Two Herbs Can Help Ease Nausea from Dizziness.

Sitting on the exam table in the doctor's office, you have the sensation that your body is falling, spinning, and tilting, even though you're sitting perfectly still. Your doctor has given you a diagnosis of benign positional vertigo. That's a fancy way of saying that your problem isn't life-threatening, but the world is spinning around you and making you feel dizzy and very nauseated.

The cause is a communication problem between the balance centers in your inner ear and your brain. The doctor writes you a prescription for a drug to stop the spinning, which also eliminates the nausea-but only by sedating you so heavily that your whole world might come to a complete halt.

"The drugs that conventional medicine uses to treat benign positional vertigo can be really disabling," says Robert Dozor, MD., president and chief executive officer of the California Institute of Integrative Medicine in Calistoga. "Essentially, they suppress the nausea by lowering activity in the nervous system so the balance centers can't communicate with one another. But the effect is to make patients so sedated that they're not going to want to do anything." Alternative medicine has another answer, a way to clear up the nausea without turning off your brain.

GINGER: Quiet the Queasiness
"Ginger in any form-as a capsule, as a tea, even as ginger candy, if it's actually made with the herb-can quickly calm the nausea," Dr. Dozor says. If you're taking a tablet or capsule, follow the label directions. For tea or candy, use as much ginger as you need to stop the queasiness, he says. It's safe to take this until your nausea goes away.

GINKGO: More Blood for Your Balance Centers
It's thought that the herb ginkgo helps relieve dizziness by improving blood supply to the brain and to the balance centers in the inner ear, Dr. Dozor says. Look for extract standardized for 24 percent glycosides (the active ingredients), and take 40 to 80 milligrams three times a day until your nausea passes.

ACUPRESSURE: Thumbs Down for Nausea Relief
An acupressure point on your wrist can help clear up nausea from vertigo, says Dr. Dozor. The point (called PE7) is on the inside of your wrist, in the center and about a finger-width below the wrist crease.

"If you're suffering from vertigo, the area will feel slightly sore," says Dr. Dozor. "Put steady pressure on the point with your thumb for about 5 minutes. It's amazing how effective this is at relieving the nausea of vertigo."

It's in Your Blood
Low blood pressure or uneven blood sugar levels are common-and easily correctable-causes of dizziness, says Dr. Dozor. Here are some simple steps that will get to the root of the problem.

LICORICE: Keep Salt in Your Body
One way to clear up light-headedness from low blood pressure is with the herb licorice, which helps retain sodium, Dr. Dozor says. It's available as capsules, tincture, or tea. Follow the dosage recommendations on the label.
It's safe to take this long term, but be sure that your doctor monitors your blood pressure, sodium, and potassium levels while you're taking it to ensure that your blood pressure doesn't go too high.

FOOD: More Fiber, Less Sugar
If you're feeling light-headed and dizzy a lot of the time, the problem may not be with your blood pressure but with your blood sugar, or glucose-the body's primary fuel. You may have dysglycemia, a condition in which levels of blood sugar roller-coaster up and down, taking your brain for a very unpleasant ride, says Dr. Dozor.

A simple way to stabilize blood sugar levels, he says, is to increase your intake of fiber and decrease your intake of simple carbohydrates such as white sugar and white flour.