How Vertigo and Allergy Can Be Connected

Add vertigo to the list of conditions like eczema and IBS that can have a connection to allergy.  More and more people are discovering that allergic triggers could play a role in their dizzy spells, especially when symptoms seem to flare with seasonal changes or exposure to certain substances.

The good news is that if there’s a connection, your vertigo symptoms may also be reduced when you tackle the root cause of allergies.

How Allergies Work

Allergy symptoms start when you inhale things like pollen and mold spores. The body can overreact and think the substances are harmful and respond by releasing histamine into the bloodstream. That release of histamine triggers symptoms like sneezing, itching, and coughing … and inflammation.

This inflammation can cause a bunch of comorbidities – like headaches, sinusitis – and vertigo, depending on where it occurs. While sinus inflammation may cause sinusitis, inner ear inflammation can cause vertigo.

Inner Ear Inflammation

The vestibular system is in the inner ears, and it detects things like gravity, where you are in relation to your environment, and head movement. It’s what keeps you steady, balanced, and aware of your spatial orientation.

When allergies flare up and cause inflammation around the vestibular system, all those signals are weakened or lost, and it can cause an onset of symptoms like spinning, nausea, and loss of balance.

Sinus Inflammation

Another common reason for vertigo is a dysfunction of the eustachian tubes, which connect the inner ears to the back of the nose and throat. When there is inflammation in the sinuses, it can cause a swelling or blockage of the eustachian tubes, and that can cause pressure in the middle ear. That’s where the vertigo symptoms start.

Treating Allergy (and vertigo!)

Depending on what you’re allergic to, allergies can be seasonal or year-round and cause an onslaught of issues on top of the vertigo discussed here. Itching, sneezing, headaches, congestion, and more can pile on top of the vertigo mess.

The only way to treat the cause of allergy is through immunotherapy, and Allergychoices advocates for custom sublingual immunotherapy (or allergy drops) following The La Crosse Method™ Protocol. After allergy testing, exam, and history, your allergy clinician has the full picture of what you’re allergic to, and at what specific level.

Allergy drops are then personalized to each patient with tiny amounts of the allergens they’re allergic to. Over time, the amount is safely and gradually increased, until the body learns to tolerate more and more of the allergens.

The goal is for allergy symptoms to be reduced – or eliminated – and the baseline inflammation to be lowered. If related to allergy, your vertigo symptoms may be reduced, too.

Tired of struggling through vertigo? Find a provider near you that offers allergy testing and treatment and see if it’s the right option for you.