Q I don't understand why I developed BPPV. I was never sick before. What kind of person is prone to having the otoliths come loose?
A In most cases it occurs spontaneously without a specific cause, but sleeping posture, overwork, head trauma, osteoporosis, and vitamin D deficiency are factors that make the otoliths unstable. In Korean medicine, we see it against a background of deficient qi and blood and Kidney deficiency (sinheo) that has weakened inner-ear function.
Detailed Answer
About 50-70% of BPPV cases are idiopathic, occurring without a clear cause. Known risk factors include head trauma, prolonged sleeping on one side, vitamin D deficiency, osteoporosis, and the state following inner-ear surgery. The otoliths tend to become more unstable with age, so it is more common in people over 50, particularly women. Poor inner-ear blood flow from chronic stress and lack of sleep also forms a background that weakens the otoliths.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
In Korean medicine, the Kidney (sin, 腎) is said to govern the ears. When Kidney deficiency (sinheo, 腎虛) depletes the Kidney essence (sinjeong, 腎精) that nourishes the inner ear, the otoliths and inner-ear structures are prone to weakening. In addition, when fluid metabolism in the body does not flow smoothly and dameum (痰飮) accumulates, the inner-ear lymphatic circulation becomes blocked and the otoliths become unstable. Dongjedang identifies the constitutional and circulatory background that makes the otoliths prone to coming loose, addressing the root together so that the same cause does not keep recurring.
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