Blog

3

I've suffered from this on and off while paleo. It's very distressing but mostly harmless. I've been to the doc who did a physical exam and declared I didn't have traditional vertigo but presribed some stemitil, which actually made it worse.

I've scoured the net but can't seem to find anything, it gets worse under strip artificial light like in supermarkets. My blood sugar is pretty good so it doesn't seem to be related to that either. I'm at the end of my tether with this it's so debilitating. Any ideas/avenues of investigation I could mention to my doc appreciated!

UPDATE MAY 29 2010: I've been taking a glass of water with 500mg magnesium and 198mg potassium stirred each morning along with upping potassium containing foods and so far it appears to be working, fingers crossed that this is the solution!

UPDATE JAN 26 2011: Argh! It's back, just checked blood sugar and it's 100. Have optimised mag, potassium(from food) and taken iodine. I am trying to lose a few lb at the moment so have been dieting, don't think my cals are that low but having said that I'm not hungry at all. Think I might have to raise the cals and lose the weight slower. Either that or get my blood pressure tested.

UPDATE MAR 02 2011: Back again, it does seem to coincide with serious attempts to lose weight. I am currently 10lb heavier than my 'happy weight' post christmas. Every time I drop calories/carbs, here comes the dizziness. I'm talking about 1700 cals here, not crazy low. This never used to happen me before and I used to eat about 1200 on atkins last time I counted. Had a big pile of potato to see if the potassium would help and eating like crazy all day but it's not going away. :( Seeing the doc again tomorrow. Oh and tried the nose rinse but no joy.

flag
Is it following a fast, or after a meal, or between meals, or no particular pattern? Any particular time of day? – CT May 27 2010 at 16:31
No discernible pattern as far as I can tell. Can stuff my face and it's still there. – sarah-ann May 27 2010 at 17:20

13 Answers

3

I still get this once in a while, even after going Paleo. With me, it seems related to sinus problems - my sinuses are pressing on the inner ear structures which control balance. I can get sinus toothaches now and then, too. The sinuses are pressing on the roots of the teeth. These problems can happen even when my sinuses themselves aren't really bothering me.

Three things that seem to help me the most with sinuses:

  1. Enough Vitamin D.
  2. Xlear Nasal Spray (available at Vitamin Shoppe and other health stores)
  3. Even better, NeilMed Sinus Rinse. I got mine at CostCo.

The Xlear is a non-medicated nasal spray containing Xylitol, a sugar which prevents microorganisms from attaching to your nasal membranes.

The NeilMed is a sinus rinsing system similar to a Neti-Pot but better because it uses positive pressure. Also, the rinse contains sodium bicarbonate as well as salt. Although the NeilMed people don't seem to mention this, most chronic sinus problems are actually due to fungus, not bacteria, and sodium bicarb is deadly to fungus. The rinse is very weird to use the first few times, but you quickly get used to it.

The Xlear and NeilMed - I've found that I have to do it religiously every day until several days after everything seems to be resolved, or the problems can return quickly. But then I can cut back and just do it every 2-3 days to maintain.

link|flag
Fascinating, I'll give it a try! – sarah-ann May 28 2010 at 10:46
Thumbs up on NeilMed sinus rinse! I didn't know I had sinus issues till Dr told me my lingering and very sudden "tickle" coughing spells were result of sinus drainage. This device has transformed my life - I use it at the first small sign of a cold, and poof! It disappears. :) – friendtricia May 28 2010 at 15:16
I see the the two main ingredients of NeilMed are salt and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Do you think I can mix salt & baking soda to achieve the same effect as the NeilMed? I wish I could order the Xlear, but they don't ship to Europe (Netherlands). – Tom Jan 31 2011 at 23:21
Make your own sinus rinse? Maybe. I'd probably be too chicken to try that. On the Xlear, that's odd - I thought Xylitol-based nasal sprays were invented in Finland, although maybe just researched there and commercialized only in the U.S. Who's "they" who won't ship to Netherlands? Can you order from Amazon? They sell the Xlear. – Dave Hirschman Feb 1 2011 at 4:07
3

Sarah-Ann,

I'd second Melissa's response. Salt helps the adrenal glands.

I've had the same symptoms on/off for years and used to be 'proud' of my non-existent blood pressure. It is from adrenal fatigue or insufficiency!

Wilson has a great book which you may find of value 'Adrenal Fatigue: the 21st century stress syndrome'. I wrote a little bit about recovery here.

Personally I feel better now -- 99% have my MOJO back and no dizziness unless lack of sleep or overexertion. Eating small frequent meals with some carbs (berries, potatoes or white rice) and enough protein and fats. Trying to cut down on caffeine and alcohol too helps (I am NO SAINT haa). I literally drink a cup of warm water with half tsp of Utah Redmond salt (or non-GMO miso soup) 1-3x per week. This helps. Avoid potassium un-necessarily or try to get from veggies and berries. Supplementation of Magnesium + trace minerals (Thorne makes a great citrate cap) and some pantothenic acid (substrate for AcCoA in our mitochondrial energy cycles, like 1 gram twice daily) and some B vitamins and extra vitamin C + Bioflavanoids are EXTREMELY helpful for recovering the adrenal glands, one of the most crucial organs for maintaining ALL of our vital hormones and cortisol peaks/valleys throughout the day.

Probiotics seems to help too which I added about 1-2 mos ago. I have been taking omega-3 and vitamin D for years already. Later you might consider having your thyroid addressed -- these often burn out hand-in-hand. Low thyroid also can cause fatigue and dizziness.

Hope that helps! Grace

link|flag
2

Do you get enough magnesium and potassium?

link|flag
Take a mag supplement, but not potassium, couldn be potassium. OK, off to the health food shop, it's especially bad today! – sarah-ann May 27 2010 at 17:20
OK have taken some potassium 198mg to be precise about an hour ago, still dizzy, how long should this take to kick in? – sarah-ann May 27 2010 at 19:14
While the RDA rec's are not perfect, the number for potassium is 4700, and high dose supplements are by prescription only. Look for foods high in potassium-it's a lot more than what's in those pills! – Nicole May 28 2010 at 23:12
2

What's your carb intake? I get this on a fast sometimes, or if I try to go VLC after weight-lifting. Potatoes always cure the problem (or any carb source).

I know you said your BG was fine, but could be worth a shot. Also, do you get a head rush if you stand up quickly?

link|flag
carbs don't help unfortunately! – sarah-ann May 28 2010 at 10:45
2

Does the vertigo come on with charge in head position? If so, you may have Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, an annoying but non-dangerous condition. Viruses can also cause vertigo.

link|flag
Nope, I think that's the one that the doctor checked for with the physical exam. – sarah-ann May 28 2010 at 15:36
2

My daughter's vertigo is triggered by dairy and gluten.

link|flag
2

I've had this too. My doctor told me I had hypotension. I increased my salt, seaweed, and overall calorie intake and it went away. But it came back recently when I was stressed and didn't eat enough.

link|flag
2

A bit late, but see this interview with Mac Danzig (vegan mma fighter). Specifically, this part on dairy:

For the record, I cut dairy completely out of my diet in 1999 (over 5 years before I ever committed to a full-Vegan diet)... This was due to an allergy that I developed in my adolescent years to dairy that effected my sinuses and everything connecting to them. For a good part of my teenage years, I suffered from severe ear infections and chronic Vertigo (which is completely miserable). It took me a few years of to finally realize that the antibiotics were only temporarily subduing a much bigger problem. I did my research and finally found the source. A lot of people don't realize how hard milk, whey, and other dairy products are on the sinuses and respiratory system, and the dairy industry would like you to believe that you need milk to get calcium. That notion is as oxymoronic as you can get. Although not everybody has as severe an allergy to dairy products as I did, I just wanted to point out that after years of battling with ear and sinus infections, eliminating dairy completely cured my problems. Anyone with similar problems may want to try it for a while.

link|flag
1

Deep breaths before standing help around a period of issue

as for source, mine usually happen with zero carb periods or high caffeine on empty stomach

link|flag
1

atypical migraine? the gluten/dairy link is worth checking.

link|flag
1

I asked a similar question awhile back: http://paleohacks.com/questions/2989/why-do-i-get-dizzy-faint-lightheaded

Since then the problem has largely passed, though last week when it was crazy at work and I forgot to eat bkft AND lunch I got a little spinny after hoisting a 100lb box of paper. A quick valsava and it was over.

In my case I am certain that it is low blood pressure and I don't think there's much I can do about that.

Oh, also, the fluorescent lamps can be triggering a type of migraine. Under certain lighting conditions I get ocular migraines (the "aura") and get very dizzy/vertiginous. The only cure is to get outside ASAP. If you want to see me collapse into a puddle just put me under some 50Hz fluorescents or in front of an old PAL TV set. Luckily I don't live in a 220V/50Hz country!

link|flag
1

I have this happen when my caloric intake is too low which might also tie into my potassium levels. I've never thought about that correlation tends to happen when i'm training really hard so that would make sense.

I hate it. feels like I'm going to either fall down or pass out if i try to ignore it and keep moving.

link|flag
1

So this just happened when you started eating Paleo, or did it happen before? I've got a sporadic issue with an Eustacian tube that doesn't drain at times (when it gets irritated). Causes me vertigo/dizzines spells that can turn into migraines. But I had that before Paleo, and it's been better during Paleo.

link|flag
Had it before paleo. I think it's something to do with my sinuses/ears. Have just completed a sinus rinse, will persist for a few days and see if it helps. – sarah-ann Jan 27 2011 at 13:35

Your Answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.