Harrisburg vertigo doc on functional neurology and dizziness therapy, York, Lancaster, Carlisle

Harrisburg vertigo doc on functional neurology and dizziness therapy

, York, Lancaster, Carlisle

Dr. Sullivan interview:

AB: I'd like to thank you for taking the time to be with us today Dr. Sullivan. We've had a lot of interest lately from people searching for answers to their vertigo. This is something that you treat, correct?

DS: Thank you, and yes, I do treat vertigo. There are a lot of different types, and a lot of different presentations of vertigo, and we can have a significant impact on most of them.

AB: I've had vertigo on a few occasions and it was terrible. But lucky enough for me, it went away. I understand though that there are folks all across the country who have vertigo everyday.

DS: Unfortunately, you're right. And they're suffering terribly. Of all of the chronic illnesses that I treat, vertigo is by far the one that is most obvious to outsiders. The person often walks as if they were intoxicated, or their eyes wobble, or they veer to one side or fall down. It can be humiliating for them because sometimes they just can't hide it. But I think what's worse for them really, is that they haven't found much relief from other therapies.

AB: You mean like medications or Epley's maneuvre?

DS: Exactly. Both are used widely by medical doctors and physical therapists. The problem, at least from my perspective, is that the medications' effect wears off so quickly or sometimes it never even brings relief, and the other is the default use of the Epley maneuver. Now in true cases of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, the Epley repositioning method works great. But if it only lasts a little bit, or has to be done multiple times, that tells me that the diagnosis is probably inaccurate, and needs to be reconsidered.

AB: So there are lots of different causes of vertigo.

DS: Yes, dozens. Some can be from life threatening situations like stroke or hemorrhage, some from loose crystals in the ear, and some from functional issues, where everything is intact and viable, but just not functioning properly.

AB: Could you give us an example of what you mean by 'functional' issues?

DS: Of course. There are multiple brain areas which when damaged, are known to produce vertigo. And yet for some people, they can get the exact same symptoms from these brain areas, and yet there is no evidence of structural damage on imaging studies. So then the problem has to be 'functional' in nature. Meaning that those particular neural networks are under-functioning. And the great part about it is that if the tissue is still viable, it can be rehabilitated back to a high functioning state.

AB: Because the brain is so adaptable, right?

DS: That's right. It can rewire and change itself all through your lifetime.

AB: That's incredible. And is that the foundation for the functional approach to vertigo?

DS: Well, part of it. You also need to consider the metabolic state of the brain, and those affected areas in particular. You need to ensure an optimal internal environment for good results. That includes blood oxygen and glucose levels, so cardiovascular and dietary issues need to be addressed. And then you need to stimulate the brain to a point where plastic changes will take place. This is the real trick because too little won't do much good and too much can cause some damage in susceptible tissues.

AB: That's a lot to take into consideration, but it seems like such a comprehensive approach.

DS: That's my goal. I'd like to pick up where other techniques have failed, and hopefully get some great results.

AB: Excellent. Well again, thank you for taking the time to talk with us here, and hopefully we'll see you back soon.

DS: Thanks for having me.

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