Wine, Crystals, and Dizziness: When Medicine Misses the Obvious

In the medical world, there’s a long history of missing the obvious. Doctors have historically denied links between certain lifestyle factors and illnesses, only to admit years later that, yes, there was a connection after all. Smoking and lung cancer? It took decades for the link to be widely accepted. Stomach ulcers and the Helicobacter pylori bacterium? Doctors laughed at the researchers until they proved the connection by drinking a bacteria culture and developing ulcers themselves. And now—can we add red wine and ear crystals to the list of medical mysteries that no one wants to acknowledge?

Dizziness, Crystals, and Doctors’ Indifference

Dizziness is a strange phenomenon. For those who have never experienced severe vertigo, it might seem trivial, but for those of us who have been unfortunate enough to suffer from it, we know it’s anything but. Balance disappears, the world spins, and in the worst cases, you're completely helpless. Doctors call it benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), meaning "benign, sudden, and position-related dizziness." The cause? Tiny crystals in the inner ear that have shifted out of place.

These crystals, called otoliths, are small calcium carbonate structures that normally help the brain track the body's position. When they become dislodged and fall into the semicircular canals of the inner ear, they send the brain incorrect signals, leading to that infamous feeling that the world is spinning. Doctors often treat this with repositioning exercises, such as the Epley maneuver, designed to move the crystals back into their proper place.

But what no doctor seems to consider is why these crystals come loose in the first place.

The Red Wine Connection – A Mystery No One Wants to Talk About

Many of us who have suffered from BPPV have noticed something interesting: red wine seems to be linked to these dizzy spells. In my own case, it was crystal clear—whenever I drank red wine, I suffered from severe vertigo; when I stopped drinking red wine, the vertigo disappeared. For good. A logical connection, one might think. But when I brought this up with doctors, I was met with raised eyebrows and shrugs.

"No, there’s no scientific evidence for that," they said.

Oh, really? But what exactly is scientific evidence? Do I need to conduct a double-blind, placebo-controlled study on myself for it to be acknowledged? Do I need to gather data from thousands of wine drinkers with vertigo problems for it to be taken seriously?

Here we have a situation where multiple patients report the same thing—red wine seems to trigger or worsen BPPV. Yet, medical research is nowhere to be found. Instead, we’re told that it’s probably just a coincidence, or even worse—that we’re imagining it.

What Are the Possible Biological Explanations?

Even though the medical community seems uninterested in this connection, there are several plausible mechanisms that could explain it. Here are a few possibilities:

1. Red wine contains histamines and sulfites
   Histamines can affect fluid balance in the body, which in turn could impact the function of the inner ear. Sulfites, which are often present in wine, can cause reactions in sensitive individuals, including headaches, inflammation, and perhaps—even a disturbance in the delicate structures of the inner ear.

2. Alcohol affects the balance system
   No one disputes that alcohol affects balance—everyone who has ever stumbled home from a bar can confirm that. But what happens in the inner ear when we consume wine regularly? Could alcohol somehow make the crystals more prone to dislodging? It wouldn’t be an unreasonable hypothesis.

3. Alcohol influences calcium metabolism
   Since the otoliths in the inner ear are made of calcium carbonate, a disruption in the body’s calcium regulation could potentially affect their stability. Alcohol, including wine, influences how the body absorbs and stores calcium. Could this make the crystals more likely to detach?

4. Inflammation and vascular effects
   Alcohol can cause inflammation in the body and affect blood circulation. Since the inner ear is highly sensitive to changes in blood flow, this could play a role. Perhaps red wine leads to subtle changes in the inner ear’s blood supply that cause the crystals to shift?

"No, That Can’t Be It" – The Medical Reluctance to Think Outside the Box

Despite these entirely reasonable theories, the medical literature remains strangely silent on the link between wine and dizziness. Perhaps it's because red wine has such a mythical status—it’s considered healthy! How many times have we heard that "a glass of red wine a day is good for the heart"? Maybe that’s why no one wants to highlight its potential negative effects.

But for those of us who have eliminated vertigo by avoiding wine, the connection is obvious. So why won’t doctors take it seriously?

Here’s where the irony comes in. If we had instead claimed that coffee caused dizziness, we’d probably see a slew of studies pop up in no time. Coffee and caffeine have always had a bad reputation, making them an easy target. But red wine? No, that’s untouchable.

What Can You Do?

If you suffer from BPPV and suspect that wine might be the culprit, there’s a simple way to test it: stop drinking wine for a while and see what happens. For me, the result was immediate—the dizziness disappeared completely. No more spinning rooms, no more panic-stricken nights trying to hold onto the bed to keep from "falling off."

If more of us share our experiences, maybe we can get the medical community to wake up. Or perhaps we just have to accept that some things we must figure out for ourselves—with or without the doctors’ approval.

Conclusion

Red wine and inner ear crystals—an undeniable link that doctors stubbornly refuse to acknowledge, despite numerous real-life experiences. It’s a fascinating reminder of how science sometimes lags behind reality. Many medical truths have started as "anecdotes" before finally being proven.

So if you suffer from dizziness and your doctor just shrugs, try doing what they refuse to acknowledge: skip the wine. Maybe you’ll solve the mystery faster than the researchers themselves. And maybe, if we keep pushing, we’ll see a study 20 years from now where doctors proudly declare:
"New research shows that red wine can trigger BPPV!"

At that point, we can all sit back and raise a toast—to water.