Calcite dissolves in Coca Cola, but drinking Coke won’t dissolve your crystals, because they are immersed in fluid deep in your inner ear, in the skull. There is no way to get Coke into your inner ear. Besides, you don’t want to dissolve the calcite, because if you did that, you would dissolve all the crystals that are still in the utricle and being used to sense gravity, not just the loose ones causing BPPV.
In addition, dissolving the calcite would not make the crystals completely disappear, because they are not just made of calcium. They are also made of a dense bundle of protein fibers on which the calcium is deposited. This matrix would remain even if you could get rid of the calcite.
The real problem in BPPV is that any damage to the crystals can cause them to fall apart and become detached from the utricle. They form in your ear while you’re still in the uterus and were all already present at your birth. If they are removed, no new ones can form, and you’d be unable to sense gravity.
In fact, if you could keep them from getting damaged, you’d probably never get BPPV. As you age, though, they do become more fragile and porous, rather like the bones of older people. Once fractured they can tear away easily from the sensor and begin to migrate around your inner ear. All it takes is for them to fall into the open tube housing one of the spinning sensors in your ear, and Voila! you have BPPV.
So, to prevent BPPV you want to protect your otoconia, just like you protect your bones, by having plenty of vitamin D and calcium in your diet. Once BPPV occurs, the loose crystals will hang around in your ear, and they may not be able to reattach to the utricle. This means that you may need to be careful how you place your head, because certain positions are very likely to move crystals into the spinning sensor.
The easiest position to cause BPPV is lying flat on your back with your head turned part way toward your shoulder. Then tipping your chin upward can easily move any loose particles into the spinning sensor. This position, ironically, is very similar to the Dix Hallpike maneuver used to test for BPPV. To avoid BPPV, keep your head lifted on a big pillow above the flat surface of your bed, and avoid turning quickly to one side or tipping your chin up when lying down, especially when exercising. This helps keep the particles away from the opening to the spinning sensors.
Ending Vertigo Today 