Dear Dr. SerVaas: My problem is vertigo, and I am wondering if there is any cure. I've undergone many ear operations, and up to now I've had no history of vertigo.
I am 85 and generally in good health. I wear hearing aids in both ears and take Valium to try to correct the imbalance.
Thomas Bailey
Pioneer, California
Dear Dr. SerVaas: Has anyone ever had dizzy spells when walking? I was laid up with a bad back for several weeks and now can't keep my balance. It is a dreadful nuisance, as I have lost my independence. Yes, I am ancient, but very full of it, in spite of 82 years. I am well otherwise and want to get moving again.
Kathyrn Parks
Haslett, Michigan
Dear Readers: People with a common type of vertigo feel that either they are spinning or the room is spinning. Symptoms of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) are usually due to a problem within the fluid-filled balance organs in the inner ear.
Mayo Clinic researchers recently reported that an outpatient therapy can effectively treat patients with BPPV. The Epley maneuver, also called the canalith repositioning procedure, guides the patient's head through a five-position cycle of gentle, specific movements.
"This procedure can be done by properly trained primary-care physicians," says principal investigator Dr. David Froehling, a Mayo Clinic internal medicine specialist. In the study, the cycle was repeated until there was no dizziness or until a total of five cycles had been performed. Twelve of 24 subjects who were treated with the tilt-and-turn technique reported resolution of symptoms. The median age of participants was 64.
Doctors sometimes prescribe antihistamines, antivomiting drugs, and low doses of tranquilizers to decrease vertigo. Other people find relief with desensitizing movement exercises supervised by specially trained physical therapists. For more information on the Epley maneuver, physicians and patients may call the Mayo Clinic at 507-284-2511.
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