Dr. Emily Kostelnik

Dr. Emily Kostelnik I am a Vestibular Psychologist and fellow vestibular warrior here to teach you about all things dizziness and vertigo!

06/18/2026

Reminder that there are no universal triggers! Some people do great with these, some can only tolerate a speck, or none at all.

➡️Comment SUPPS for more info!

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I’m Dr. Emily Kostelnik, Ph.D., both a Vestibular Warrior and a Vestibular Psychologist. If you want educational, expert insights or easy-to-digest discussions about the vestibular system, dizziness, migraine, and anything that comes with vestibular disorders, follow along Emily Kostelnik, PhD | Vestibular Psychologist !

Disclaimer: This is not therapy and does not replace therapy. Interacting through this medium does not constitute entering into a therapeutic relationship. This is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice nor to diagnose or treat any medical condition.

dizzy
vestibular psychologist
dr emily kostelnik
vestibular system
vestibular warrior
dizziness relief
vestibular rehabilitation
vestibularawareness
vestibular migraine
vestibular migraines
vestibular migraine
migraine awareness
pppd
persistent postural perceptual dizziness
chronic dizziness
vertigo
neuroplasticity
inflammation

06/16/2026

Idiopathic (AKA “we don’t know why this is happening”) is often used to describe conditions like chronic pain, neuropathy, infertility, chronic fatigue, and countless other symptoms when no clear cause has been identified. I see all of these things co-occur with vestibular disorders.

But for many patients, hearing “it’s idiopathic” makes them feel like a medical mystery. No one wants to be a medical mystery. And, in many cases, it’s unnecessary if we can just use critical thinking to conceptualize the body as one related system.

When we zoom out and look at the whole person instead of isolated diagnoses, patterns start to emerge. The chronic pain, digestive issues, fatigue, headaches, joint problems, autonomic dysfunction, hormonal symptoms, and inflammation may not be random, unrelated conditions. They may be pieces of the same puzzle.
Too often medicine labels symptoms separately while patients are living the reality that everything is connected.

A diagnosis of “idiopathic” should be the beginning of curiosity, not the end of investigation.

What have you been diagnosed with that’s “idiopathic”?
***

I’m Dr. Emily Kostelnik, Ph.D., both a Vestibular Warrior and a Vestibular Psychologist. If you want educational, expert insights or easy-to-digest discussions about the vestibular system, dizziness, migraine, and anything that comes with vestibular disorders, follow along Emily Kostelnik, PhD | Vestibular Psychologist !

Disclaimer: This is not therapy and does not replace therapy. Interacting through this medium does not constitute entering into a therapeutic relationship. This is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice nor to diagnose or treat any medical condition.

dizzy
vestibular psychologist
dr emily kostelnik
vestibular system
vestibular warrior
dizziness relief
vestibular rehabilitation
vestibularawareness
vestibular migraine
vestibular migraines
vestibular migraine
migraine awareness
pppd
persistent postural perceptual dizziness
chronic dizziness
vertigo
neuroplasticity
inflammation

06/16/2026

Motion sickness. Dizziness. Visual overwhelm.
Brain fog. Panic in busy environments.

⭐️All of these things are linked to vestibular migraine!⭐️

One of the hardest parts of vestibular migraine is feeling like you have to piece everything together on your own.

You bounce between doctors.
You try treatment after treatment.
You start wondering why nobody is talking about the nervous system, inflammation, hormones, vision, stress physiology, or symptom sensitivities.

And after a while, it becomes exhausting trying to figure out what actually matters.

So, I took the guesswork out of it for you and created The Vestibular Migraine Recovery Guide.

➡️Comment HANDOUT to get it!

***

P.S. I’m Dr. Emily Kostelnik, Ph.D., both a Vestibular Warrior and a Vestibular Psychologist. If you want educational, expert insights or easy-to-digest discussions about the vestibular system, dizziness, migraine, and anything that comes with vestibular disorders, follow along Emily Kostelnik, PhD | Vestibular Psychologist !

dizzy
vestibular psychologist
dr emily kostelnik
vestibular system
vestibular warrior
dizziness relief
vestibular rehabilitation
vestibularawareness
vestibular migraine
vestibular migraines
vestibular migraine
migraine awareness
pppd
persistent postural perceptual dizziness
chronic dizziness
vertigo
neuroplasticity
inflammation

06/16/2026

👀You’ve probably seen the “McDonald’s Migraine Hack” all over the internet (large Coke and fries) as well as experts weighing in on the science behind why it works.

💡Let’s talk about the science behind why it’s actually a terrible idea and will make your migraine worse long term. In a pinch, yes, by all means. But, this should not be your go-to (especially if you have chronic migraine).

⭐️There are much cleaner ways to get the caffeine, salt, and glucose that your body might crave during an attack.

➡️The issues with this “migraine hack” lies in all of the extra ingredients and huge amount of sugar:

Coke:

🍪100g of sugar (double what you’re supposed to have in a day): this is a recipe for a huge blood sugar spike and dip which causes inflammation. More inflammation➡️more migraine attacks

🧪Caramel coloring: synthetic colors have been linked to cancer and are known to be irritating to the central nervous system; there is data that this is especially problematic with ADHD, and we know many with migraine are neurodivergent. Everything in the body is related, so your neurodivergence is directly related to migraine, it isn’t a coincidence.

Fries:

🩸Trans fat: pro-inflammatory and associated with vascular issues

😑Natural beef flavor: MSG

Let’s talk about some easy alternatives!

☕️Clean caffeine from Purity Coffee if you want some added sweetness, add honey or maple syrup

🥔Salt and carbs from Boulder Canyon

🥜Pair with fiber to slower the blood glucose hit

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