In every kitchen, every household has a bottle of vinegar. Aged vinegar is dark and rich in color, fragrant within its sourness, and many people love to add a few drops when cooking. But did you know? This ordinary condiment is often used in traditional Chinese medicine clinical practice as a "medicinal guide." The Compendium of Materia Medica records: "Vinegar disperses blood stasis, treats jaundice, and opens the appetite." It is sour and sweet, astringent and gathering, able to soften the liver and relieve tension. So then, when a person is constantly dizzy, walking unsteadily as if drunk. Could it be that behind this lies an imbalance of qi that needs "vinegar" to harmonize? Let me explain slowly.
Dizziness Like Drunkenness: The Body Is "Performing Drunken Boxing"
Have you ever seen such a situation? When a person walks, their body involuntarily leans to one side, their feet feel like they are stepping on cotton, and they must hold onto a wall to steady themselves. They say their head feels heavy and muddled, as if filled with lead, or as if they have drunk half a catty of erguotou. This "drunken gait" sensation, in the view of traditional Chinese medicine, is not caused by alcohol, but by qi and blood, water and dampness, and phlegm turbidity "fighting" within the body. Clinically, this manifestation is mostly seen in middle-aged and elderly people, and also commonly in young people who sit at desks for long periods and overthink. But even though it is all dizziness, the underlying "culprit" may be completely different.
Pattern A: Qi and Blood Deficiency — Heavy Head and Light Feet, Like Stepping on Clouds
If this dizziness, walking unsteadily as if drunk, occurs after fatigue, worsens in the afternoon, or is accompanied by blackouts before the eyes when standing up from squatting, palpitations, and shortness of breath, then it is most likely qi and blood deficiency at work. These people often have a sallow complexion, pale lips, and a weak voice. Traditional Chinese medicine says, "When upper qi is insufficient, the brain is not filled." Qi and blood are the "fuel" that supplies the brain; when fuel is insufficient, the brain naturally "cannot turn," and the body loses its balance. For care, one may appropriately use mild ingredients such as red dates, longan, and Chinese yam, cooking them into porridge or soup for gradual nourishment. But remember, this type of problem requires a licensed traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to determine deficiency or excess; one must not blindly tonify, otherwise it is easy to experience "deficiency not receiving tonification."
Pattern B: Phlegm-Dampness Obstructing the Middle — Heavy Head Like Being Wrapped, as If Wearing a Wet Hat
Another common situation is that along with dizziness, the head constantly feels as if wrapped in a wet towel, muddled and clouded, and there may even be nausea, a desire to vomit, chest tightness, and sticky stools. This is often not "deficiency" but "blockage" — phlegm-dampness obstructing the middle. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that "without phlegm, there is no vertigo." Phlegm-dampness is like "silt" in the body, blocking the passage for clear yang to rise. Turbid qi disturbs the clear orifices, and the person will have a heavy head and light feet and unsteady walking. These people usually tend to be overweight and have a thick, greasy tongue coating. For care, one may use more dampness-transforming ingredients such as aged tangerine peel, coix seed, and winter melon, and eat less greasy and sweet food. Clinically, if people with a phlegm-dampness constitution also have hypertension or hyperlipidemia, they should pay even more attention to a light diet, but the specific plan must be based on a physician's pattern differentiation.
Pattern C: Liver Yang Rising — Distended Head and Red Eyes, as If a Fire Is Rushing Upward
There is also a group of people whose dizziness is accompanied by distending headache, red face and eyes, irritability, bitter taste in the mouth, dry throat, and even tinnitus like the sound of tides. This dizziness, walking unsteadily as if drunk, often worsens after emotional agitation or staying up late. This belongs to "liver yang rising," comparable to a pot of "boiling water" in the body, with hot qi rushing upward and disturbing the clear orifices. This type is mostly seen in people under long-term stress, who stay up late, and who are prone to anger. For care, one may appropriately steep ingredients such as chrysanthemum, cassia seed, and mulberry leaf to calm the liver and clear heat, and drink as tea. However, note that if liver yang rising is accompanied by a significant increase in blood pressure, medical attention should be sought promptly, and one must not rely solely on dietary therapy. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes that "in acute cases, treat the branch; in chronic cases, treat the root." This type of problem often requires both soothing the liver and subduing yang.
Common Ground in Care: Only by Steadying the "Middle Burner" Can One Avoid "Drunkenness"
Regardless of the pattern type, these three kinds of dizziness share one common feature: the "transportation hub" of the middle burner, the spleen and stomach, has gone wrong. The spleen and stomach are the source of qi and blood production and also the key to transforming and transporting water-dampness. If the spleen and stomach are weak, qi and blood are insufficient, causing dizziness; if the spleen and stomach generate dampness, phlegm turbidity rises and disturbs, causing dizziness; if liver fire attacks the stomach and stomach qi fails to descend, dizziness will likewise occur. Therefore, in daily care, one may take inspiration from the "vinegar" in the kitchen: the sour flavor of vinegar enters the liver and can soften the liver and relieve tension; vinegar can also open the appetite and aid digestion, helping the spleen and stomach transform and transport. But drinking vinegar directly is not suitable for everyone, especially those with excessive stomach acid. More importantly, maintain regular rest, avoid staying up late, and eat less cold, raw, greasy food, so that the "central axis" of the spleen and stomach turns smoothly, and dizziness will naturally lessen. Of course, if symptoms persist without relief, be sure to go to a proper medical institution and have a licensed traditional Chinese medicine practitioner perform detailed pattern differentiation; do not self-match by symptoms.
---
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are dizziness and vertigo the same thing? Why does traditional Chinese medicine divide them into so many types?
A: Dizziness is a feeling of being lightheaded and unclear, while vertigo is a spinning sensation with unsteadiness. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes "treating the same disease differently," and the same dizziness may have completely different causes, so careful differentiation is needed.
Q: Why do some people with the same dizziness need warming tonification, while others need clearing and draining?
A: This is the core of "treatment based on pattern differentiation" in traditional Chinese medicine. People with qi and blood deficiency need nourishment, those with phlegm-dampness obstructing the middle need dampness transformation, and those with liver yang rising need liver calming. The directions are completely opposite, and using the wrong one may worsen the condition.
Q: Can I use moxibustion on my own to regulate dizziness in daily life?
A: Moxibustion may be somewhat helpful for dizziness of the deficiency-cold type, but if it is liver yang rising or internal phlegm-heat, moxibustion may add fuel to the fire. It is recommended that a licensed traditional Chinese medicine practitioner first assess your constitution, then decide whether it is suitable and which specific acupoints to use.