Dizziness is similar to modern vestibular dizziness, Ménière's disease, and insufficient blood supply to the vertebral-basilar artery. Peripheral dizziness is often episodic, with severe intensity and short duration, ranging from a few seconds to several days. It is often accompanied by tinnitus, hearing loss, and horizontal or slightly rotary nystagmus. Central dizziness commonly presents as a swaying sensation, a sensation of ground movement or tilt, or a feeling of heaviness in the head and lightness in the feet, accompanied by a floating sensation in the steps. The degree of dizziness is mild, with a duration of several weeks or more, and is less often accompanied by tinnitus or deafness.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that dizziness is mostly caused by liver yang hyperactivity, deficiency of qi and blood, insufficiency of kidney essence, and obstruction by phlegm and turbidity. The treatment should focus on calming the liver and suppressing yang, nourishing qi and blood, tonifying the liver and kidneys, and resolving dampness and phlegm. Clinical observations have found that external treatment methods can effectively prevent and treat dizziness.
1. Herbal Pillow Therapy
Formula 1: 50g each of Prunella vulgaris, lotus leaf, bamboo leaf, dandelion, and chrysanthemum, ground into fine powder and packed into a cloth bag as a pillow core, used continuously for 1-2 months.
Formula 2: 500g of wild chrysanthemum, 100g of safflower, 200g of peppermint, 50g each of mulberry leaf, magnolia flower, and borneol, ground into coarse powder and packed into a pillow core, used for 3 months as a course of treatment.
Both of these formulas can clear heat and calm the liver, and are suitable for dizziness caused by liver yang hyperactivity.
2. Hot Compress Therapy
Herbs such as Chinese angelica, centipede grass, Cola acuminata, and Salvia miltiorrhiza are ground into a fine powder and packed into a cloth bag. After soaking in water for about 20 minutes, heat it in a steamer for 20 minutes. When it cools down to about 50°C, apply it to the neck for hot compress. Each time lasts for 30 minutes and can be reheated when it cools. Apply it twice a day for 10 days as a course of treatment. If conditions permit, the above herbs can also be boiled with water to obtain a concentrated solution of 100ml. Soak two pieces of flannel, measuring 8cm×12cm and 12cm×12cm, in the herbal solution, place them on the neck, and apply two equal-sized electrode plates with a current intensity of 15mA for ion penetration.
This method is an expanded application of traditional Chinese medicine's hot compress therapy, using direct current to introduce the ions of the medication into the body through the skin and mucous membranes to achieve the therapeutic effect.
3. Ear Plug Therapy
Grind 10g of magnetite into a fine powder, divide it into 2 portions, wrap them in gauze, and insert them into both ears. Repeat once or twice a day, each time for 1 hour, for 5-7 consecutive days. This method can calm the liver and suppress yang and is suitable for dizziness caused by kidney deficiency. There is also a folk method of using fresh Rehmannia glutinosa to plug the affected ear to treat dizziness.
4. Acupoint Therapy
Take a piece of ice the size of a rice grain, place it in the center of a 0.5cm×0.5cm adhesive tape, and apply it to acupoints such as Shenmen, Brain, Subcortex, and Sympathetic (2-3 acupoints on each side). Change it every 3 days, with 4 times as a course of treatment. During medication, the adhesive tape should be tightly sealed to prevent the volatile of the ice. Some individuals may feel drowsy after applying the medication, but they will become alert later, so there is no need to worry. This formula can also treat insomnia.
5. Baihui Compress Therapy
Take an equal amount of castor bean and processed Pinellia ternata, grind them into a paste, and apply them externally to the Baihui acupoint. Change the dressing once a day for 2-3 consecutive days. This method can transform phlegm and eliminate dampness, and is suitable for phlegm-dampness dizziness. The dizziness can be significantly relieved after 30 minutes of medication.
6. Navel Compress Therapy
Take 10g each of Astragalus membranaceus and Schisandra chinensis, grind them into a fine powder, add an appropriate amount of water to make a paste, and apply it externally to the navel. Change the dressing once a day for 3-5 consecutive days. This method can invigorate the spleen and replenish qi, and is suitable for dizziness caused by deficiency of qi and blood.
7. Palm Compress Therapy
Take 10g of Datura leaf. It is best to use fresh leaves. Crush them and add a few drops of white wine. Wrap them in the palm of the left hand. Change the medication twice a day. This method is more effective for dizziness caused by liver yang disturbance. This product is toxic, do not take it internally.
8. Yongquan Compress Therapy
Take 20g of Evodia rutaecarpa and 2g of Cinnamomum cassia, grind them into a fine powder, mix with rice vinegar, knead into a cake, and apply it to the Yongquan acupoints on the soles of the feet before bedtime. Remove it the next morning, repeat for 3-5 times. Alternatively, take an appropriate amount of Evodia rutaecarpa, grind it into a fine powder, mix it with rice vinegar or Vaseline to make a paste, and apply it externally to the Yongquan acupoints on the soles of the feet. Change it once a day for 10-15 consecutive days. This method can direct heat downward and is suitable for dizziness, tinnitus, restlessness, and facial flushing.
9. Foot Bath Therapy
Take 10g each of Gardenia jasminoides and Uncaria rhynchophylla, decoct them in water and soak your feet in the liquid for 15-30 minutes, 1-2 times a day, for 5-7 consecutive days. Alternatively, take 30g of Prunella vulgaris, 20g each of Uncaria rhynchophylla, mulberry leaf, and chrysanthemum, and decoct them for foot bath. This method is suitable for dizziness caused by liver yang hyperactivity.
10. Acupoint Injection Therapy
The patient sits upright, the doctor selects the bilateral Fengchi acupoints, and uses a No. 5 skin test needle to draw 2ml of compound Salvia miltiorrhiza injection. After routine disinfection of the local skin, the needle is quickly inserted into the subcutaneous tissue and slowly pushed in for 0.5-0.8 cun. If gas is obtained after withdrawal and no blood is drawn when the medication is pushed in slowly, 1ml of medication is pushed into each acupoint. Treatment is performed every other day, once a day, for 10 times as a course of treatment, with a one-week interval between courses. This method has a good therapeutic effect on cervical dizziness.
