People’s Pharmacy | Avoiding food triggers to prevent dizzy spells
Q. I discovered that I have vestibular migraines causing dizziness. Chocolate and shrimp are my triggers. I’ve had dizzy spells on about the same frequency annually all my adult life. When I added one square of dark chocolate into my daily diet, I experienced a dizzy spell lasting two weeks. I stopped eating chocolate of any kind two years ago, and no more dizzies!
Then I made a big shrimp dish and ate the leftovers for three days. That triggered another lesser event. So I simply avoid both, and no more migraines of any kind! I do wish I’d figured out the triggers many years ago.
I knew for decades I had migraines, mostly headaches and auras. I would have liked a natural way to deal with them. I had no idea they could arrive as dizzy spells but indeed they do.
A. Doctors sometimes find it challenging to diagnose vestibular migraine because there are other conditions that can cause dizziness, such as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) (Neurotherapeutics, July 2024). This condition sometimes responds to the same medicines used to treat other migraines. Your approach of avoiding known triggers might be among the most helpful as well as the most natural.
We don’t know if inducing “brain freeze” with a slushy or ice cream would help ward off a vestibular migraine. This can sometimes be helpful for other types of migraine.
Q. I’ve long been a proponent of using apple cider vinegar with the mother for its health benefits. For simple heartburn, though, I find chewable vinegar tablets work almost immediately and are more convenient.
A. Thanks for sharing this simple approach. It seems counterintuitive to take vinegar to treat heartburn, but many readers agree with you that it can be effective.
Many people prefer to avoid medications if natural remedies work. We often don’t understand the possible mechanisms. As one review put it politely, “A substantial gap persists between anecdotal and empirical understandings of the majority of non-pharmacologic remedies for esophageal symptoms” (Current Gastroenterology Reports, July 10, 2019).
People who would like to read more about apple cider vinegar and other nonpharmaceutical ways to manage heartburn may be interested in our eGuide to Overcoming Digestive Disorders. It is an online resource that may be found under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
Q. I recently sliced my hand while cutting a carrot and used black pepper to stop the abundant bleeding. It worked well and also reduced the pain. For this home remedy, I’m a believer!
A. A quick online search with the terms “ground black pepper for bleeding” will bring up caveats from health care providers warning that spices are far from sterile. Some may be contaminated with heavy metals or pathogens (Consumer Reports, Nov. 9, 2021).
That seems to be worth considering before you buy any spices you plan to consume.
Your hypothetical online search will also produce stories from people like Vegard: “I cut my hand on a chainsaw today. Not a running one. I was sharpening the chain and missed it. The cut was still bleeding quite enough, and it wouldn’t just stop by itself. The nearest doctor is an hour’s hour drive away, and I’m not at all interested in painting my car’s interior red. Black pepper on the cut saved the day.”
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In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com. Their newest book is Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them (Crown).