'How-to' YouTube videos designed to help alleviate the dizzy symptoms of vertigo could help cure the condition, recent research suggests.
According to a report published in the Neurology journal, videos containing advice on how to treat vertigo (or more specifically, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), could be an effective way to beat it.
"It was good to see that the video with the most hits was the one developed by the American Academy of Neurology when it published its guideline recommending the use of the Epley manoeuvre in 2008 and then posted on YouTube by a lay person," study author Kevin A. Kerber, said in a statement.
"But it was also good that the majority of the videos demonstrated the manoeuvre accurately."
The Epley manoeuvre involves performing four separate head movements to move the fragments to a place where they can't cause symptoms.
Each head position is held for at least 30 seconds. You may experience some vertigo during the movements.
The study added that videos on vertigo accounted for 85% of Internet searches on the topic. Authors searched the YouTube website and found more than 3,000 videos related to dizziness, accounting for 3m hits.
The comments on the YouTube videos suggest that presenting this manoeuvre in this way is helpful to many.
"I've had vertigo on and off for three or more years," one such comment, posted by YouTube user jsdmonty, reads. "My doctor suggested I go to see a specialist, so I tried You Tube instead! Tried this exercise ... and total bliss, no spinning or vertigo at all ...Thanks YouTube, that's what the internet should be all about."
What is vertigo?
Vertigo is commonly caused by a problem with the balance mechanisms in the inner ear. However, it can also be caused by problems in certain parts of the brain.
Possible causes of vertigo include:
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) – where certain head movements trigger vertigo.
- Ménière's disease – a condition that also causes tinnitus (ringing in your ears) and hearing loss.
- Migraines – severe headaches.
- Vestibular neuronitis – inflammation of the vestibular nerve which runs into the inner ear and sends messages to the brain that help control balance.
Take a look at other YouTube vertigo treatments HuffPost Lifestyle has found...