Dizziness

A sensation of imbalance, tilt, spinning of one's head or the environment, impending loss
 of consciousness with or without nausea and vomiting. The organ responsible for our sense
of balance is located in our inner ear. This organ sends signals to a part of our brain called
the Cerebellum located in the posterior of the skull. Simply stated, any dysfunction in the
inner ear or in the Cerebellum can cause dizzziness. There are many disorders that cause
a dysfunction in one of these two organs. Two of the most common are 1. a viral infection
of the inner ear, and 2. floating particles in the inner ear caused by aging ( see newsletter
 Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo ). The first is treated  with a simple medication and
 resolves within one to two weeks. The second is treated with head tilting maneuvers and
 exercises and may take several weeks to several months to get better. A dizziness that
 persists over two months or is accompanied by other symptoms should
prompt your physician to look for Neurologic and Cardiac causes.