Dizziness or lightheadedness is a feeling that is fairly common. The causes are many and range from those that are generally harmless to life threatening conditions. When this feeling is experienced once in a while, there is no cause for worry. However, one should seek medical attention immediately if the problem is recurrent or if it is associated with other symptoms such as headache, loss of consciousness, hearing loss, visual blurring and so on. You need to understand a number of important things when seeking dizziness treatment in Toronto.
Differentiating dizziness from vertigo is important. While the former is a feeling of lightheadedness, the latter refers to a sense of spinning environment. Vertigo is caused by a problem affecting the semicircular canals of the ear. One of the forms of this condition is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (also known as BPPV). Symptoms are usually experienced when one changes their body position.
Another commonly encountered cause is Meniere disease. This disease is caused by accumulation of fluid within the middle ear. This too compromises the function of semicircular canals. Causes of real dizziness include tumors (such as acoustic neuroma), a sudden drop in blood pressure, hypoglycemia, some drugs, motion sickness, heat stroke and dehydration.
It is a good idea to keep track of the episodes so as to assess the severity of your condition. This can be achieved by having a dairy at your side to document each of these events. The diary will also be helpful in monitoring the response to treatment.
When you visit your doctor, they will embark on an exercise to establish the exact cause of your problem. A medical history will be required and this will be followed by a comprehensive physical. Issues that the doctor will want to know include the number of episodes that are experienced in a day or week, whether or not there is a relationship with body positioning and the presence or absence of related symptoms. Blood tests and radiological investigations such as the CT scan and MRI may help confirm the diagnosis.
The mode of treatment will be dictated by the cause. In some cases, however, the cause may not be established. Examples of treatments that have been used successfully include home remedies, lifestyle changes and the use of drugs. In the case of migraines, for example, lifestyle changes that involve the avoidance of trigger factors have been immensely successful. Meniere disease is mainly managed by instituting proper diet or surgery where the non-invasive options prove unsuccessful.
There is a high risk of dehydration, heat stroke and hypoglycemia among athletes. All these have been known to predispose to dizziness and fainting. To prevent this occurrence, the athletes will be well advised to have a bottle of water with them and glucose at all times. The same goes for persons that engage in strenuous physical activities especially in environments where the ambient temperatures are significantly high.
Dizziness is a common feeling. It is on most occasion harmless. However, when it is seen to persist for periods of time or when consistently associated with other medical conditions, medical consultation is indicated. The treatment of the condition continues to challenge many clinicians due to the vague nature of the symptom with many patients having different interpretations. Proper evaluation may help narrow down the possibilities.
Differentiating dizziness from vertigo is important. While the former is a feeling of lightheadedness, the latter refers to a sense of spinning environment. Vertigo is caused by a problem affecting the semicircular canals of the ear. One of the forms of this condition is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (also known as BPPV). Symptoms are usually experienced when one changes their body position.
Another commonly encountered cause is Meniere disease. This disease is caused by accumulation of fluid within the middle ear. This too compromises the function of semicircular canals. Causes of real dizziness include tumors (such as acoustic neuroma), a sudden drop in blood pressure, hypoglycemia, some drugs, motion sickness, heat stroke and dehydration.
It is a good idea to keep track of the episodes so as to assess the severity of your condition. This can be achieved by having a dairy at your side to document each of these events. The diary will also be helpful in monitoring the response to treatment.
When you visit your doctor, they will embark on an exercise to establish the exact cause of your problem. A medical history will be required and this will be followed by a comprehensive physical. Issues that the doctor will want to know include the number of episodes that are experienced in a day or week, whether or not there is a relationship with body positioning and the presence or absence of related symptoms. Blood tests and radiological investigations such as the CT scan and MRI may help confirm the diagnosis.
The mode of treatment will be dictated by the cause. In some cases, however, the cause may not be established. Examples of treatments that have been used successfully include home remedies, lifestyle changes and the use of drugs. In the case of migraines, for example, lifestyle changes that involve the avoidance of trigger factors have been immensely successful. Meniere disease is mainly managed by instituting proper diet or surgery where the non-invasive options prove unsuccessful.
There is a high risk of dehydration, heat stroke and hypoglycemia among athletes. All these have been known to predispose to dizziness and fainting. To prevent this occurrence, the athletes will be well advised to have a bottle of water with them and glucose at all times. The same goes for persons that engage in strenuous physical activities especially in environments where the ambient temperatures are significantly high.
Dizziness is a common feeling. It is on most occasion harmless. However, when it is seen to persist for periods of time or when consistently associated with other medical conditions, medical consultation is indicated. The treatment of the condition continues to challenge many clinicians due to the vague nature of the symptom with many patients having different interpretations. Proper evaluation may help narrow down the possibilities.
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