The term “dizziness” is a common folk term, which is not used in medical symptomatology or differential diagnosis. According to most people’s experience, dizziness is a brain dysfunction that manifests as a pathological manifestation of consciousness, blurred perception, unclear thinking, low efficiency, but no visual rotation, which can significantly affect normal work and life. Northerners often call this feeling “confusion”. This syndrome is different from the medical term “dizziness”.
The essence of “dizziness” is a mild dysfunction of cortical cells (excitation and inhibition are not coordinated), while “dizziness” is a dysfunction of the balance of the lower centers of the brain, mainly manifested by rotation of vision, nausea and vomiting. In severe cases of “dizziness”, “lightheadedness” may also be present.
Common causes
I. Insufficient energy supply to brain neurons
(a) Hypoxia.
1, environmental hypoxia: plateau hypoxia, oxygen partial pressure drop before thunderstorm, confined space hypoxia, etc..
2, respiratory hypoxia: tracheal obstruction, bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, etc., so that the respiratory gas flow and lung gas exchange dysfunction, resulting in oxygen content in the blood (partial pressure of blood oxygen) decline, etc.
3, circulatory hypoxia: due to cardiac insufficiency and/or local blood circulation disorders, causing oxygen content (partial pressure of oxygen) in the blood to drop (cerebral blood supply is still normal), resulting in cerebral hypoxia.
4. Hematologic hypoxia: reduced oxygen in the brain due to anemia (reduced amount of hemoglobin), hemoglobinopathy, blood loss resulting in reduced blood volume, etc.
(ii) Insufficient oxidative substrate (energy donor – glucose)
1, starvation, malnutrition.
2, metabolic disorders: diabetes (in case of hypoglycemia), liver dysfunction (glycogen conversion disorder)
(iii) Mixed (hypoxia, oxidative substrate deficiency) – blood supply disorders (cerebral blood supply deficiency).
1, abnormal blood pressure: high blood pressure makes vasoconstriction leads to reduced blood supply to the brain; low blood pressure makes blood pressure less than the brain and leads to reduced blood supply to the brain.
2, blood vessels are not smooth.
(1) vascular stenosis, blockage. Common in atherosclerotic plaque formation, thrombosis, congenital malformation of blood vessels, affecting the brain blood supply. This is the most common cause of dizziness, such as common luminal infarction, cerebral infarction, etc.
(2) Vascular compression: cervical spondylosis compresses the vertebral artery and affects cerebral blood supply.
(3) Poor blood flow: blood viscosity (hypercoagulability, hyperlipidemia, dehydration), leukemia, thrombocythemia, and true erythrocytosis.
Second, the brain neuron excitation and inhibition is not coordinated
1, cerebral neurasthenia.
2, severe insomnia: brain cell inhibition/excitation dysregulation.
3, excessive dreaming: insufficient rest for the cerebral cortex.
4, mental fatigue.
Treatment principles – remove the cause and eliminate the original disease
1, hypoxic type: avoidance of the hypoxic environment, treatment for the disease characteristics of respiration, circulation and blood.
2, oxidative substrate deficiency type: to meet the necessary nutrition, treatment of diabetes, liver disease, etc.
3, pay attention to the combination of work and rest, avoid overexertion, immediate treatment of insomnia, excessive dreaming, cerebral neurasthenia and other conditions.
4, stable blood pressure: hypertension should be treated immediately and permanently, and hypotension is treated by using Chinese herbal medicines to tonify the qi and strengthen the spleen, which can often achieve better results.
5, vascular dysfunction: is the main cause of dizziness (especially the elderly), which is mostly the result of the joint action of plaque, thrombus, blood viscosity, the use of Chinese medicine to transform the plaque, dissolve the thrombus, reduce blood viscosity, in most patients (especially long-term persistent dizziness patients) can obtain promising results, this is my deep experience in the use of “Powerful elimination of blood stasis and blood circulation formula” treatment of cardiovascular disease.