He is known as the smart man’s comedian, interviewing the who’s who of showbusiness and politics, generating laughs that reverberate across continents. By all accounts, late-night show host Stephen Colbert is at the pinnacle of his career. More popularly known as a political satirist, he parlayed his comedic genius to mature audiences by appearing on Comedy Central shows like The Colbert Report and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

He earns mega-millions for making people laugh, yet there are aspects of his life that are so serious that even he can’t make jokes about them. Colbert suffers from BPPV or Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. 

What is Positional Vertigo?

A person who suffers from the condition called BPPV suffers from spinning dizziness. In general, the spinning dizziness is experienced by a person with vertigo because of the movement of otoconia or so-called “ear rocks.”  These rocks are calcium carbonate deposits inside the inner ear.

When these rocks are dislodged and fall into the ear canal, they interrupt very tiny and sensitive hair follicles that help us maintain our equilibrium or balance. The interruption causes the wild spinning sensations felt by people with BPPV. Many people have found relief for spinning dizziness by working with a qualified upper cervical chiropractor for vertigo.

According to Colbert, growing up, he dreamt of becoming a marine biologist.  A tumor was found in his head, so he had to undergo surgery, with doctors doing the procedure through one of his ears. This left him with one less eardrum and no hearing in that side of the head.

This procedure ended his dream of becoming a marine biologist, a profession that required constant presence in the water to make deep scuba dives.  Diving is impossible for people with damaged ears since the pressure under the sea would be painful and could lead to more complications. Fortunately, he found an excellent career in the entertainment industry.

Other Known Causes of Vertigo

Aside from BPPV, these are the other two possible causes of vertigo:

• Vestibular Neuritis – Inside our inner ear, one can find the vestibular nerve. This nerve sends signals to the brain that make it possible for people to control their body balance. An injury or inflammation of the vestibular nerve may lead to distortion of signals, causing a person to lose his or her sense of equilibrium.
• Migraines – The intense throbbing, pulsating, or pressing headaches called migraines are also a possible source of vertigo. Migraines may come with headaches and dizziness, as well as tinnitus or ringing in the ears.

Vertigo Symptoms

Colbert and others like him who suffer from vertigo experience the following symptoms: 

• Spinning dizziness
• Loss of balance or disequilibrium
• Lightheadedness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Migraine or intense headaches
• Motion sickness

• Loss of control of eye movement
• Ringing of the ears or tinnitus

 These are the most common complaints raised by people who approach an upper cervical chiropractor for vertigo for help with their condition.

Common Approaches to Vertigo Care

Vertigo is not a life-threatening condition unless a person who becomes dizzy falls to the ground and hits his or her head on a tough surface or pointed object. Such a fall could cause a severe brain injury.

The spinning dizziness is debilitating, often taking away a person’s confidence and sense of safety in moving about, especially when unaccompanied. In order to reduce the symptoms and make the disorder more manageable, people commonly resort to the following methods of dealing with vertigo: 

• Medications.  The use of antibiotics, antiviral drugs, and other prescription medications is resorted to, especially when the diagnosis indicates a bacterial or viral infection in the inner ears. The medications are meant to deal with infection, reduce inflammation, and restore health inside a person’s ears.
• Motion Sickness Treatment.  Doctors may prescribe antihistamines and anti-emetics to help persons with vertigo better manage the symptoms of nausea or motion sickness.
• Ear Surgery.  In the worst vertigo cases, some people must undergo inner ear surgery to remove any source of inflammation, infection, or foreign object that may be causing the spinning dizziness.

An upper cervical chiropractor for vertigo would not recommend surgery immediately but instead, advise a more non-invasive and safe approach to manage this disorder.

Alternative Care for Vertigo

To address the problems caused by this disorder, an upper cervical chiropractor for vertigo would typically ask for x-rays of the head and neck. There is a need to determine if there is a severe misalignment of the upper cervical spine, specifically in the atlas bone (or C1 vertebra) and the axis bone (or C2 vertebra). Based on numerous studies, an association has been found between spinal misalignments and disorders like vertigo.

The approach taken by the upper cervical chiropractor for vertigo is to gently and skillfully restore the alignment of the atlas and axis bones. Restoring the proper alignment has beneficial effects on the inner ear, head, neck, and practically the entire body.  

Depending on the disorder’s specific cause, an upper cervical spine care practitioner will only use the right degree of hand pressure to bring back the proper alignment of the spine's topmost bones. When the upper cervical spine is injured, inflamed, or misaligned, the signals that run from the brain to different parts of the body are also affected. The disruption of these signals that pass through our nervous system may cause dizziness and other symptoms typically associated with vertigo. 

To know more about this natural relief for vertigo, browse through our extensive directory for a list of upper cervical chiropractic centers in your city or state.

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