The True Cause of Unexplained Headache and Dizziness or Vertigo: Phlegm-Fluid Retention

The concept of 'Phlegm-Fluid Retention' described in Donguibogam (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine) is not merely a Korean Traditional Medicine concept; it encompasses complex phenomena in our body that can be meaningfully understood through modern medicine. In particular, the connection between unexplained headache or dizziness or vertigo and Phlegm-Fluid Retention can be more clearly understood through modern neurology and cardiology, as well as recent, highly regarded gut-brain axis research. First, the description of 'Phlegm-Fluid Retention' as 'body fluids and humors becoming stagnant and cloudy' can be interpreted as the accumulation of metabolic waste products in the body and an inflammatory response. When the body's metabolic function declines due to stress, irregular eating habits, persistent fatigue, etc., waste products that cells should produce and excrete are not processed smoothly and accumulate. This induces chronic inflammation at a microscopic level, and if these inflammatory substances are carried to the brain via blood circulation, they can cause microcirculatory disturbances of cerebral blood vessels. If the brain's capillaries become sticky or narrow due to these micro-inflammatory substances, oxygen and nutrient supply to the brain becomes impaired. This is referred to as 'reduced cerebral blood flow' or 'microvascular dysfunction'. The brain is an organ that consumes the most energy in our body, and even a slight lack of blood supply can cause dysfunction. Specifically, if subtle blood flow disorder occurs in the vestibular organ or brainstem, or the small brain region, which significantly affect balance and cognitive function, dizziness or vertigo may appear. Furthermore, nociceptors around the brain can develop a hypersensitivity reaction to inflammatory substances or develop vascular contraction and relaxation issues, leading to chronic tension headache or migraine. Recent research highlights the close connection between gut health and brain health, known as the 'gut-brain axis'. The Donguibogam (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine) explanation that 'Phlegm-Fluid Retention' is related to the decline of digestive function can be linked to the phenomenon where inflammatory substances (e.g., lipopolysaccharides) induced by gut microbiota dysbiosis travel to the brain via blood and adversely affect brain function. If gut health is poor, it can also cause problems with neurotransmitter production, affecting emotional instability or cognitive decline. Thus, the ancient concept of 'Phlegm-Fluid Retention' can be multi-layered interpretation from a modern medical perspective as various disorders and symptoms, including chronic inflammation, metabolic syndrome, cerebral blood flow disorder, and gut-brain axis imbalance. Beyond simply having a painful and dizzy head, this is why we need to pay closer attention to our body's signals, as they may indicate Qi stagnation.