Wondering what to buy for someone with POTS? Check out this list of great gift ideas for people with POTS they are sure to love!
Dysautonomia (POTS) is a rare disease that usually affects women between the ages of 12-15. My daughter was 3 or 4 when diagnosed.
The gluten is actually called a silent killer due to the fact that it can cause some chronic damage throughout the body. Often the patient…
Evolvinn Therapy and Consulting was founded to help meet the demand for mental health care that surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to grow.
In this post, a POTS patient share the connection between POTS and heat intolerance, as well as how to deal with it.
It’s October, which means it’s Dysautonomia Awareness Month! You’ve probably heard about Dysautonomia by now because I’ve been advocating and sharing infographics every October for years...
It seems like there is an influx of people who are newly becoming diagnosed with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). It may not be a coincidence either. In our post COVID world, we are just now beginning to understand how it has affected our population. According to this study, up to 40% of people who had long covid may have triggered an autonomic dysfunction (also known as dysautonomia). Do you suspect that your POTS, a form of dysautonomia, was triggered by a covid infection? It’s possible! Read more about that here. Newly Diagnosed with POTS Regardless of the cause of your POTS, you’ve been newly diagnosed. Receiving a diagnosis of POTS can have a couple different effects; relief as you were finally diagnosed and fear of what that looks like for your future. It often takes up to six years or more to get a diagnosis of POTS. Which means you’ve likely been experiencing the symptoms for many many years without a lot of knowledge of how to manage them. Symptoms of POTS Brain fog Rapid heart rate Shortness of breath Dizziness Fainting or feeling like you’ll faint Exhaustion/Fatigue Headaches Insomnia Temperature deregulation Excessive or lack of sweating Chest pain Low blood pressure/high blood pressure Blurred vision This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to symptoms of POTS. There are more, but these symptoms tend to be the most common amongst people with POTS. If you’ve been newly diagnosed with POTS you may be wondering how you can manage these symptoms. We have tips! 5 Tips For Managing Symptoms of POTS For the Newly Diagnosed Salt. ALL THE SALT. It’s likely your doctor after your diagnosis said to you, “Take {x amount} of sodium a day.” Which can be so very confusing because salt and sodium is not easy to convert (luckily we have a sodium/salt calculator). The amount of salt you need can seem astronomical; the Cleveland Clinic recommends 3,000mg - 10,000mg of sodium daily. How do you get that much sodium in a day?! We recommend drinking NormaLyte. Our PURE was made for people with POTS and has been clinically proven to manage symptoms. Exercise. We know. It seems like the solution all doctors give for any and all ailments. It can be frustrating especially when you have POTS because it can seem almost impossible to exercise when you’re struggling with debilitating fatigue. We talk about some different exercises that can be easier on the person with dysautonomia here. They are easy to manage while seated or laying down which can make a big difference when you’re not entirely sure you can manage standing for long periods of time. Yoga is also great for POTS! Compression garments. These are not cute. In fact, even the cute ones are not that cute. They will make a world of difference, though. By compressing and controlling so that you are not experiencing blood pooling in your legs. Monitor your symptoms. Keep a little notebook and document your day. This may help you make a connection between what you’re doing through the day and how you’re feeling overall. Keep a log of the amount of sodium you’ve consumed because that will also tell you what the correlation is in how you feel. Find a support team. Maybe it’s a parent, a sibling, or a friend. Maybe it’s the strangers in the facebook group you found. Whoever it may be, ensure you’ve got a support system of people surrounding you. Find someone empathetic, not sympathetic, who can offer a listening ear. What are some tips that you wish someone had given after you were newly diagnosed with POTS? Drop it in the comments below.
POTS syndrome patient Kate the (Almost) Great shares what she thinks every POTS patient needs to survive the summer.
If you have any form of dysautonomia you are familiar with flares. Let’s back up a minute and talk about what dysautonomia is. What is dysautonomia? Dysautonomia is a dysfunction of the nerves that regulate involuntary body functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and sweating. The word literally stands for DYS - dysfunction, and AUTO - autonomic. It is an umbrella term for a myriad of different diseases, but some of the most common are: postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (or POTS), orthostatic intolerance (OI), orthostatic hypotension, and more. What are chronic illness flares? People with chronic illness have a variety of symptoms. For example, with POTS it’s often fatigue, brain fog, rapid heart rate upon standing, syncope (fainting), pre-syncope (feeling like you’ll faint, or often called dizziness), migraines, and more. A person who is managing their illness well may not have all of these symptoms every day. Maybe it’s just a couple or none at all. When you’re “in a flare” usually the symptoms you’ve been managing are exaggerated. The slight headache you were feeling is now a full on migraine. The fatigue has you unable to leave the bed that day. A flare in the world of chronic illness is an exacerbation of a chronic disease. What causes chronic illness flares? Flares happen when symptoms you’ve been having suddenly show up and seem to be 10x worse than they were. Often, it’s not your fault. Flares can come and go and you may not be able to pinpoint a trigger. And, there’s no use in blaming yourself anyway. Sometimes your body just decides to go haywire despite anything you’ve done right or wrong. Other times flares can be brought on by overdoing something. Maybe you walked too much. Maybe you stayed up too late or ate like crap the day before. Do not blame yourself. It’s your disease that is making you feel this way and you should be able to enjoy life the same way anyone else does. But, you don’t want to live feeling like crap. Here’s some triggers we’ve seen commonly reported by people who have POTS. 6 Triggers for Chronic Illness Flares Heat and Humidity. Most people with chronic illness will tell you that heat can cause flares. If you’re someone with POTS, heat intolerance is often one of the symptoms. You just don’t sweat the way a “normal” person would, and even if you could you lose fluids. Exposure to heat seems to never fail to make your symptoms worse, but luckily there’s easy ways to avoid the heat putting you into a flare. Over exerting yourself or standing too long. Your friends were going to the water park, and you really wanted to join. Or, maybe it was just an evening out listening to music at a local hotspot. A trip to the grocery? Whatever it was, you’ve over exerted yourself. Know the limits to your body and respect them. If you know that you’re not able to avoid an overly physical day you may want to consider additional electrolytes like NormaLyte to keep your hydration levels up. Certain foods. There is a study that discusses the relationship between POTS and gluten intolerance. Now, keep in mind that a gluten intolerance doesn’t mean celiac’s disease, but it does mean that your body may not be able to process gluten as efficiently. If you’re one of those “lucky” few you may need to be extra careful around certain foods. There’s also MCAS, or mast cell activation syndrome, which is essentially your body having an allergic reaction in a big way. It’s also common with people who have POTS, and it can also lead to flares when acting up. Your menstrual cycle. It’s really unfair. Not only that we have this curse, but also that it can make the most put together and healthy person fall down. Then add chronic illness. It’s not in your head. Your menstrual cycle when you have POTS and the natural ebb and flow of hormones during a month can definitely put you into a flare. Again, extra electrolytes like NormaLyte can potentially prevent your period from putting you into a flare. Caffeine. This is a hotly debated item in the world of POTS. Some say it’s the only thing that can get them through a day while others claim it’s the devil for their symptoms. But, it’s all up to your body. If you suspect that your daily cup of joe is causing your body to go whacko then maybe try eliminating it from your diet. We know that sounds painful too (it really does!), but knowing if caffeine is the thing putting you into a chronic illness flare can mean better days ahead. Alcohol. I know. We are not going to be popular by telling you to not only put down the coffee but to also put down your glass of wine. Alcohol is something that can dehydrate you. The more drinks you have the more urine output you’ll have as it’s a natural diuretic. There is a possibility that the one or two drinks you have tonight will affect you not only tomorrow but for the rest of the week. Weigh your choices carefully. And, if you do decide to imbibe be sure to have an electrolyte backup plan. What do I do about a chronic illness flare? Avoid the triggers. You may know additional triggers that can make your symptoms of POTS go into hyperdrive. Do what you can to avoid them all. Do it with the knowledge that you will not be able to prevent a flare. As mentioned above, flares are sometimes unavoidable. If you think you’re experiencing a chronic illness flare from POTS you may want to consider increasing your sodium intake. NormaLyte has been clinically proven to manage symptoms of POTS. Something other brands can’t say. Our Normalyte PURE was created in partnership with Dysautonomia International specifically for people with POTS. We know it will help if you can only give it a try.
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In this article, we discuss a type of chronic illness called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS for short and a natural method for healing it. There has also been a steady rise in the incidence of POTS since the COVID19 pandemic hit the US in early 2020. Up to date research is showing that there is a distinct rise in POTS following COVID19 vaccination, and an even bigger rise in POTS following SARS-COV-2 infection (long covid). For more on that click here. In this post, we'll look at common symptoms and a non-conventional therapy that's making all the difference in this rising autoimmune disease. What is POTS (Dysautonomia)? POTS is defined as a persistent increase in heart rate of at least 30 beats per minute within 10 min of standing. POTS stands for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a condition where a person gets lightheaded, dizzy and may faint when they stand up quickly. What distinguishes POTS dizzyness from other ailments is that returning to sitting or laying down takes the symptom away. Along with fourteen other kinds of dysfunctional autonomic nervous system varieties, all called "Dysautonomias", it cripples an estimated 70 million people worldwide. Dysautonomia Dysautonomia refers to a group of medical conditions caused by problems with the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This part of your nervous system, the autonomic nervous system, controls involuntary body functions such as blood flow. Dysautonomia affects an estimated 70 million people worldwide, with 85% of them being female and roughly half experiencing symptoms before the age of 19. There are fifteen types of Dysautonomia. The most common (by a long shot) is POTS with NCS (neurocardiogenic syncope, or fainting). Autonomic Dysfunction Your autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of you that works your vital organs without you thinking about it. Like, maintaining a constant internal temperature, regulating your breathing, keeping blood pressure steady, and moderating your heart rate. Dysautonomias are states where these automatic functions no longer work properly. POTS and Blood Flow POTS affects blood flow. POTS causes symptoms such as lightheadedness, fainting, cardiovascular issues, breathing problems and an uncomfortable, rapid increase in heart rate as a result of standing up from a reclining position… which are relieved by sitting or lying back down. And it's linked to autoimmune conditions further down the road such as Parkinson’s disease and diabetes. POTS Neurocardiogenic Syncope (NCS) One distinct symptom of POTS is lack of oxygen to the brain resulting in fainting, also called syncope. Syncope affects tens of millions of people worldwide and it can occur only occasionally or it may be frequent enough to disrupt a person’s daily life. A Simple Explanation of POTS (Dysautonomia) Gravity naturally pulls the blood downward, but a healthy ANS adjusts the heartbeat and muscle tightness to prevent blood pooling in the legs and feet, and to ensure blood flow to the brain. NCS (POTS) means the nervous system is failing to control this. The blood pressure is miserably low and the heart overworks to try to increase blood pressure without the help of muscles contracting and blood vessels constricting to move the blood up to the brain. This temporary loss of blood circulation in the brain causes a person with POTS to pass out or faint. Common POTS Dysautonomia Symptoms POTS can impact people differently, but here’s a grab bag of all the common POTS symptoms: An inability to stay upright Dizziness, vertigo, and fainting Fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat Chest pain Low blood pressure Problems with the gastrointestinal system Nausea Disturbances in the visual field Weakness Breathing difficulties Mood swings Anxiety Fatigue and intolerance to exercise Migraines Tremors Disrupted sleep pattern Frequent urination Temperature Regulation Problems Concentration and memory problems Poor appetite Overactive senses, especially when exposed to noise and light These symptoms can occur in a range of combinations, making dysautonomia a difficult condition for doctors to diagnose. The following are known to trigger syncope (fainting) for people with this autoimmune condition: Dehydration Stress Alcohol consumption Concentrated sugar consumption Very warm environments Tight clothing How to Treat Pots: A New Treatment Plan Medications such as Midodrine and beta-blockers, along with pacemakers may be used to treat persistent or severe cases of NCS (neurocardiogenic syncope) or POTS. But what if the answer to all this nervous system dysfunction lay in the gut microbiome? Notice that alcohol consumption is a trigger. And although most teens and young adults do not drink alcohol regularly, POTS is on the rise among this demographic. It’s also curious to me that people with this condition do better if they watch their consumption of sugars. Why? Because all autoimmune diseases, Dysautonomia and its fifteen varieties included, begin in the gut. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine made this claim thousands of years ago (400 BC). Once friendly bacteria are destroyed by any one of eight different risk factors, simple sugars in the diet feed opportunistic microbes in the gut which then produce enough internal alcohols to make you feel a bit tipsy and trigger POTS symptoms to fire. What people all over the world are discovering is, when they restore "health to the navel" by repairing leaky gut syndrome and removing the majority of acid-producing microorganisms from their microbiome, the "marrow in their bones" which is where immune cells are born and maintained, comes back to its senses and begins performing its proper function and stops attacking the body. So what am I saying? There is a “new” treatment plan to cure POTS disease! And it starts with healing your gut first. But don’t take my word for it… Healing Dysautonomia Naturally - A Real Life Story I've had the privilege of walking with a friend who developed POTS within days of running a marathon. She ended up in the hospital and didn’t know if she’d ever run a marathon again. She's seen great strides in her recovery by cleaning up her gut microbiome using Tumtree products, and as part of helping her in her recovery, I've become a student of POTS, NCS and other forms of Dysautonomia. I am fascinated by its genesis and am excited to share what we’ve discovered with you! Meet Idonna Clarke from Idaho. She was diagnosed with Dysautonomia at age 36, just 7 days after running her second marathon. She underwent surgery to have a heart pacemaker installed. She suffered a pneumothorax (punctured lung) during the surgery and six months later had not recovered her health. Could you imagine? Here’s Idonna telling her story: "I tried rest, caffeine, slept elevated, visited my doctor multiple times but did not improve. What made all the difference was when I did the full 30-Day Reboot program to correct my microbiome and heal my leaky gut." - Idonna Clarke, Idaho Hi, I'm Jonell Francis, an expert in Leaky Gut Syndrome, a nerd when it comes to the science of feeling fabulous, and obsessed with guiding women (and those they love) back to vibrant health. As a mom of many, I’m known for taking tight corners, burning through blenders and overfilling the washing machine. I’ll teach you to lean into your own intuition, trust your gut and embrace crazy beautiful life however it shows up. Best of all, I'll show you my secrets for keeping your family well, all through the year." Trust me with your health … but not your home appliances!
Dysautonomia and anxiety are connected in ways we don't generally realize. In this post, long-time patient Kate the (Almost) Great explains.
Discover these POTS diet and nutrition tips that can help you manage POTS symptoms after eating and throughout the day.
People often find it confusing when I use the words dysautonomia and POTS interchangeably in a conversation. They’re like, “Hang on, which one is it that you have?” I know that a …
It's one thing to dislike heat, but it's something else to have heat intolerance. But what's heat intolerance exactly?
A Dysautonomia Treatment Survival Kit: Management of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and other forms of Dysautonomia
This time of year, my POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) is really acting up, which tends to lead to talking about POTS. Basically, my POTS reacts negatively to warmer weather. This then leads to questions. Some of them are very basic – Hey Kate, what is POTS anyway? – and some are a bit more […]
"I've gotten some looks..."
See how to relieve symptoms during a POTS flare up with these tips that I've learned from my own experience living with POTS.
Dysautonomia: When the Autonomic Nervous System Malfunctions. Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), orthostatic hypotension and more.
Dysautonomia: When the Autonomic Nervous System Malfunctions. Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), orthostatic hypotension and more.
"It keeps me from going out because I don’t want it to happen in public..."
