How To Treat Vertigo: Colorado's Dr. Carol Foster Publishes How To Book

Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2009.

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A doctor at University of Colorado Hospital has been a YouTube sensation for years after posting her simple maneuver to overcome the most common form of vertigo. Now, she's written a book about how you can treat yourself at home.

Dr. Carol Foster is the author of "Overcoming Positional Vertigo" which is dizziness caused by loose crystals in the inner ear. More than 8 million people in the U.S. suffer from sudden, debilitating, dizzy spells.

"I think I was spinning one way and the fan was spinning another," explained Liz Poladsky.

One day last May, she woke up dizzy and nauseous.

"Every time I would lift my head, I thought I was going to throw up," Poladsky told CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh.

The 32 year old's suffering was positional vertigo, the most common form of the condition. She had a friend take her to her doctor.

"They just prescribed me prescription Dramamine," said Poladsky.

Three days later, Poladsky found a treatment on YouTube.

"And I tried it and it, literally, clicked," Poladsky said.

"It's very unusual to have something get fixed instantly," explained Foster.

But Foster, associate professor of Otolaryngology at CU School of Medicine, developed the vertigo fix. In 2012, Foster showed us her Half Somersault maneuver.

Using her daughter to demonstrate she explained, "Tip your head up to look at the ceiling."

You then put your head upside down like you're going to do a somersault.

"In that position, I want you to turn to face your left elbow," Foster said.

You wait for any dizziness to end then raise your head to back level. Wait again for dizziness to end, then sit back quickly. The Half Somersault maneuver has been a huge hit with about 5 million views on YouTube to date.

"I get a ton of emails every day," said Foster.

She explained they come from all over the world.  She's written her book to answer all the questions.

"All of the maneuvers that I know are in that book (Overcoming Positional Vertigo)," Foster said.

With her book or Foster's video, you can treat yourself at home for free. With her magic maneuver, Foster is devoted to curing dizziness.

"You don't have to suffer," she said.

LINK: Half Somersault Maneuver