Vertigo: Helping a Dizzy Blonde

Best Single Herb: Wood betony

Best Combinations: Gingko biloba, hawthorn; wood betony

Other Helpful Supplements: B-complex vitamins; lecithin; CoQ₁₀; vitamin E

Possible Causes: Inner ear problem; poor circulation; spinal misalignment; blood pressure too high or low; anemia

Complementary Help: Ear coning; chiropractic care; reflexology; bowel cleansing

Occasionally having a dizzy spell — such as when you are bent over for a long period of time and then quickly stand, or when you are too hot, tired, or hungry and then get dizzy — is not the same as vertigo. Vertigo is the incapacitating sensation that the world is spinning or tilted, and usually leads to vomiting.

Some possible causes of vertigo include:

> Inner ear problem, damage, or infection (an infection could be caused by excess debris, ear wax, mucus in the ear — get an ear coning or other type of ear cleansing)

> Injury or problem in the brain stem

Recurring dizziness can be caused by other underlying problems, such as:

> Poor circulation to the head, or blood pressure that’s too high or low

> Spinal misalignment

> Anemia

> Excess wax or debris in the ear

> Lack of oxygen to the inner ear tissues

> Hypoglycemia

> Vitamin B deficiency

> Stress

Warnings about the use of herbs

To rule out any serious problems linked to vertigo, see your doctor for an examination — and make sure that someone else drives you!

If your dizziness is due to an inner ear infection or poor circulation, give the following herbs a try.

Wood Betony for Grounding

Wood betony (Betonica offtcinalis) is not that common of an herb, but you will probably see it in combination with other herbs. This herb has historically been used as a pain-killer, an antiseptic, an astringent, a brain tonic, a nerve calmer, and a circulatory stimulant. Therefore, wood betony may be helpful in not only killing the bacteria or virus causing your ear infection, but also nourishing the brain and relaxing the central nervous system.

Too much wood betony can make you sick to your stomach. Herbalists are very careful about making anyone feel ill, although in some cases you may need to feel worse before you feel better with natural healing!

Warnings about the use of herbs

Large doses of wood betony may cause you to vomit. This herb should not be used during pregnancy; however, in very small doses it is safe for children.

Wood betony is a good herb for most problems of the head and for cleaning the blood via the liver. It has been used for bronchitis, colds, coughs, dizziness, headaches, jaundice, menstrual cramps, nerve disorders, and externally on wounds, ulcers, and splinters (to help pull out a splinter, bruise the leaves and apply to the area). In the wild, animals are said to seek wood betony when they are wounded. It aids the immune system, relaxes muscles, opens blood vessels, and a European study found it to reduce high blood pressure.

Adults can take one to two capsules daily for vertigo, or as recommended on the bottle.

Other Herbs for the Ride

Other herbs useful in aiding the circulatory system include a combination of ginkgo biloba and hawthorn berry. If you are having circulatory problems, look up my suggestions for herbs for blood pressure and under cholesterol. Also see the table for some other supplements helpful for the circulatory system that may help heal the root cause of your dizziness.

Ear coning is my favorite remedy for cleaning out the ears. Ear coning might help draw out excess debris that can be causing a recurring infection.

Herb Lore: information related to holistic health

One of my clients had recurring vertigo due to inner ear infections. I coned her ears and was amazed at the amount of debris that was pulled from them! We did another, and another — up to five in three weeks, until the cones came out clear. She obviously had stored large amounts of mucus in her system, and this was probably the cause of the re-occurring infections. She has not had any problems since, but she maintains her ear conings quarterly for prevention.

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