What is Ayurveda?

Introduction

Vertigo is a very rampant disease condition, but unfortunately not much is known about the condition. When people talk about vertigo, most people think about dizziness. However, there is a thin symptomatic line of difference between normal dizziness and vertigo. Vertigo is a much serious and persistent condition. In Sanskrit, its symptoms can be equated with bhrama. In the US, vertigo is commonly known as head rush.

Alfred Hitchcock made the word vertigo famous with his movie of the same title. But in fact, vertigo does not actually mean ‘fear of heights’. This is a very general misconception. Fear of heights is medically termed as acrophobia. Hence, this discussion is about the real meaning of vertigo, i.e. bhrama, and not acrophobia.

Definition of Vertigo (Bhrama)

Vertigo or bhrama is a balance disorder, which is also commonly known as head rush or spinning sensation. A person suffering from vertigo will experience a sense of spinning of the entire surroundings and find that they are unable to stand in an upright position.

The onset of vertigo is created in different ways. In some people, vertigo comes on very suddenly. In such cases, the bout of vertigo is accompanied by feelings of nausea or vomiting. However, most people have vertigo without even knowing it. For such cases, vertigo attacks come on very gradually, so that there is a just a mild feeling of loss of balance. Such people may just describe their vertigo attack as poor balance.

Diet during Vertigo (Bhrama)

Vertigo is caused when there is a poor oxygen supply to the brain, leading to giddiness. Hence, the diet that is to be taken by vertigo patients must be a vata pacifying diet. The following dietary guidelines can be followed:-

Do not consume a dry diet. Let the diet be rich in water content, i.e. use gravies and curries. Begin your diet with a soup.

Eat all your meals when they are a little warm.

Avoid all kinds of snacks and fast foods. These just whet the appetite temporarily but do not provide any nourishment. Hence, burgers, French Fries, pizzas, colas, popcorn, etc. are out.

Have fluids regularly. Fruit juices must be preferably had.

Eat all your meals at fixed times every day so as not to confuse the body clock. Do not skip meals.

Do not consume vegetables in raw condition. Salads are an exception.

Fats must be present in the diet. Use a little ghee or other saturated fats while cooking. But do not deep fry any food.

Nuts and warm milk make for an excellent food before going to bed if you are suffering from vata. Almonds and cashew nuts are preferable. However, remember not to go overboard with the nuts, or they could increase pitta and raise the agni. This could result in constipation.

Ayurvedic Treatment for Vertigo (Bhrama)

In Ayurveda, generally the treatment of vertigo is done by introducing herbs within the diet of the person. The following is a list of some of the best herbs that have been traditionally used since centuries for the treatment of vertigo:-

The following preparations have special benefits in solving vertigo problems:-

• Triphala
• Sarpagandha – must be taken if there is headache along with the vertigo attack
• Muktabhasma
• Sutasekhara rasa – must be taken with juice of amlaki and honey
• Saraswatarishtha and Ashwagandharishtha­ – must be taken if the person has nervous breakdown with the attack
• Yogendra rasa – must be taken twice daily with milk for better benefits.