One of our readers asked the question why I had made the assertion that people with balance problems need to undergo a brain rehabilitation programme.  This is a fair question, and I will answer it here.  This post will be more technical than most, but bear with me, it is worth it.

Many people with vertigo and dizziness comment to me that flying fills them with dread. Flying is particularly bad for the vertigo and dizziness sufferer for several reasons.   But with a bit of knowledge you can minimize the negative effects.

A question I get asked all the time by my patients is how long will it take to get better. The “normal” healing time of labyrinthitis is about six weeks, but things often aren’t as simple as they seem.
Labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis is a condition where the inner, or or the nerve running from it to the brain, gets an infection (usually caused by a virus). This causes the signals from the ear to be disordered, either increased or decreased, and the brain has to adapt to these changes in …

Regardless other whether you feel vertigo or dizziness, both are very unpleasant. Ian Hooton / Science Photo Library

It’s easy to assume that they are the same thing, because in day to day life we use the terms interchangeably, but in actual fact they are different.  And as you move forward in your understanding of your vertigo or dizziness problem it is important that you understand the difference.
Vertigo specifically means a sensation of movement of either yourself or the world when you are not really moving.  It is usually a spinning …

Today I’m going to discuss viral labyrinthitis or vestibular neuritis as it is also known. Like other causes of vertigo and dizziness a good understanding of the condition you are suffering from is important both to assist you in recovery and is relieving the anxiety that you naturally feel with a problem such as this.