Dizziness: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

A holter is a a 24-48 hour hour ECG that is used to evaluate disturbances in the rhythm of your heart. A holter monitor is a little, battery controlled therapeutic gadget that measures your heart's actions, for example, rate and cadence. Your specialist may request that you utilize one, in case that they require more data about how your heart functions, that a normal electrocardiogram (EKG) cannot give them. Twenty four hour holter monitoring is an important test to record your heart's rate and cadence for twenty four hours. 

You wear the holter small monitor for twelve to forty-eight hours as you continue with your usual everyday routine. This gadget has cathodes and electrical leads like a standard ECG. It can get your heart's rate and beat as well as when you feel neck pains or display indications of an unpredictable pulse or arrhythmia. 

Here is how it usually works:

1. The holter monitor is very small. It is marginally bigger than a deck of playing cards. A few leads or wires, are attached to your body like an ECG. The leads connect with cathodes that are put on the skin of your chest with a paste like gel. The metal anodes direct your heart's movement through the wires and into the holter screen. 
2. You wear a little pocket around your neck that holds the recorder. It is important to keep the monitor near your body during the testing time frame to ensure the readings are precise. 
3. You will get guidelines that disclose how to deal with your monitor and what not to do while you are wearing it. It is vital to abstain from activities, such as washing, exercising, or running, while you are wearing the screen.
4. You are urged to take an interest in your typical routine during the holter twenty-four-hour test. You will be coordinated to record your routine in a journal. 
5. A 24-hour holter test is effortless. Make sure to record any pain, fast pulse, or other cardiovascular symptoms you have during the testing period. Keep the Holter dry to guarantee it works properly. Scrub down or shower before your arrangement to have the screen fitted and do not apply any moisturizers or creams. Stay away from exercises that may lead to the screen getting wet.
6. Electrical fields may meddle with the capacity of the holter screen. Keep away from zones of high voltage while wearing the screen. 

The results can somewhat be determined as follows: 

1. After the suggested testing time allotment has passed, you will come back to your specialist's office to have the holter monitor removed. Your specialist will read your movement and examine the aftereffects of the screen. Depending upon the results of the test, you may need to experience additional testing before a conclusion is made.
2. The holter monitor may uncover underlying disturbances in your heart rate that may go unnoticed and will help your doctor in treatment of the condition. This is an a very informative and useful tests specially if you have irregular heart beats, fast heart beats, unexplained dizziness or fainting.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Dizziness is now a very common problem among the adults. Maybe people do not take this to be a serious problem in many of the cases, but repeated feeling of dizziness may lead them to visit a doctor. When in the case of such situation, you visit a general physician, not knowing the causes of such problem; often the doctor will refer you to an ENT. There have been some reasons of why you should visit an ENT for dizziness.

Symptoms of Dizziness

Often dizziness occurs along with some other symptoms too. Some of the symptoms that are accompanied by dizziness are:

• Anxiety
• Nausea
• Buzzing noise in the ears
• Pressure in the ears and the head
• Hearing issues

Some Important Reasons for Dizziness
If you are facing dizziness on regular grounds, then it may happen that it is due to some very serious health complications that you are suffering from. Some of the problems that may cause dizziness are:
Inner ear issues,

• Issues in the central nervous system,
• Issues related to the cardiovascular system,
• Bacterial or viral infection,
• Side effects of any medicine.

Diagnosis of The Problem
Diagnosis of the problem is the most important step in case of dizziness. It is because the diagnosis is not about whether you are feeling dizzy or not, it is the diagnosis about why you are feeling dizzy. There are some tests related to balance to diagnose the cause of dizziness. To get the tests done related to balance, you need to visit an ENT because the balance system of the human body is there located in the inner ear.
Though the balance of the body is there to the inner ear, also the test of other sensory organs such as eye and brain is also done. This is because balance disorder or dizziness happens when there is a problem in the communication system of the body. One of the most important ways to diagnose balance is by doing an eye test that is known as nystagmus.

Treatment of The Problem
After several tests of various sensory organs, when the ENT expert reaches a particular result, then the treatment starts depending upon the diagnosis. Today treatment for such balance disorder or dizziness has become common. Some problems can get solved by a changed diet only while other may need the help of medicines. Again, some of the problems may get cured by doing exercises while for some; you may need the help of a physiotherapist too.

When it is about dizziness, it is surely about balance disorder due to some major problems. Balance is controlled from with the inner eye and other sensory organs also, hence it is important to visit the ENT in this case. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Ent Specialist.

Atrial fibrillation is a form of irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia, which you may experience due to a problem in the electrical system of the heart. Such a problem causes the upper parts of the heart or the atria to fibrillate. Due to this quivering, the normal rhythm between the lower parts of the heart and the atria gets disrupted. The ventricles are likely to beat faster in an irregular rhythm. This is a severe condition where the blood may get collected in the atria; this could lead to the formation of blood clots. These clots can block the blood flow and lead to a stroke.

Causes
Several conditions cause strain and damage to the heart. These include the following:

1. High blood pressure or hypertension
2. Heart attack
3. Valvular diseases
4. Coronary artery disease
5. Medical problems like heart failure, lung diseases, high level of thyroid or pneumonia
6. Heart surgeries
7. Excess consumption of alcohol

Symptoms
The primary symptoms of atrial fibrillation include the following:

1. Light-headedness and dizziness
2. Shortness of breath
3. Feeling weak and fatigued
4. Feeling as if the heart is pounding, fluttering or racing (known as palpitations)
5. Feeling that the beating of the heart is uneven
6. Chest pain and fainting

In many cases of atrial fibrillation, the symptoms may be absent.

Diagnosis
Conducting several tests, physical examinations and an analysis of your health history is the first step towards diagnosing atrial fibrillation. An electrocardiogram (ECG) needs to be carried out for the detection of this condition. This test is performed for checking problems regarding the electrical activity of the heart. Other laboratory tests and an echocardiogram maybe required as well. An echocardiogram helps in observing the pumping function of the heart and to check whether the valves have been damaged.

Treatment
The treatment options for atrial fibrillation depend on the cause, symptoms and the risks of getting a stroke. Several medicines are used for treatment along with other methods. They are as follows:

1. Blood thinning medicines for the prevention of a stroke.
2. Heart rate control medicines which will prevent irregular beating of the heart.
3. Rhythm control medicines for restoring the heart’s rhythm to normal.
4. A process known as cardioversion may be used to bring the heartbeat to a normal rhythm. This can be carried out by medicines or an electric shock therapy known as electrical cardioversion.
5. In case of severe symptoms, ablation may be carried out where the affected areas of the heart are destroyed by the creation of a scar tissue.

For the best diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation, you must consult a doctor as soon as you start experiencing the symptoms of the condition. A doctor will prescribe all that you need for an effective treatment.

Stress in the body is a way of responding to threats. These threats need not be physical, but could be in the form of financial trouble, work pressure, relationship difficulties, major life events etc. When we are put under pressure our body releases hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol that makes the heart beat faster, tightens muscles, increases blood pressure and makes the senses alert. 

This is our body’s way of protecting us. However, the body cannot distinguish between life threatening events and the mere pressure of giving a presentation. Experiencing this fight or flight response on a recurring basis can lead to an impaired digestive system, lowered immunity, increased blood pressure and hence risk of strokes and heart attacks and can make you age faster. 

Stress cannot always be avoided but it can be dealt with effectively so as to not allow it to harm your health. For this it is important to first recognise the symptoms of stress. Stress symptoms can be categorized as cognitive, emotional, physical and behavioural symptoms. 

Cognitive Symptoms: 

1. Memory loss 
2. Shortened attention span 
3. Negativity 
4. Anxiousness Emotional 

Symptoms: 

1. Depression 
2. Moodiness 
3. Anger 
4. Feeling of isolation and loneliness 

Physical Symptoms: 

1. Rapid heartbeat 
2. Lowered libido 
3. Frequent flu or stomach upsets 
4. Nausea and dizziness 

Behavioral Symptoms: 

1. Loss of appetite 
2. Insomnia or sleeping excessively 
3. Social withdrawal 
4. Excessive smoking, drinking or use of other intoxicants 

The amount of stress each person can Tolerate before it begins to affect their body varies. While some people thrive under pressure, others are paralysed by it. Some ways you can increase your stress tolerance levels are: 

Become emotionally aware 
For some people, stress is a normal way of life and they do not realize when they’re putting their body under too much pressure. Being aware of how you feel physically and emotionally can help you realize when you are stressed out. Having the emotional awareness of what it takes to calm down your stressed nerves also helps you bounce back from a stressful situation. 

Build a strong Social Network 
People who have a close and strong network of friends and loved ones who they can share their thoughts and experiences with can tolerate more stress than those who are socially withdrawn and have fewer opportunities for social engagements. 

Get some form of regular physical activity 
Regular exercise benefits both your physical and mental health. Exercising calms your nerves and lowers the production of stress hormones in the system. It also gives you time to focus on yourself and distracts you from other worries and tensions. 

Eat the right food 
Processed foods such as refined carbs or sugary snacks can worsen stress by causing fluctuations in your blood sugar levels. Instead, eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables along with proteins and healthy fats. Good sleep at night! If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Psychologist.

BPPV or Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is a major cause of vertigo. This is a condition that gives a sensation of head spin all of a sudden. It also results in dizziness in brief episodes. The severity level can vary from intense to mild. BPPV is triggered with certain changes of the head position. Although BPPV is bothersome, it isn’t serious unless there is a chance of a person falling abruptly because of the head spin. There are ample treatment options available to address this problem.

Symptoms of BPPV
BPPV includes some of the following symptoms:
a. Loss of balance
b. Dizziness
c. Feeling of the surrounding spinning
d. Vomiting and nausea
e. Rhythmic movement of the eye

When to seek medical attention?
If dizziness is accompanied with one of the below-mentioned symptoms, it is time to urgently seek medical attention and get vertigo addressed for good:

1. Hear loss
2. Tingling or numbness
3. Fever accompanies with severe headache
4. Arm or leg weakness
5. Problems with vision
6. Difficulty in walking
7. Becoming unconscious

Causes of BPPV:
If there is on known cause associated with BPPV, the condition is termed as idiopathic BPPV. In most of the cases, though, BPPV is associated with a severe to minor blow to the head. Other causes include an injury to the inner ear, prolonged sitting position in a fixed posture, even migraine pain is at times associated with BPPV.

What are the risk factors?
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is likely to occur in the age group of 50 and above, this being said it can happen at any age in case of any injuries. Statistically, it is found that the likelihood of BPPV is more in women than men. Head injury of any sort is by far the most likely reason of BPPV.

What are the tests and diagnosis involved?
A doctor is likely to perform a physical examination followed by a series of tests. Some typical signs that a doctor looks for include the following:
Ability to control eye movement- especially side to side movement

Symptoms of dizziness
In case it is difficult to spot the symptoms, a doctor might suggest video- nystagmography or electronystagmography. It helps to track irregular eye movement. An MRI can also be prescribed to study the cross-sectional images of the body and the head.

Treatments associated with BPPV:
BPPV mostly go away within months or weeks on its own. If however, it still persists, a doctor can suggest Canalith Repositioning- series of small movements that helps to counter BPPV. For extreme cases, a doctor might advise a surgery for blocking the portion of the inner ear that might be causing the problem. It guarantees close to a 100 percent fix to BPPV. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an ENT specialist.