles. Keep doing any vestibular exercises you have been given.

We track how often spells come, how long they last, what triggers them, and whether you can look up or turn in bed without the room moving.

Questions people ask

Can acupuncture help vertigo?

Acupuncture is studied as supportive care for some kinds of vertigo and dizziness, and research is ongoing. It works alongside the diagnosis and treatment your physician or vestibular therapist provides, and it is planned around the kind of dizziness you have.

I have BPPV. Do I still need the repositioning maneuvers?

Yes. Repositioning maneuvers done by your physician or vestibular therapist are the standard treatment for BPPV. Acupuncture can sit alongside them for the queasiness, neck tension and anxiety that often come with recurring episodes.

What should I tell you about my dizziness?

Whether it spins, sways or feels faint, how long a spell lasts, what sets it off (rolling over, standing up, stress, a big meal), and whether your hearing, ears or vision change with it. That description does a lot of the diagnostic work.

Is it safe to have needles in if I get dizzy lying down?

Tell us which positions bring it on. We can treat you seated or propped up and sit you up slowly afterwards.

This is general wellness information, not medical advice.

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