My mother is in her 60s. She has high blood pressure, and is taking medication for that (Lisinopril, a generic for Prinivil). She also has been having sporadic light-headedness and dizzy spells. Sometimes it’s when she wakes up, sometimes it’s after work at 6pm– the timing is random, whether or not she eats anything. Generally she doesn’t eat breakfast or much at all during the day (she had a Twinkie for today’s breakfast, for instance). She’s also taking medication for dizziness– Hydrochlorothiazise, a generic for Oretic/Esidrix that, randomly enough, says it may cause dizziness on the bottle. Her dizziness is so bad that she doesn’t want to drive, for fear of passing out. She started taking the dizziness pills on Wednesday, the blood pressure pills on Thursday.

The doctor said her blood pressure medication might take about two weeks to start working properly. Until then, I figure that whatever the cause, whether it’s her blood pressure or the medication, similar home remedies would work to help her get over the light-headedness, right? Does anyone have any recommendations of food or actions to take that could help my mother get over her light-headedness and dizzy spells until her blood-pressure medication starts working?

I also have a swollen lympnode in my neck, it has not gone away for a month and has not responded to any antibiotic treatment. My blood test are all fine, but My blood pressure is slightly high. My thymus gland was spotted being swollen on a cat scan in which my doctor ordered, after my chest xray came back abnormal. I’m worried, of course, but could this be cancer, which is my biggest fear.

I am 55 and have been under treatment for an erratic heartbeat since I was in my late 20’s. However, the treatment I’m presently receiving – 320 mg. of Inderal per day plus 1.5 mg of Xanax – is only partially effective. I am wondering if there might be a more effective treatment available to me. The condition doesn’t bother me much when I am resting or relaxed. Though it seems to be triggered mostly by my emotions, I have noticed that more and more it flares up under physical strain as well. I seriously doubt if I could endure a stress test simply because the fear of such a test would probably trigger an episode before they could even start it. I’ve never had any chest pains or any other symptoms of heart disease. I am also being treated for mildly high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and an anxiety disorder. What bothers me most is the degree to which I am affected psychologically by all this. It puts a crimp in my lifestyle and keeps me from doing things that I might ……
otherwise do. Oh, and by "erratic heartbeat", I am not alking about a rapid or racing heart. I am talking about a condition where the heart seems yo lose its rythm and creates a sensation of having a butterfly lose inside my chest. Also, I would prefer that only qualified medical personnel answer this question. Thanks.