Ask Dr. Gott: What is vertigo?
Dear Dr. Gott: My co-worker and I love to read your articles about health in our newspaper and always read them on our way to work. You were our first thought when we had questions about something. Two months ago, another co-worker came down with vertigo. She has not been able to come to work at all since then. We looked up vertigo in the dictionary, but it only gives a small definition. From that, we understand that aircraft pilots and sea divers are always getting it. Since she is neither, we are concerned for both her and our health. How does a person get vertigo? Is it contagious or hereditary? What are the symptoms? Neither of us had heard of vertigo before the co-worker caught it. Dear Reader: Vertigo is neither contagious nor hereditary. It is also not limited to pilots or divers. Vertigo is a sensation that you or your surroundings are moving or spinning. Depending on the type and cause of the vertigo, there may be other symptoms. The most common type is benign paroxysmal posit
