Vestibular Migraines

You wake up and feel like you’re on a boat in the middle of the ocean… You can’t seem to make it stop no matter what you do and would give anything to be back on land and have some stability. This is an incredibly common occurrence and our clients can experience it for years until they come to us and have their health addressed. In this article, I will be covering 9 red flags that your dizziness may actually be MAV migraines or migraine associated vertigo.

Before we get started its important to understand that these red flags are only for informational and education purposes and not for diagnosing illness, only your doctor can do that.

Lets get into it.

1. Your dizziness comes with headaches

The most common presentation that will point towards your dizziness possibly being linked with migraines is that they come together.

But, just like vertigo and dizziness do not always come with straightforward symptoms, so too do migraines and headaches not always come in a neat and clean fashion we can put into a box.

Even though you may not be experiencing a classic migraine at the same time or around the time of these dizziness symptoms, it may come as neck pain, a sinus headache, temple pressure, pain behind the eyes or even in an ice pick like fashion.

But because of migraine, it’s also not necessarily put down to only pain symptoms.

Be wary that symptoms may come hours and even days apart, but that they are still coming together in one way or another.

2. Your dizziness may come with other phases of migraine/migraine symptoms

It may also be that you will experience an aura, predrome or postdrome with your dizziness symptoms but not the pain or attack phase. These are more likened to acephalgic headaches or migraines but still point to the brain being a main driver of the problem.

Some non head pain symptoms that your dizziness may come with include:

• Visual aura or visual changes

• Light, sound or smell sensitivity

• Nausea or vomiting

• Numbness or tingling

• Weakness or faintness

• Puffy eye lids

• Cognitive issues like difficulty concentrating

• Fatigue

• Cravings

• Thirst or thirstlessness

• Mood changes

• Diarrhoea or constipation

• Hives

• Fever

• Neck or muscular tension and tightness

Migraines can be very elusive and mysterious. They do not always show up with an aura or with head pain and because of this they can often be one of the last diagnoses after a large number of tests have been run.

Migraine diagnosis is often used as a way to tell the patient there is something wrong with there brain and they do not know what to do. Instead, they can start slowly ticking off the boxes of medications “to try” until they find one that gives them some semblance of a regular life back.

But this is a very reductionistic approach and there is much more we can do nutritionally, biochemically, neurologically and mentally/emotionally to restore the brains normal functioning, if only we can find out what is causing sufficient strain on our bodies systems to break down the brains processing.

3. Your symptoms revolve around triggers

One of the first places we go when we find out it’s migraine is to remove “our triggers.”

This is great because it will give us a way to pursue health/healing and find relief but it is often not sufficient enough to actually find out why these triggers have started and what the root cause of the matter is.

For example, if we find our triggers are histamine based then it begs the question, “why is our body having problems with too much histamine or breaking down histamine now.” See our article on the migraine histamine connection here.

Or if we have digestive issues like gas, bloating and diarrhea that are relieved when we stop eating certain foods then it begs the question, “what is causing our digestive system so much trouble now.” See our video on the gut / hormones and headaches here.

Or if we find our vertigo or migrainous symptoms are aggravated at every menstrual cycle then our doctors first response would be to put us on birth control but it begs the question, “why are our hormones not properly regulating themselves now.” See our free e-guide on hormonal headaches here.

We want to understand our triggers and be able to take the immediate load off of our body so that we can ease off the dizziness, pain and give ourselves clarity.

But we also want to understand why this is happening now.

As an example, if we find a fire in our house and we want to put it out, we need to stop throwing gas on it first(our triggers) but we also want to find out what started the fire in the first place(root cause) so that it doesn’t start up again at another time.

For many people it may be mental/emotional stress that pushes our body over the edge in the first place but then something keeps it going even when the stress is gone.

An area that needs to be investigated is the gastrointestinal system because of how mental and emotional stress destroys our guts immunity and opens it up for pathogens and infections to take hold which can continue creating problems for months, years and even decades.

4. History whether it be personal or familial or migraine

The next tell tale pointing us in the direction of migraine is history. If we have a prior history of migraines then this is a given area to explore.

But it may also be that our siblings, parents, aunts, uncles or grandparents have or had migraines or vestibular issues as well. It may also be distantly related to migraines like autoimmunity, hypothyroid, fibromyalgia, obesity etc.

We want to investigate this and especially look at the female side of our family.

Often times the connection to migraines is caused by weak mitochondria caused by poor exposure to the environment, poor food quality and other mitochondrial toxins.

Mitochondrial DNA is directly passed down through the mother’s egg and this can either set us up for resilience or weaknesses that need to be addressed through lifestyle and nutritional factors that change how our mitochondria function.

5. The severity of your dizziness and vertigo like symptoms change in intensity

Another great sign that it is not a structural problem and is instead being mediated by how your brain and body are interacting with each other, functioning and modulating inflammation is by changes in the intensity of symptoms.

A steady 6 or 7 of symptoms may point to something that just needs to be put back into place like our hyoid bone but if the symptoms are fluctuating then we need to investigate.

I always ask clients to use my logging system to keep track of symptoms, foods, sleep quality, possible triggers, severity of pain etc.

This helps us understand triggers that may unfold over multiple days.

Something like a light or smell trigger may be easy to spot, but food triggers are not the same.

Food particles can stay circulating in our body from 24-72 hours and if we have leaky gut and food particles are getting into our body then it is likely we have sensitivities to foods.

Whenever you eat a food you are sensitive to OR you eat a food that creates inflammation like many processed and packaged foods do, then you drive up your bodies immune response.

Your immune system will aggravate and inflammation levels will rise.

This is an easy way for you to push your trigger levels passed your threshold.

But it can happen at any point in the 72 hour cycle of the food and that depends on your immune system.

This is why I created the food triggers guide to help you understand what’s going on.

6. Destruction of the quality of your life

A little dizziness here or there can just be part of our bodies fluctuations and how it adjusts its systems based on what is happening in the environment.

When it has become so severe that your quality of life is compromised and you cannot function enough to work, enjoy time with your family or maintain hobbies, then the signs of chronic illness are here.

The good part is that chronic illnesses are often addressable and correctable because our body is always trying to maintain homeostasis but the bad news is that our medical system is not prepared for chronic illness and does not deal with it properly.

It uses an acute care model for chronic illnesses and this leaves many sufferers searching for the “right diagnosis” and the “right medication” their entire lives.

It’s not your fault. The educational part of the system just isn’t there but if you can take responsibility and educate yourself then your chances of overcoming the break down of your body systems skyrockets.

Hopefully this message finds you sooner than later as the sooner you can catch it and learn what you need to know to heal, the faster your recovery may be.

7. Association with thyroid type symptoms

These last three are from clinical tidbits and common causes of why it is that our body systems break down enough that our brain gets dragged down with them.

Our brain is a semi closed and well protected system. Unless we sustain a head injury then it is something in our bodies malfunctioning that is acting as the “linchpin” in the deterioration of our brains.

We have to understand that 80%+ of our brain is glial cells. These are immune cells and this means that our brain is largely an immune body.

If inflammation and oxidation are causing our immune system to go haywire, our brain can create neuroinflammation and suffer.

One of the common areas this happens is through our thyroid. Our thyroid is called a master gland because thyroid hormone is present on literally every cell in our bodies and the thyroid regulates the speed at which our cells function.

More thyroid hormone = faster metabolic function (inside and outside the cell)

Less thyroid hormone = slower metabolic function (inside and outside the cell)

We have to heal our thyroid if we want to heal our bodies and this often involves correcting the reason behind its dysfunction which are many. Hypothyroid is much more common among migraine sufferers and the two often go together.

Some common symptoms we can use to understand if our thyroid is having problems are:

Fast thyroid(hyper):

• Nervousness

• Concentration issues

• Irritable

• Low menstrual blood flow

• Racing heartbeat or palps

• Intolerance to heat

• Bowel movement changes

• Tremor

• Skin thinning

• Enlargement of thyroid gland

• Brittle hair

• Increased appetite and hunger

• Perspiration

Slow thyroid(hypo):

• Mental fog or sluggishness

• Depressed mood

• Weight gain or fluid retention

• Joint aches and pains

• Excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding

• High cholesterol

• Feeling cold, or increased sensitivity to cold

• Hoarseness or dry skin

• Slow heart rate

• Thinning hair, hair loss or thin eye brows

• Memory issues

• Fatigue

• Constipated

Get your thyroid addressed and not simply with medications, healing thyroid is a full body process and taking a synthetic hormone supplement like synthroid is unlikely to completely correct the causes and symptoms.

8. Break down in immunity

Immunity is a complex topic but at the end of the day the way we address it can be quite simple.

There is a reason why your immune system is either upregulated and overactive or down regulated and being suppressed.(Or a combination of both)

It may be as simple as blood sugar handling problems or as complex as a viral infection that is being kept circulating because of a GI problem.

The place where we interact with the world the closest and where we hold the majority of our immune system is in our GUT.

Everything we ingest interacts with us through the filter of 100 trillion bacteria and the thin wall that goes from our mouth to anus. If we are having problems here like food intolerances, dysbiosis, infections or toxicities then this is where we need to address our problem.

One of the first and foremost tests we will teach in clinic for our clients is gut testing.

If you have an infection, even without any digestive symptoms it can be crippling your immune system and any chance you will have to heal properly.

9. Compromised Neuro-endocrine system

The last red flag and this is often one of the first areas that will break down as your body begins the process of migraining years before you may actually get a migraine is compromise in your nervous and hormonal systems.

This feels like:

• Fatigue

• Food cravings or loss of appetite

• Mood swings

• PMS

• Weight gain or loss

• Sleep issues and trouble waking

• Stress

• Anxiety or depression(or both)

• Cognitive issues

• Muscle weakness

• Low blood pressure

• Blood sugar issues and an inability to miss meals

• Reliance on stimulants and headaches without your morning coffee

This can often cause menstrual or meal related headaches.

Part of this is caused because of our lack of exposure to sufficient day light which causes dysregulation in the communication between our hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands but it can also be caused by:

• Excessive periods of stress

• GI dysfunction

• Over or undereating

• Irregular sleep patterns

• Shift work

• Etc

We need to address our body as a whole because that is what it is. Only looking at the ear or the brain can often get us into a host of unneeded treatments and years if not decades of continued pain and symptoms when really the problem was elsewhere.

It’s always important to have someone spend the time to educate you on your condition and bring together all of the different assessments and treatments that other healthcare providers have gone through with you.

By doing this you will have the most integrated and holistic program that will give you the best chance of getting through this phase of wobbliness.

If you need help and don’t know where to turn then send me a message using the form below and make sure to see our articles on:

17 Greatest natural treatments for vestibular migraines

19 Expert questions to ask about your vertiginous migraines

3 Astonishing answers for: Can vestibular migraines be cured?

Have you experienced or do you suspect you may have MAV migraines?

Vestibular issues can cripple us, especially when they come with migraines.

Luckily, our brain and body are very plastic and when we can remove the cause and lower inflammation, we can relieve many vestibular symptoms and live normal lives again.

In this article, we will cover what vestibular neuritis is and how it can be connected to migraines and headaches from a holistic and functional perspective.

What is vestibular neuritis?

Vestibular neuritis can be broken down by its root words:

Vestibular = our balance and coordination

neur = neurons and nerves

itis = inflammation

So vestibular neuritis = inflammation of the vestibular nerve

Vestibular neuritis usually comes on suddenly and quickly and usually comes with a sense of things being “off.”

Things you are looking at may feel different, the way you move may be altered, you may bump into things and your head may feel “off.”

If you start experiencing vestibular neuritis symptoms it is important to go and get tested to rule out more serious issues immediately and if it is a viral infection that it gets dealt with as soon as possible to prevent further damage to nerves.

See the pin below to understand where vestibular neuritis is:

Symptoms of vestibular neuritis

• Difficulty concentrating
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Difficulty balancing
• Dizziness
• A sudden and severe feeling as if you are spinning or swaying commonly know as vertigo

Treatment for Vestibular neuritis

The standard treatments would be to deal with the usually suspected viral infection that caused the nerve to become inflamed first and then do vestibular training to reset how the brain is processing information coming from the vestibular system so that it doesn’t keep interpreting dizziness.

See this video to get an idea of what vestibular neuritis is from a balance specialist.

Causes of Vestibular Neuritis

Vestibular neuritis is generally understood as being caused by a viral infection in the vestibular system or somewhere else in the body that has created inflammation in the vestibular nerve.

Often this will cause deterioration and damage to the nerve leading to loss of function and all of the symptoms that come with a dysfunctional balance and coordination system.

But because inflammation plays a role and because the vestibulocochlear nerve is one of the cranial nerves and they all “hold hands” we need to lower our bodies inflammation levels and take stress off of our brain and other nerves.

Getting ENG and VNG testing is important to assess inner ear functioning.

Vestibular Exercises

It is important to have a trained professional assess you and give you the correct exercises for your particular case.

When starting rehabilitation exercises symptoms may worsen at first.

That said if you are looking for online vestibular rehabilitation exercises then visit brainandspine.org

See the video below for the 10 best balance exercises:

Vestibular neuritis recovery time

The recovery time for vestibular neuritis depends on the individual and how much effort they put into going through the very difficult dizziness that is associated with doing the recovery exercises.

By dealing with any infeciton that is causing the symptoms, lowering inflammation and putting in effort every day if not multiple times a day to retrain the brain, quick recovery is completely possible.

See this video to hear a vestibular neuritis recovery story and how she shortened her recovery time drastically:

How can it cause headaches and migraines?

When our body loses its accuracy in perceiving its environment through the vestibular system, it will start compensation for things that aren’t there.

For example, if we are sitting at a desk every day that has poor ergonomics and we have to bring our head forward to see the screen properly, our body will compensate for this.

It will round the back to take stress off of the neck but this may lead to back pain and tightness.

A similar thing happens when our vestibular system is affected, depending on how it is affected.

This very frequently leads to neck tightness and head pain as our body tries to compensate.

But there is also the causal factor that can create issues.

If we have excessive inflammation and oxidation or we have a viral infection running rampant and destroying nerves, our brain and other nerves are highly susceptible.

They can be affected , damaged and create pain sensations as a response to nerve damage or to try to protect you from further damage.

Vestibular neuritis vs vestibular migraine

Even though vestibular neuritis and vestibular migraine have many symptoms in common, we can draw some lines.

Whereas vestibular migraine is largely a problem of the brain and specifically with the cerebellum because that is what processes balance and coordination. Vestibular neuritis is usually a problem of the nerve coming out from the brain that goes into the vestibular system.

They both require that the cause be dealt with first and foremost with viral infection common in neuritis and metabolic breakdown common in migraine.

They both do well with dietary and nutritional support as the brain needs nutrients to rebuild and recover but neuritis may need antiviral nutrients whereas migraine may need vitamins and minerals to fix energy issues in the brain and neurodegeneration.

Both neuritis and migraine require stimulus. Even if we lose neurons in the brain or nerves because of circumstances, we still need to use strong stimuli so that the neurons we do have create new pathways and correct the problem.

Vestibular training is common in both because it is a specific stimulus to the vestibular system, vestibular nerves and cerebellum which makes those parts of our nervous system work harder to compensate.

How do we deal with vestibular neuritis caused headaches?

Ideally we want to deal with the neuritis first and foremost, because if the headaches are caused by our body trying to compensate for our posture from not knowing where we are in the world, then just getting rid of pain doesn’t do much for us.

But there are 3 keys pieces we can try to deal with the pain:

1. We need to lower inflammation and this is where turmeric shines. See our post on turmeric curcumin for headaches here. It is one of the most powerful natural anti inflammatories that can help take away pressure off the nerve and take the burden off of our bodies attempts to lower inflammation. Also see our video on curcumin here.

2. One of the best acute natural remedies for pain that is also an all star for nausea is ginger. Use ginger in capsules, in a powder and make ginger beer or ginger tea. See our ultimate headache drink recipe here.

3. And because of the necks involvement and a huge amount of tension created from vestibular issues we also need to consider menthol and peppermint essential oil. Menthol gel has been shown to work wonders for all kinds of head pain and it is a simple and safe remedy.

By addressing the root cause of the neuritis first, supporting the regeneration of our nerves and giving our body enough stimulus to create new connections between neurons we can recover very quickly and put the incredible pain of vestibular issues behind us.

If you are still struggling with vestibular issues see our article on the 17 Greatest natural treatments for vestibular migraines here.

Join the migraine professional community to get a deeper understanding of how to heal the brain, stop inflammation and get natural and holistic solutions to brain pain and dysfunction by clicking the link here.

For us to get the right answers, we need to ask the right questions.

And for us to have the right questions, we need to understand how to ask questions.

In this article we will cover 3 astonishing answers for the question “can vestibular migraines be cured?”

The 3 answers are: technically no, practically yes, and what you should really be focusing on.

Lets get started with technically no as it will provide the basis for understanding the rest.

1. Technically no

When we ask if something can be cured we have to start with the technical understanding since we are surrounded by the western method of medicine.

This method understands migraines as being something that is a life long chronic neurological disease that doesn’t have an objective measure of if it is gone forever or not.

In essence, because there is no test that shows a lab measurement has dropped or risen to a given area creating a state of “cure” then it can not be called that.

Technically because of this it is always in a type of remission and may come out of it any time.

In contrast, if we get an infection, there is an objective laboratory value and a range. If our numbers are within that range, we are infected and if we go below that range, we are cured.

This is easy to do and say with some issues but migraines are not so because of their lack of objective measurement by which we can gauge if we are free of it or not.

This leaves us with one factor that we can use to interpret our health. Active attacks or “remission.”

Because migraine is usually an all or nothing disease, this is hard to do as well. Just because we have not triggered a migraine today doesn’t mean that our trigger levels aren’t so high that we won’t trigger one tomorrow.

It is largely up to us to feel our bodies and often one of the biggest reasons we got into the mess we did is because at some point in our lives we had to compensate for pain or stress and became disconnected from our body. In this disconnect we forgot how to feel an accurate gauge of what will serve our body and what will push it too far.

This is all too common in the 21^st century world of electronics, constant distraction and separation from all of the things we evolved with, especially our tribe.

We need to feel the gauge of remission.

How are we feeling, how are we functioning and how is our lifestyle doing in supporting us in the pursuit of our dream.

There’s a lot to it and with the way medicine is defined, we cannot say this disease is “cured.”

2. Practically yes

But that doesn’t mean that we cannot practically become free of migraine attacks forever.

Practically, it is possible for an individual to do this.

As a basis, we would do this by addressing the root cause that is pushing our body out of homeostasis as well as addressing the three main pieces of trigger mode:

• Trigger level
• Threshold level
• Foundations

I’ve been free from migraines for over 5 years now, simply because I removed the main factors that were causing a huge strain on my body… The root cause.

But migraines are not so simple in this sense and it is not because our brain hates us or usually not because we have an inherited gene we can do nothing about.

Thinking in that way simply limits us in finding an answer.

Medicine advances every day. Don’t put yourself into a box. Unless you want to be in one, then by all means.

The root cause can be such a large strain on the body that we have to do everything absolutely perfect to be able to maintain low enough trigger levels to stay under our threshold.

We need to address the three areas that determine our tendency to be inside or outside of “trigger mode.”

Our trigger level is the sum total of all of the stress our body is taking on or perceiving. This is the load our body is under.

Our nervous system uses a sense called nociception where it totals all of the stress on the nervous system and responds to it accordingly.

But our nervous system connects us from head to toe, from mental, to emotional, to physical, environmental and even spiritual.

We need to lower the load on all of the different areas of our body and this will bring down the nociceptive response our nervous system has.

Lots of load will be interpreted as a lot of stress and a stressful environment.

If you are in a stressed environment, then you cannot sleep, digest, heal or learn properly. You are simply fighting for your life and trying to survive but this is counter productive to your desire to heal your brain.

Threshold level is the combination of the inherited tolerance as well as the accumulation of resources you have to cope with stresses in your environment.

Some people are much more resilient to triggering migraines and some are much less. This is usually because of their threshold level and how much tolerance their body has. This is a fairly steady marker but if we go through a healing period this can heighten and if we go through trauma, stress, toxicity, infection etc, this may lower and we will be less tolerant.

Then we have our foundations.

Our body is naturally equipped with systems to detoxify, repair and release stress.

These systems like sleep, breathing, drinking, eating, movement, thinking and detoxification are always working, 24/7 to try and lower the total stress on your body.

But in many people and especially many migraine sufferers, some of these systems get overburdened, forgotten and compromised, leaving us with what can be understood as a three legged stool.

If our body cannot release stress faster than it can enter our body and mind, we will eventually start experiencing symptoms.

This will happen through our weak links first.

In migraine sufferers, this is our brains.

We want to keep trigger levels low, threshold high and always support our foundations.

See the picture below to understand where the cerebellum is and how it connects to coordination and balance:

3. What you should really be focusing on

We have been taught to naturally think that if we have a problem, we need a solution to that problem.

This is fine, but we have lapsed on learning how our body works.

It is completely interconnected and that place where we have symptoms is often not the place we need to focus our energy.

For example, a large majority of back pain is idiopathic, meaning it is spontaneous and has no known causes.

We go to massage therapists and physical therapists to strengthen the back, stretch it out and focus all of our effort on the back.

But this can easily be an abdominal problem, shoulder problem, knee problem, foot problem, neck problem and even jaw problem.

Systems of the body will take priority over others, the body has a system of prioritizing what it thinks are more important systems over others.

If our core is not activating because we have liver inflammation and the liver needs a high blood flow, then our core will not be taking strain off of the back.

This will easily lead to an unstable back and a back that has to take all of the weight.

Can you see how easy it is to get back pain that actually isn’t caused by the back?

Same thing can happen with the brain and headaches.

If we have a problem going on somewhere else, the head and the nerves around the head can easily become sensitized and start triggering.

We need to focus on overall health first, especially if we have chronic pain and daily migraines.

With such a large load of stress on the body, we need to support the fundamental systems first and make sure they are working properly.

This will often take off half the pain burden.

Sometimes, vestibular migraines can be caused by ear issues. Things like BPPV and ear infections that are mistaken for vestibular migraines.

But if it isn’t and it is a brain problem, we need to take a very different approach.

We need to support the foundational systems first and start checking off possible deeper causes.

Do we have:

• Heavy metal toxicity?
• Parasitic infections?
• Nutrient deficiencies?
• Emotional trauma?
• Primary pain with secondary gain?
• Physical trauma?
• Structural imbalances?
• A life we don’t want to live?
• Blood sugar handling problems?
• Neurodegeneration from dysfunctional mitochondria?

Our brain starts to lose endurance long before in its weak areas and fatigue long before migraines become a common thing.

The brain is showing that it is not producing energy efficiently and effectively enough to run normally and with stamina.

We need to heal this by addressing all of the factors that lower the brain cells or neurons ability to produce energy, the above factors and sources of inflammation or oxidation.

Remember the one common connection behind all migraine triggers is oxidation.

So we need to stop the source of the neurodegeneration. this is often caused by chronic inflammation from somewhere and a lack of ability to produce energy in the brain cells which is usually from nutritional deficiencies.

If it has the building blocks for energy, it can make it, if not, it will create a number of byproducts along the way that will create even more stress on the brain.

But we also want to create more neuroplasticity in the brain. Neuroplasticity is the linking together of brain cells, the creation of pathways and what makes learning possible.

And to make more connections between brain cells, we have to stimulate our brain enough.

Often if we are highly creative, we need to stimulate the logical side of our brain and bring it up.

If we are very numbers oriented and analytical, we need to stimulate the creative side and bring it up.

Through stimulating the brain, new experiences, complex movements and exercise, using things like cold showers that strengthen our vagal nerve and more, we can force the brain to create new, pain free connections instead of reinforcing the pain sensitive ones.

Migraineurs have been shown to lack cerebellar function and have vestibulocerebellar dysfunction far more than regular people.

For example, in vestibular migraines we need to understand that the cerebellum controls our orientation and balance, if the cerebellum is affected by inflammation, nutrient deficiencies and neurodegeneration, we need to stop whatever is stressing our body out like the above factors and then use exercises that will force our cerebellum to make new connections.

See the two videos below on exercises for the cerebellum.

The harder we can make the exercises we use, the more the brain has to try to build new connections.

As we develop more neuroplasticity in the brain, remove the maintaining factors through a good holistic assessment and add in the crucial nutrients our brain needs to produce enough energy to function without becoming hypersensitive to stimulus, we can see amazing changes.

By taking the initiative we can do what nobody else will do for us, heal our brains.

Join the community and learn more about brain health and migraines than you’ve ever known before by clicking here.

Do you experience vestibular migraines?

When did they start? Did they start with any other symptoms? Do you have other cognitive issues as well?

Comment below and share this article with someone who needs to know this crucial information.

Vestibular migraines are one of the most incapacitating forms of migraines.

Worldwide 1% of the population has vestibular migraines.

But thank nature for our very “plastic” brains because with the right detective work, we can deal with the causes and prevent the symptoms.

In this article, I will be talking about the 17 greatest natural treatments for vestibular migraines

What are vestibular migraines?

Vestibular migraines are a subcategory of migraines that can often be confused for BPPV or menieres disease.

The vestibular system is the system inside our heads that orients us in the world and gives us balance.

A vestibular migraine is just an extension of that where:

A migraine and the cascade of events that happen with whatever is causing the migraine ends up affecting the vestibular system and causing symptoms like:

• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Balance problems
• Motion sensitivity
• Disorientation or confusion
• Unsteadiness
• Sensitivity to sound

Vestibular migraine has become another one of those very flimsy diagnoses because of its unknown causes which have lead to a huge amount of people being lumped into the category.

There isn’t an issue with the diagnosis as much as there is an issue with the assessments that go into the diagnosis and the ruling out of other causes that would otherwise fix the problem.

Medicine is functioning on 40 year old knowledge and not enough is understood about the body before this diagnosis is given.

Something as simple as removing foods that are aggravating the body or correcting nutrient deficiencies can provide relief on a case by cases basis but this is largely ignored and medications are the focus…

When we can correct the root cause, we can prevent ourselves from simply medicating for a lifetime. But because a standard GP does not provide a thorough enough assessment, we often need to go to other practitioners to get the right help.

I will cover some of them in this article.

See the infographic below to understand how vestibular migraines are diagnosed:

How can we understand vestibular migraines?

Vestibular migraines, at the basis, once we rule out other causes like infections, sensitivities, toxicity, structural imbalances etc is a migraine that affects the vestibular system.

When the migraine mechanism gets triggered or becomes highly sensitive to trigger which usually happens in chronic migraine sufferers…

Then every small thing can trigger the brain into this reaction.

As the brain struggles to deal with stress and regain homeostasis which is normal baseline functioning, many different systems can go haywire and be affected.

The vestibular system is just one of them.

If the visual processing area is affected, we may get a visual aura, if the olfactory system is affected, we may get phantom smells and if the auditory system is affected, we may hear sounds that aren’t there.

Migraine is a global reaction in the brain and the system that gets affected the most is usually the individuals weakest system.

But this doesn’t tell us much other than to support that system more than we do others.

What we want to understand is what is causing our brain to “migraine.”

Migraine is a mechanism that the brain uses as a protective backup that once the stress is too high, gets triggered to bring more resources and prevent further damage.

We are on the receiving end of that stick as throughout evolution our body has evolved to communicate problems to us through pain.

So let’s look at the 17 greatest natural treatments for vestibular migraines.

As a disclaimer, none of these are for the treatment, prevention or cure of any condition and you should always consult your own doctor before making any changes. There are many different areas that go into dealing with disease and you need an experienced holistic health practitioner to be able to tackle them step by step. This is only what works for me and that may be different for you.

17 Greatest natural treatments for vestibular migraines

As we go through some of these that have been incredibly helpful in getting relief, you may notice that migraine is not an incurable disease at all, but simply the result of the body trying to cope with too much stress.

By dealing with the underlying cause you are much more likely to not have to palliate symptoms.

1. Migraine Glasses

We will start off with an easy one. This is just a simple way of reducing the stimulus on your brain and preventing what has now been found to be damaging “blue light” from entering your brain and disrupting circadian cycles.

Migraine glasses are any type of glasses that specifically block blue light and help your body adjust to the natural light of the earth which tunes your body and all of your hormones.

They are usually an amber, orange or red shade but make sure to get a certified blue blocking pair like these.

2. Limit these foods

Next, we have to understand that the majority of migraines may just be a food allergy.

Over and over again, when sensitive foods are removed from migraine sufferers diets, they can receive profound relief.

Just look at this study entitle “Is migraine a food allergy?”

In this study,

“93% of 88 children with severe frequent migraine recovered on oligoantigenic diets.”

93% is no small number. And I can vouch for it because as soon as I removed sensitive foods from my own diet, my light, sound and smell sensitivity went away and my migraines became non-existent.

It is important to remove 3 types of sensitive foods:

• Personal allergens
• Inflammatory foods
• Most common allergens

A personal allergen is specific to you and your body because everyone has different sensitivities and tolerances for food.

Inflammatory foods are those foods that are just bad for us in general and raise our trigger levels.

And the common allergens are found in study after study to be sensitive in many individuals with migraines.

If you want to know more about food triggers with a step by step plan for dealing with them, get our food triggers guide here.

See the infographic below for the most commonly sensitive foods for migraine sufferers found in one study.

3. Mindfulness for stress busting

We have to understand the play here between our nervous system and our… everything else.

The mind and body are completely interconnected.

The mind talks to the body using the nervous system which connects our entire body together.

When the mind feels a certain way, the body reacts.

What the mind does, the body follows. Always.

So if we are stressed or even perceive that we are stressed…

Our body will think we are stressed as well.

It will release stress hormones, use up nutrients and resources and prepare us to deal with that stress.

But if that stress never goes away, if we are stressed because of a relationship or work or just an extremely obsessive personality…

Then our body will constantly be burning resources that could be used to repair the brain.

If our body is on fight or flight mode, it’s not on rest and digest mode.

This causes our trigger levels to go through the roof.

So finding a simple way to drop the stress, and keep dropping it throughout the day, can keep us in rest and digest mode where we are lowering our trigger levels, not raising them.

One of the easiest ways to do this is mindfulness.

Mind-ful-ness is the practice of “filling your mind” with what is going on in your body.

Simply stop everything you are doing, bring your focus into your self and onto your body.

Where are you holding your tension? Let it go, relax, drop your shoulders and breathe in through your stomach.

The more you can be mindful of your body, the more you can prevent stress from staying stuck inside of it and creating tension that could lead to a very trigger happy brain.

To learn more about the two sides of the nervous system, the fight or flight side and the rest or digest side, click here and scroll down to the sympathetic/parasympathetic nervous system section.

4.Supplementation

First off, supplementation is just that, a supplement.

It should be used as an addition to an already solid lifestyle and nutritional program.

Because without those two, supplementation may lead to more problems.

But there are some amazing supplements that can be used to tackle this dizzy state our brain keeps putting us into.

The 3 most common, most studied safest among them are:

• Magnesium
• Riboflavin
• CoQ10

These are powerful allies we can use in supporting our brain and preventing migraines.

But of course, dosage depends on you and your bodies and brains needs. Get testing done to find out what your specific case needs.

These three are actually used as nutrients inside of the brain to create energy so that our brain runs smoothly, protect us from oxidation which has been found to be the one common connection behind all migraines and cope with stress which is the master trigger.

5. Get the right type of physical assessment

Next, we have to understand the absolutely massive role that our bodies structure plays in vestibular issues of all kinds.

This becomes a problem area because a GP does not have the knowledge to assess you here.

You will likely need a:

• NUCCA chiropractor
• Osteopath
• CHEK practitioner

to give you a full assessment.

You want to get everything looked at, from your head and atlas to your butt and coccyx.

All of our nerves hold hands and affect each other.

In particular, we want to:

– Get cranial balancing especially with any head or neck trauma

– Get TMJ fixed as the TMJ is linked into our balance system

– Check for compression of the vestibulocochlear nerve which controls the vestibular system

– Make sure we don’t have vertebral basilar insufficiency or a vertebral artery occlusion as reduced blood flow means lots of issues

– Get all of our vertebrae and bones checked out especially the hyoid bone and upper cervical vertebrae

Is your posture off? You likely need to have it checked out. Make sure to get a skilled therapist. A basic physical therapist will not do.

6. Cut out these 2 foods

The two most commonly problematic foods, that often don’t even come with any gut or digestive issues if you have problems with them is:

1. Gluten
2. Dairy

Dairy is a massive source of congestion. If we cannot digest dairy properly, we are loading our body and immune system up. This can create a lot of mucus(It definitely did for me).

This mucus will clog our ear nose and throat system and that is where many vestibular issues may start.

Gluten has been implicated in so many different neurological diseases it’s incredible.

If you are having any chronic issues, especially migraines, cut the gluten.

There is also a term called gluten-induced ataxia where the eating of gluten you are sensitive to creates degeneration in the brain and can lead to balance issues, slurred speech etc.

Avoiding these two may be one of the best decisions you ever make.

7. Balance blood sugar by using this

Blood sugar is one of the largest players in our entire bodies health.

If our blood sugar is bouncing up and down from stress, caffeine, or bad food choices and meal timing, we are just waiting for something bad to happen.

If we already have vestibular migraines, blood sugar regulation is in the top 5 things we have to do.

Our brain functions on two forms of energy, carbohydrates and fats.

In a healthy brain, we are constantly balancing the two of them because we need both.

When we are constantly carbohydrate dependent meaning we only eat sources of carbohydrates and sugars, then our brain doesn’t receive enough fat as energy.

When our carbohydrate intake is low, our body starts breaking down fats to use as energy instead.

When our carbohydrates are high, our body won’t break down fats because it’s always storing the sugars as fat.

But when we are constantly spiking blood sugar by eating simple sources of carbohydrates and sugars, we are also making our body release huge amounts of insulin to store that sugar.

If we keep dumping the insulin and sugar, our cells will lower the amount of receptors they have for insulin.

This is the beginning of insulin resistance.

As we continue down this road of stress, caffeine, and simple sources of carbohydrtes like sugar, our brain cells stop absorbing and utilizing the energy spikes.

This leads to break down in our brains cellular metabolism.

No energy = no function

What’s one of the most common triggers for migraine sufferers? Fasting

Because in a fast you have no sugar coming in to keep the brain going at whatever low state of health it’s at.

And most migraine sufferers are carbohydrate dependant meaning their body has lost the ability to break down and use fat for energy.

No energy = brain blackouts = migraines and all the symptoms we get with them like vertigo.

We have to avoid this.

In the beginning of the repair process we have to provide small amounts of simple sugars but the goal is to switch over to vegetables and low glycemic fruit.

High quality organic and wild protein + some low glycemic vegetables + nuts and seeds = healthy happy brain

This means we need to avoid:

• Sugars

• High glycemic foods

• Corn starch

• Processed and packaged food

• Grains

• Legumes

To get a list of and better understanding of foods that balance your blood sugar see our article on 10 super simple blood sugar stabilizing snacks to keep migraines at bay here.

8. Epley Maneuver

The epley maneuver is used when little crystals in your ear that are used for sensing where you are in space break off and float into one of your ear canals.

This crystal can cause the balance system to go haywire and this technique is used to get the crystal out of the canal.

See this video for more information on the epley maneuver:

9. Correct forward head posture

One of the most common causes of cervical nerve pinches and vertebral dysfunction is caused by bad posture.

When we sit or stand with improper posture, we can create a huge load on the body and change the normal structure of our bodies.

The most common change in the last 20 years has become forward head posture.

Forward head posture is when the head is protruding more forward than it should be.

This doubles, triples and even quadruples the amount of stress put onto our necks and is a really easy way for our nerves to pinch and for us to reduce blood flow to our brains.

Does neck or shoulder tension play a role in your VM?

See the infographic below to get an idea of the stress “text neck” puts on your head and body.

If you think this may be an issue, see our article on 1 big tip for cervicogenic headaches here.

10. Do you have this infection?

A very local infection we can have that will send off our vestibular system is a middle ear infection. This should always be one of the first things to be ruled out.

But there is a secondary infection that can create many problems, especially raising our trigger levels and leading to migraines…

It is largely assumed that in the first world, gut infections are non-existent because we have better hygiene.

This is not true.

60-80%+ of the first world population has an active parasite infection.

And these little guys often don’t stay in the gut.

They can become systemic and bring their friends along with them.

But testing for them is largely ignored and far too basic if done by a standard GP.

Having something as simple as athletes food, or dandruff may be a sign that you have a deeper infection that is draining your bodies resources.

But just like trying to kill symptoms, trying to kill the infection can create even more issues.

We want to strengthen the body. It’s usually only because the body has become weak that we will experience these issues.

If we just try to nuke everything with antibiotics, we make get rid of the infection but set ourselves up for dysbiosis(gut bacterial imbalance) or autoimmune disease in the future.

Get tested and see if you experience symptoms that may correlate to infections in the gut.

One of the most common causes of food sensitivities is a bad gut and this goes hand in hand with parasites.

11. Address your master gland

There are few things as well connected to migraines as thyroid issues.

If your thyroid is malfunctioning, it needs to be addressed.

The more common issue here is that the thyroid is slowing down and you are going more “hypo” thyroid as opposed to “hyper.”

The thyroid is the master gland because it regulates all metabolism.

If our body is stressed, it will try to preserve energy, which means it will slow metabolism.

If we are nutrient deficient, our body will not be able to activate and convert thyroid hormones.

If we have food sensitivities to things like gluten, our body can actually mistake our thyroid for the gluten and attack it, causing thyroid dysfunction.

Remember to address the cause, look at the body as a whole and get a qualified holistic health practitioner.

A standard GP will usually only test you for T4 and TSH. If they do this, run.

You need a full panel including:

• Free T4
• Total T4
• TSH
• Total T3
• Free T3
• Reverse T3
• TPO antibodies
• Thyroglobulin antibodies

And if they are only interested in prescribing synthroid, run.

12. Downregulate adrenaline, cortisol, estrogen

This helps us circle back.

If we are stressed, adrenaline is high. If we have trauma, especially from our childhood, we are more likely to be sensitive to stress and adrenaline will be high.

If we are stressed, don’t have good circadian rhythms or constantly bounce blood sugar, our cortisol will be high and create systemic inflammation.

And if we have nutrient deficiencies or use makeups, plastics, hygiene products etc made of plastics and petroleum products then we will be taking in huge amounts of xenoestrogens and disrupting our hormones.

These all lead to a trigger-happy migraine brain and dizziness galore. Address them and keep them low.

See our article on the foundation principles to migraine health here and if you want a step by step plan to lower your trigger levels then start the 10 steps program today.

13. Use ginkgo biloba

Gingko biloba is an amazing herb. The reasons it has been shown to be so good for vertigo and dizziness like symptoms is because it increases blood flow to the brain among other things.

Traditionally, gingko was used to improve memory and recall ability.

But as a vertigo tool, it shows some promise.

Everyone is different so what works for you may not work for someone else. That said, gingko works for many.

14. Cut out the environmental poison

We have to understand that our environment and its rapid change in the past 100 years has huge effects on our bodies, brains and health.

One of these changes is the huge influx of chemicals that we have never before been exposed to in our millions of years of evolution.

This has created many issues. One of them is multiple chemical sensitivity.

“Among the population, 12.8% report medically diagnosed MCS and 25.9% report chemical sensitivity. Of those with MCS, 86.2% experience health problems, such as migraine headaches, when exposed to fragranced consumer products; 71.0% are asthmatic; 70.3% cannot access places that use fragranced products such as air fresheners; and 60.7% lost workdays or a job in the past year due to fragranced products in the workplace.”

This is huge and vestibular migraines are not exempt.

We have to reduce the load our bodies are taking because of the different chemicals in our environments.

This means we need to:

• Switch hygiene products to natural sources
• Change makeup brands to find non toxic and chemical free, tested products
• Avoid any plastic, rubber or petroleum products
• Avoid plastic wrapping, plastic bags, plastic containers for food
• Switch our cookware to things like titanium or cast iron instead of aluminum, teflon or non stick
• Eat pesticide, herbicide, insecticide, antibiotic, hormone and cruelty free foods
• Wear organic clothing that as synthetics don’t breath and are made of synthetics
• Use more natural cleaning and laundry supplies

See this infographic for a class of hormone disruptors called obesogens:

Not only do we need to go out of our way to remove chemicals but we also have to screen for molds and mildew.

Just one small leak in the basement of your house can get into your ventilation and cripple your body.

Do not underestimate mold.

They have survived for billions of years and have helped us create things like insulin and penecillin for good. But they also create many neuro-toxic poisons that will damage our brains.

Just the simple fungus candida can create over 200 different kinds of toxins that may adversely affect us.

15. Try this homeopathic

One of the amazing tools on the block for vertigo-like symptoms is homeopathic medicine.

It’s safe, effective and can actually provide long-term relief without being dependent for life.

I do not usually recommend combination homeopathics because it is hard to track how symptoms change and where to go from there but vertigoheel is an exception.

If you have vertigo-like and vestibular-like symptoms and you’ve exhausted all the other options(which rarely happens before you feel much better…)

Then try vertigoheel.

16. Fix this pattern

If we want to overcome chronic illness, we have to understand breathing properly.

Our breath is deeply connected to our brains and guts and emotions and detoxification.

Remember that we can go weeks without eating, days without drinking but only minutes without breathing.

This function is at the top of the totem pole of our bodies function and it regulates many other systems.

Fixing it does not happen overnight.

It’s a habit and habits are hard to break.

If we have been breathing a certain way for 1,000,000+ breaths, we are going to need more than one or two attempts at correcting it.

This means every day, ideally two or three times a day we need to stop what we are doing, bring our focus to our breath and bring it deep down into our bellies.

If our belly doesn’t expand when we breathe in, we may need a breathing coach or to take the 10 steps program.

Our normal breaths should be 4-6 seconds in and 4-6 seconds out.

They should go deep down into our abdomen causing our belly to go out when we breathe.

Our shoulders should not be lifting and our neck should not be tensing when we breathe.

Take it slow, don’t force it and keep practicing.

Breathing this way is one of the easiest methods for dropping our stress and relaxing our muscles and tension.

17. EFT

Our migraine pattern is the product of the traumas we’ve had in childhood, the patterns we’ve learned from our parents, our own compulsions and our brain and bodies way of compensating for all of that.

The migraine pattern will grind us into the ground if we don’t recognize it and break it.

We develop these patterns in times of stress to deal with the situation.

But this doesn’t mean we should continue with the pattern for the rest of our lives.

We need to recognize and release these and this has to come from a place of safety and security.

This is where EFT comes in as a simple method for creating the emotional resilience and releasing the emotional tension we have.

See the video below for an EFT demonstration.

Always look for the root cause, if you haven’t found it, get holistic health practitioners to help you do it like we do here at Migraine Professional.

I have created a special webinar presentation entitled The 3 Linchpin Areas That Destroy Hormones and Put Your Brain In Pain which you can find here.

I will be covering the 3 areas that are often neglected and prevent you from every actually getting better, instead going through the medication merry-go-round for years.

This free webinar presentation will help you understand WHY the body isn’t getting better and WHERE you need to look to fix root causes instead of just receiving band-aid fixes.

To see the webinar click here.

Do you experience vestibular migraines or symptoms of vertigo or dizziness with head pains?

Let me know in the comments below and share this with someone else suffering who may benefit.

Experiencing pain can be debilitating enough without the room spinning on top of it.

Luckily, addressing the root cause of the spinning may be an amazingly simple fix and very cut and dried.

But even when it isn’t, these questions will lead you to the source of the problem so that is can be solved and not simply avoided with medications.

In this article, we will be talking about 19 expert questions you can ask yourself and your healthcare provider about vertiginous migraines.

What are Vertiginous Migraines?

Vertiginous migraines are simply migraines that are presenting with vertigo-like symptoms.

Some may even get the diagnosis of vestibular migraine.

The best way to understand vertiginous migraines is through the symptoms:

• Feeling unbalanced or like you are spinning

• Experiencing internal vertigo where you feel like you are spinning

• Or experiencing external vertigo where you feel like everything around you is spinning

• Nausea that may lead to vomiting

• The standard migrainous symptoms like headaches, prodromes, postdromes and auras

• Abnormal eye movements and double vision

• Perspiration/sweating

• Ear issues such as ringing, hearing loss etc

• Lack of coordination or feelings of weakness

It is important to understand that vertigo and vertigo-like symptoms can stem from many areas of the body, not just the ears because they hold our vestibular(balance) system.

It may also come from vertebrae being out of place, gut inflammation, neurological issues, infections, BPPV etc so just focusing on the ears or brain usually won’t get us very far and this is why we have 19 questions.

This is the same as migraine because in many cases the cause is not coming from the brain per se, so a full mind/body assessment and program is without question a must.

Always make sure that if you suddenly start experiencing dizziness or vertigo that you immediately go to your doctor and rule out anything serious.

19 Expert questions to ask about your vertiginous migraines

1. Is it from a subluxed atlas or other vertebrae? 

One of the first and sometimes simplest places we need to look when vertigo or migraine-like symptoms start happening is vertebrae that are out of place.

This is even more crucial if it was after an accident, trauma or head injury but it doesn’t have to be.

Having any of our vertebrae out of place can create enough stress on the system to trigger vertigo-like symptoms but the most important here is your neck vertebrae.

Of them, the most susceptible is usually the atlas or C-1.

This vertebrae can be thought of as a “floating” vertebrae because it is not held in place like the others.

This means if we are going through stressful situations, have muscle laxity, have excess estrogen coming in from our environment(who doesn’t?) etc that this vertebra can come out of place very easily.

If it does, just like the other cervical vertebrae, they can actually pinch our artery which supplies blood to the brain.

Bad blood flow to the brain is an easy way to get vertigo, migraine etc.

In this case, it would be important to have a well-trained osteopath or NUCCA chiropractor check your vertebrae and help align them.

See the picture below to understand how an artery that feeds our brain actually goes through our vertebrae and how having a vertebra out of place may cause huge issues. (See vertebral artery)

2. Is it this little fungus?

One of the largest growing epidemics is mold poisoning. Funguses are incredible creatures that we absolutely must have for our own survival.

But when household or workplace molds are sitting in the atmosphere we breathe, eat and drink from, they can cripple our body and compromise our immune systems leading to infections, inflammation and a whole host of issues which can end up in vertigo and migraine.

But if we don’t “sniff” out our environment, we will just think it’s vertigo or migraine…

This is why it’s crucial to have your environment tested if you have been dealing with a chronic illness that won’t go away, if there is any mold in your house(think shower) or if there is sitting water anywhere(think basements).

3. How balanced is your BS?

A simple and often overlooked cause of vertigo can come from the rampant inflammation and problems with oxygen delivery to cells that can happen as a cause of bad Blood Sugar regulation.

Fatigue, wired and tired, cravings, daytime sleepiness, weakness after meals etc can all be signs that your body is not dealing with the meals you are giving it well and it cannot handle the carbohydrate load.

A good rule of thumb is that if your waist measurement is over 80% of your hip measurement, you are developing insulin resistance which will effect any meals you eat.

See our article on the top 10 super simple blood sugar stabilizing snacks to keep migraines at bay here.

4. Is it because of congestion?

Congestion from food is one of the most common causes of mucking up the ears, nose and throat system.

In fact, it was the main contributor to the chronic mucus and congestion I experienced as a child.

Many individuals have a hard time completely digesting dairy and this causes the formation of mucus.

When this mucus overloads our body it often ends up in the ears, nose and throat system because this is where our body interacts with the world and our immune system is on high alert.

Because this system is connected, when the sinuses get full and overflow into the ear channels, this can make our vestibular system go haywire and give us vertigo-like symptoms non-stop.

Think about how in an airplane, chewing or plugging your nose and blowing in it causes your ears to pop. These systems are connected.

If mucus is clogging it you may develop serious issues that may be chronic as long as you continue with the dairy.

Cut out dairy and substitute it with decongesting foods like ginger and spices as well as other astringent foods like grapes and lemons.

See a professional if congestion is a main factor in your health.

5. Is it because of the crystals in your inner ear? 

One of the most commonly attributable causes of vertigo is “rocks” getting into our balance machinery.

In our ear, we have small canals that shift with the change of gravity and our body uses their shifts to tell how we are positioned in the world.

In these canals, there are small “crystals” which help with the complex process of understanding our surroundings.

The idea is that if a pieces breaks off of the crystals and floats into the highly sensitive canals that this will send off a bunch of mixed signals to your brain.

This is often called Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo or BPPV.

A technique called the Epley maneuver is used to treat it, see video below.

6. Is the way you sit and stand cutting off circulation?

One of the biggest changes of our modern lives is that everything we do, from sitting on the couch, to sitting at a desk, to driving, to even looking at our phones causes our body to “pull in.”

Our back curves, our shoulders round and our head comes forward if our ergonomics are not properly taken care of.

This causes a massive strain and just the simple change of posture with our head being forward can create pinches that will translate into dizziness and often headaches.

To understand posture, what is the correct posture and what to do about it see our article on 1 big tip for cervicogenic headaches here.

7. Is it a side effect?

One of the most common side effects of medications, especially migraine medications is dizziness, nausea and vomiting.

Use this medication interactions calculator to find out if one or more of the medications you are having react with each other and may cause unwanted side effects.

Medication interactions calculator

Ask your doc for another medication that may fit you better.

8. Did it start after head trauma?

Head trauma is an absolute must rule out in terms of any kind of vertigo.

If it happened after head trauma you will want to get a full assessment and see if your hips, shoulders and temples are all level with the floor.

If not, this may point to an imbalance the body is compensating for that may be causing huge stress on your balance system.

Leveling your temporal bones and getting cranial balancing from an experienced practitioner in this case.

See an osteopath, craniosacral therapist, NUCCA chiropractor or CHEK practitioner.

9. Is it from a bad bite? (TMJ)

TMJ and TMJD(temporomandibular joint dysfunction) are constant and everyday stressors that will continue to send off your entire body.

Remember that if you can’t eat, you will die, this means your body will prioritize eating over having a balanced head, spine, shoulders etc and this may cause problems right into the vestibular system creating dizziness and balance problems.

One of the simplest tests is to have someone check your bite and see if it is crooked or off in any way but having a trained professional do it is best.

See this pin below on how the jaw interlocks and functions:

10. Do you have a middle ear infection?

If we are getting infections, if our immune system is low, and if our maintenance systems like detoxification are compromised then a simple middle ear infection can send our entire world spinning.

Boost the immune system and clear out the cause of the infection. See the migraineur food pyramid to learn how to boost immunity with food.

11. Is it because of bad ear hygiene?

Many people take q-tips and stick them into their ears.

This is wrong and q-tips should not be placed inside the ear as this can lodge wax inside, lead to infections and trigger the balance system.

Instead, use a better line of products like these:

Otex

12. Do you have a retained Moro reflex?

This is a reflex present between 3-4 months of age. But if it’s not properly integrated and released it can actually continue to trigger our fight or flight system.

It is also a sign that part of our brain is not integrating and functioning properly.

Luckily we can use Moro training to reintegrate the brain and support the repair of this system.

Use this video to understand more about the Moro reflex.

13. Is it gluten induced ataxia?

Gluten has thousands of studies coming out on its undesirable effects on the compromised digestive system, many of which are brain and neurological issues.

One of these is gluten induced ataxia where the eating of gluten can actually cause the loss of oxygenation to the brain leading to light-headedness, dizziness and spinning.

One of the first steps for experiencing any chronic illness is to try removing dairy and gluten for 1-3 months as they can be massive stressors on the system.

This goes along with any food allergies and sensitivities as well. One of the most common causes of migraines and headaches is food sensitivities and this has been shown through studies that have found upwards of 100% improvement through only changing diet.

See the pin below for the most commonly sensitive foods found in one study on migraine sufferers.

14. Is it because of compression of the vestibulocochlear nerve?

The vestibulocochlear nerve is only one of the cranial nerves and they all “hold hands.”

This nerve may be compressed or it could also be any of the nerves to the eyes, face or the rest of the cervical spine that may be causing the problem onto this one.

This is why an assessment is important and particularly having your hyoid bone assessed to see where it sits.

15. Could it be a symptom of autoimmune thyroid?

Thyroid issues affect the entire body and vertigo is a very common symptom of it.

Making sure you have all of your thyroid levels checked if there is any suspicion that the thyroid may be causing this like fatigue, metabolic or weight issues.

See this pin on some of the best food for the thyroid and become suspect if your diet does not include most of them.

16. Is your brain causing it?

As we go through life, the different stressors and nutrient deficiencies we experience may cause declines in certain areas of our brain.

If it isn’t structural, dietary or tied to another condition or illness then having a functional neurologist give you an assessment can make a huge difference with just a few simple exercises.

17. Is it emotionally induced?

Emotion can be held in all different areas of the body and emotions that are strong enough and suppressed long enough can cause massive diseases, even cancer. Trauma is no joke.

This means vertigo, dizziness and migraines are just the tip of the iceberg but it makes sense because our entire body responds to the way we feel.

Using techniques like emotional freedom technique(EFT) can help you release that tension and stress that’s building up inside creating neurological and vestibular issues.

18. Do you have any visual, auditory, cervical or jaw issues?

The simplest start for vertigo and vestibular issues is to notice what else is coming along with it. What else is it tied to?

Do you get blurry vision, do you have neck or shoulder tension, do you get bloated or fatigued, do you get an aura etc.

What is connected that could point to a common root cause?

19. Are you breathing right?

If you want to be healthy and especially if you want to overcome a chronic illness, you have to understand breathing right.

Can you actually breathe right? Do you know what breathing right is?

It is not as simple as “being able to breathe.”

Can you exhale fully?

Can you inhale fully and comfortably?

What is your regular breathing speed and depth?

Are you actually hyperventilating, causing a massive strain on the system?

See the video below on breathing to learn how to breathe and see our article on cervicogenic headaches here to learn specifics.

Dizziness is a complex issue and can come from many different areas but by using these 19 questions and diving deeper into the root cause you will be much better equipped to actually fix the issue.

If you want to understand and be able to apply more amazing techniques to your migraines because you are sick of the pain and symptoms then join over 15,000 other migraine sufferers in our community here.

Do you experience vertigo or vestibular like issues with your migraines?

Let me know in the comments below and share this with someone who may benefit.