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Dizzy? Should You Go to an ENT or a Korean Medicine Clinic?

A spinning sensation, a feeling of instability, or a dizzy spell as if you might faint... We all experience "dizziness" at least once in our lives. The symptoms felt when dizzy range widely from lightheadedness due to fatigue to serious problems that paralyze daily life. Especially when dizziness repeats or is accompanied by other symptoms, many people fall into the dilemma of "Where should I go?" It's not uncommon to visit an ENT, get examined, hear that everything is "normal," and feel frustrated because no clear solution is found. Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic Incheon branch would like to provide detailed information on Korean medicine treatment that finds and resolves the root cause of this dizziness.

💡 [Key Answer] 3 causes of dizziness: ① Autonomic nervous system imbalance: A state where the brain is overloaded because the regulation function of the autonomic nervous system has decreased due to stress, overwork, etc. ② Reduced cerebral blood flow: When the blood supply to the brain is not smooth, leading to a decline in brain function. ③ Cervicogenic issues: When the flow of cerebral blood and nerves is obstructed due to tension in the muscles around the neck or problems with the cervical spine. Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic provides integrated treatment for the root cause of dizziness through stabilization of the autonomic nervous system, improvement of cerebral blood flow, and resolution of cervicogenic issues.

Why do they say there's nothing wrong in the exam when I'm dizzy?

"I had an exam at the ENT and they said nothing is wrong. But I'm still dizzy." This is one of the most common frustrations expressed by dizziness patients. In fact, many parts of dizziness are caused by vestibular system problems in the inner ear (BPPV, Meniere's disease, etc.), and in these cases, effective treatment can be received at the ENT. However, about 20-30% of all dizziness falls under 'functional dizziness,' where it's difficult to find a specific cause in exams. This dizziness is deeply related to our body's 'autonomic nervous system.' When the balance of the autonomic nervous system is broken due to stress, overwork, chronic fatigue, etc., the brain cannot rest and becomes excessively hyperactive, which can affect the function that regulates the brain's sense of balance and cause dizziness. In these cases, hospital exams show normal results, making the patient feel even more lost because the cause is unknown.

What is the difference between ENT and Korean medicine clinic treatment approaches for dizziness?

Just as the causes of dizziness are diverse, there are differences in the treatment approaches of ENTs and Korean medicine clinics.

ENT: Mainly focuses on peripheral dizziness related to vestibular disorders of the inner ear, such as BPPV, Meniere's disease, and vestibular neuritis. They alleviate symptoms and correct the cause through canalith repositioning procedures and drug therapy. In emergencies or structural problems, ENT or neurology treatment is prioritized.
Korean Medicine Clinic: Views dizziness not just as an ear problem, but focuses on restoring the body's balance and function from a systemic perspective. They show strengths especially in functional dizziness with no abnormalities in exams, stress-induced dizziness, and chronic dizziness. In Korean medicine, dizziness is diagnosed as brain circulation issues (Qi and blood deficiency, phlegm-retained fluid), autonomic nervous system imbalance (liver yang rising), and brain fatigue (kidney essence deficiency), and treatment is implemented to correct this. At Incheon dizziness clinics, the root cause of dizziness is resolved through autonomic stabilization, cerebral blood flow improvement, and relaxation of cervical muscles, and accompanying symptoms such as headache, tinnitus, and insomnia are also integratedly managed.

How does a Korean medicine clinic diagnose and treat dizziness?

At Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic, we understand dizziness as a symptom stemming from 'brain overload' and 'autonomic nervous system imbalance.' Modern people are prone to a state where the sympathetic nervous system is excessively hyperactive and the brain cannot rest sufficiently due to chronic stress, overwork, and lack of sleep. If this state continues, it becomes difficult to maintain the brain's homeostasis, and various brain and autonomic-related symptoms such as dizziness, headache, tinnitus, and insomnia can appear in combination.

Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic Incheon branch establishes personalized treatment plans by closely identifying the constitution and symptom patterns of each dizziness patient. In the diagnosis process, the overall state of the body is identified through consultations along with autonomic nervous system tests (HRV), pulse diagnosis, and body type tests, and the exact cause inducing dizziness is found.

Dizziness Korean Medicine Treatment Effect Seen through Thesis Data

According to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 35 randomized controlled trials involving 3,862 patients with cervicogenic dizziness (CGD), published in the journal 「Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine」 in 2022 by a research team from Kyung Hee University College of Korean Medicine, herbal medicine treatment can increase the effect compared to single treatment, especially showing the most significant effect when herbal medicine is combined with manual therapy and acupuncture. The researchers concluded that Korean medicine treatment can improve the treatment effect of cervicogenic dizziness and no serious side effects were reported.

Also, a study by a research team from Keimyung University College of Medicine published in the 「Journal of the Neurological Sciences」 in 2014 reported that as a result of conducting autonomic function tests on 18 patients with persistent postural-perceptual dizziness, at least one type of autonomic dysfunction was found in about 80% of the patients. This suggests that autonomic dysfunction can be commonly accompanied in patients with chronic dizziness even if it is not orthostatic dizziness, and shows that regulation of the autonomic nervous system is important in the treatment of dizziness.

Based on these data, Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic views the cause of dizziness as autonomic imbalance and helps fundamentally resolve dizziness through herbal medicine, acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, moxibustion, and Chuna therapy to restore the balance of the brain and autonomic nervous system. In particular, we improve the blood circulation to the brain and stabilize the excessively hyperactive sympathetic nervous system to create an environment where the brain can rest comfortably.

Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic's Autonomic Stabilization Treatment

Dizziness is often not just a problem of the head or ears, but occurs when the body's control function, namely the balance of the autonomic nervous system, is broken due to accumulated stress and fatigue. Our body's autonomic nervous system regulates the functions of all organs while balancing each other like a car's accelerator (sympathetic) and brake (parasympathetic). However, the stress and overwork of modern people break this balance and excessively hyperactivate the sympathetic nervous system, which keeps the brain in a state of constant tension and becomes a major cause of dizziness.

Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic's autonomic stabilization treatment focuses on calming the excitement of the overheated brain and restoring the control of the unbalanced autonomic nervous system. In Korean medicine, this is sometimes explained by the principle of 'Suseunghwagang (水昇火降),' which is a treatment that balances systemic circulation by lowering the hot energy of the head and raising the cold energy of the lower abdomen. Through this, the brain is comfortably stabilized, and the function of the autonomic nervous system is normalized, resulting in improvement of dizziness as well as accompanying symptoms such as headache, tinnitus, and insomnia.

Dizziness Self-Checklist

Check how many of the following items apply to you.

When suddenly standing up, the eyes turn dark or I feel dizzy.
Dizziness that feels as if the surroundings are spinning occurs frequently.
For no particular reason, the head feels heavy or I feel dazed.
Along with dizziness, I hear a ringing sound (tinnitus) in my ears or it seems my hearing has decreased.
When under stress or tired, dizziness becomes more severe.
It's difficult to fall asleep, I wake up frequently during sleep, or I don't feel refreshed in the morning.
Digestion is not good, or symptoms of chest tightness and palpitations are accompanied.
The back of the neck and shoulders always feel stiff and tight.

Judgment Criteria:

3 or more: Suspect dizziness due to autonomic imbalance, and it is recommended to review Korean medicine complex treatment through in-depth consultation at an Incheon autonomic nervous system clinic.
5 or more: Life quality degradation due to dizziness can be severe, so it is important to start precise diagnosis and treatment through immediate visit.

FAQ

Q. Is Korean medicine treatment necessary even if the ENT exam is normal for dizziness? A. Yes, it may be necessary. Dizziness where no structural abnormalities are found in ENT exams is often due to functional causes such as autonomic nervous system imbalance or cerebral blood flow circulation issues. Korean medicine clinics diagnose these functional problems and conduct fundamental treatment with herbal medicine, acupuncture, and Chuna.

Q. How long does dizziness Korean medicine treatment take? A. The treatment period varies depending on the type and cause of dizziness, the severity of symptoms, and the patient's constitution. Usually, a treatment period of several weeks to several months is required, and gradual improvement can be expected through steady treatment and lifestyle improvement. Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic presents a personalized treatment plan for each individual.

Q. Can headache and tinnitus accompanied with dizziness be treated together? A. Yes, it's possible. Dizziness, headache, and tinnitus are often accompanied due to functional abnormalities of the brain and autonomic nervous system. Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic helps overall health recovery by improving the root cause of these three symptoms simultaneously through autonomic stabilization treatment.

Dizziness is not a problem that can be solved by enduring it. You no longer have to ignore the signals your body has been sending for a long time. If you approach it in the right direction, your body will react faster than you think. Bring the symptoms you are experiencing as they are. Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic will find the cause together.

Where life blooms. For herbal medicine, it's Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic. Check your symptoms first through the AI consultation on the Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic website!

This health information was compiled by the medical staff of Dalimchae, based on questions frequently asked in the examination room. Medical Supervision | Yang Yuchan, Oriental Medical Doctor, Incheon branch of Dalimchae Oriental Medicine Clinic (Dizziness Column)