PREVAIL Over PPPD

Living with Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD) can often feel like being trapped in an unsteady, dizzy, swaying, tilting, rocking, swimming and floating world. It’s a condition that challenges your sense of balance, your perception of the world, and even your confidence in your own body. Despite its relentless grip, there is hope. This book is for you—the person living with PPPD, the caregiver, the medical professional, and anyone seeking to understand this often missed, misdiagnosed, and misunderstood condition. It is a comprehensive guide to navigating the complexities of PPPD. The first section offers insight into what PPPD is, why it occurs, who is at risk for it, what goes wrong in the brain, and its relationship to anxiety, migraine, and vestibular migraine. The second section lays out the PREVAIL strategy, a practical, holistic, multifaceted plan designed to help you reclaim your life, one step at a time. The PREVAIL strategy empowers you with the tools to fight PPPD on seven fronts. Psychology: Mind Matters PPPD is a condition that exists at the intersection of neurobiology and psychology. This section gives insight into how your mind works and a greater understanding of the psychological strategies needed to overcome PPPD. Rx: Pharmacologic Treatments Medications can play a crucial role in treating PPPD. This section outlines what medications are usually prescribed for PPPD, how they may help, what to expect, and potential side effects. Eat well: The Gut-Brain Axis & Diet In this section, you will learn about the scientific evidence between how your gut health is influenced by what you eat, the importance of the gut microbiome, and most importantly, the gut-brain axis, the two-way connection between your neurological and digestive systems. You will learn about how your diet can optimize the gut-brain axis to help PPPD. Vitamins & Nutraceutical Support Supplements can play a big role in brain health and help support recovery from PPPD. This section will inform you about the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and herbs may improve your symptoms and even augment the benefits of pharmacological therapy in PPPD. Activate: Exercise & Other Interventions Exercise is a powerful tool that can improve balance, ameliorate symptoms, enhance mood, and help your recovery. Vestibular rehabilitation therapy, another vital treatment for PPPD.is discussed, including exercises you can perform at home. Finally, this section details other potentially effective measures like breathwork, nature therapy, and neuromodulation. Integrated Care: Other Problems in PPPD Many other symptoms or disorders may coexist with PPPD. While they may not be directly related to PPPD, they contribute to its impact. This chapter provides insight into several important disorders and symptoms that frequently afflict people with PPPD, and practical measures to deal with them. Life Matters: Get on with Life PPPD doesn’t define you. You will learn new ways to cope, adjust, and adapt to the challenges that PPPD brings to your life. This section outlines several important considerations, including advocacy, insurance, finances, medical emergencies, school, and work. You will learn how to build a support network who understand, who can guide you with the right tools, and who believe in your ability to manage and thrive.