What You Can Do For Attacks of Dizziness?

Each year, more than two million people visit a doctor for dizziness, and one of those was Olympic figure skater Scott Davis. In Davis' case, he was diagnosed with benign positional vertigo, an abnormal sense of motion that commonly results in dizziness.

For some, the symptoms include feeling dizzy, lightheaded, unsteady or giddy. This feeling of imbalance, without a sensation of turning or spinning, is sometimes due to an inner ear problem. But there are other causes of dizziness including: disorders of blood circulation, drug interaction, injury (such as a skull fracture,) viral or bacterial infection, allergy, and neurological diseases.

Richard Miyamoto, M.D., Chair of the Hearing and Equilibrium Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery offers these tips to reduce dizziness:

Avoid rapid changes in position, especially from lying down to standing up or turning around from one side to the other.
Avoid extremes of head motion (especially looking up) or rapid head motion (especially turning or twisting).
Eliminate or decrease your use of products that impair circulation, e.g.: nicotine, caffeine, and salt.
Minimize your exposure to circumstances that precipitate your dizziness, such as stress and anxiety or substances to which you are allergic.
Avoid hazardous activities when you are dizzy, such as driving an automobile, operating dangerous equipment, climbing ladders, etc.

For a free copy of the leaflet "What You Can Do For Dizziness & Motion Sickness," send a self-addressed, stamped, business-sized envelope to: "Dizziness," American Academy of Otolaryngology, 1650 Diagonal Rd, Alexandria, VA 22314 USA.

For more information about the American Academy of Otolaryngology, contact:
American Academy of Otolaryngology
1650 Diagonal Rd
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 836-4444
Website: http://www.entnet.org

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