Vertigo is manifested as dizziness and blurred vision, which usually both occur simultaneously. The mild case can be relieved by closing one’s eyes, while the serious one has a rotatary sensation like sitting in a sailing boat or moving car, difficulty in standing and have associated symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, sweating, and pale complexion.
Depression, anger, improper diet, and prolonged illness can all cause vertigo. The pathogenesis of excess type vertigo is stagnation of turbid phlegm in the middle energizer resulting in failure of lucid yang to ascend, or hyperactivity of liver yang disturbing the head; while that of deficiency type is deficiency of both blood and qi or insufficiency of kidney essence leading to failure of qi to ascend to the head. In fact, most of cases are of deficiency type. Vertigo invovles the head and is closely related to liver, spleen and kidney.
Vertigo is commonly found in hypertension, hypotension, hypoglycemia, anemia, Meniere’s disease, cerebral arteriosclerosis, vertebrovascular ischemia and neurasthenia.
Treatment based on syndrome differentiation:
-Upward disturbance of Wind Yang -> tx: calm the liver, suppress hyperactive liver yang and nourish the liver and kidney
-Flaring-up of Liver Fire -> tx: reduce liver fire and eliminate damp heat
-Upward disturbance of Turbid Phlegm -> tx: dry up dampnesss, resolve phlegm, invigorate spleen and harmonize stomach
-Deficiency of Qi and Blood -> tx: replenish qi, nourish blood, invigorate spleen and regulate stomach
-Deficiency of Liver Yin and Kidney Yin -> tx: nourish liver and kidney, and replenish kidney essence
-Retention of Blood Stasis in Orifices -> tx: eliminate blood stasis, promote blood circulation and activate collaterals
Herbs for tx: Niuhuang Qingxin Wan, Quan Tianma Jiaonang, Qi Ju Dihuang Ye, Tianma Shouwu Pian
