What is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome?
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, more commonly known as POTS, is a condition that affects circulation and blood flow. Heart rate and blood pressure should work together to allow the blood to flow at a healthy pace, but POTS patients cannot coordinate the act of the blood vessel squeeze along with their heart rates’ response. As a result, their bodies find maintaining a steady, stable blood pressure much more difficult.
Blood should always flow at a predictable, healthy, and steady rate, whether a person is sitting down, lying down, or hanging upside down on a tree. However, those with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome suffer from a phenomenon called orthostatic intolerance, or OI, which causes them to feel dizzy, lightheaded, or faint, as well as to experience an uncomfortable, rapid increase in heartbeat, especially when standing up after having previously been lying down. As blood rushes to get to the brain, their heart rates can increase by up to 40 beats per minute, often resulting in low blood pressure and several other symptoms.
How is POTS typically diagnosed?
It is believed that patients are more susceptible to POTS after a pregnancy, severe illness or injury, major surgery, trauma, or anything else that causes changes in the functions of the heart and blood vessels or damaged nerves in the feet or legs. The condition has also been associated with anemia, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, Ehlers-Danlos, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, multiple chemical sensitivities, mast cell activation syndrome, histamine intolerance, and autoimmune diseases such as Sjogren’s syndrome or lupus. The vast majority of patients diagnosed with POTS are women, usually those between the ages of 15 and 55.
Since it can, but not always, be connected to so many disorders, it is easy for doctors to misdiagnose POTS. In fact, the condition is commonly misdiagnosed as a panic or anxiety disorder. To test for the condition, medical doctors may perform a table tilt test and upon finding a positive test result, prescribe prescription drugs, beta blockers, and OTC medications to keep any major symptoms at bay.
At the Biologix Center, we will do more than provide you with temporary symptom relief. Using our drug-free, innovative, and exclusive technology, we will work to identify and address the underlying causes of your disorder so as to improve your entire body’s functions, restoring you to optimal health.
What are the symptoms of POTS?
Heart Palpitations
The most common POTS symptom is an abnormal heart rate, one that is either too high or too low. Many describe the sensation as a “racing heart” which is why POTS is often misdiagnosed as an anxiety or panic disorder.
Dizziness
Many POTS patients complain of issues with balance, brain-fog, forgetfulness, blurry vision, and neck pain.
Vertigo
Some patients experience a false “spinning” or “rocking” sensation, especially when standing, walking, or moving their head around.
Nausea
Some patients with POTS symptoms often feel nauseous and shaky. They may also notice excess sweat.
Fatigue & Insomnia
Patients with POTS often find themselves feeling tired, no matter how long they sleep. Due to their specific symptoms, some patients also struggle with insomnia, or the inability to fall and/or stay asleep. Racing of the heart may become even more noticeable during this time.
Headaches
Some POTS patients have been known to experience bad headaches.
Temperature Sensitivity
Patients with POTS describe feeling either too hot or too cold, not unlike those struggling with the common flu virus. They may also notice excessive or lack of sweating.
Chest Pain
Those dealing with POTS symptoms experience discomfort in their chest, especially when they are standing upright.
Purple Extremities
Patients can develop a reddish purple color in the legs upon standing. This is believed to be the result of poor circulation.
Diarrhea & Constipation
In addition to nausea, some patients with POTS symptoms experience bloating, gas, diarrhea, and/or constipation.
Anxiety
POTS is often misdiagnosed as an anxiety or panic disorder. Many patients experience heart palpitations as well as heightened and “jittery” nerves. Some may also experience shakiness and tremors, especially with adrenaline surges.
Depression
Coping with persistent symptoms leaves many patients feeling hopeless, especially since the majority of medical doctors have yet to find long-lasting treatment methods. Reach out to a friend, family member, or counselor for extra support during your battle with POTS.
All POTS symptoms may seem worse after finishing a meal because the intestines require more blood flow in order to digest food.
How is POTS typically treated?
Once a person is diagnosed with POTS, medical doctors typically suggest OTC and prescription drugs, depending on their patient’s most noticeable symptoms and their severity. Though these measures may temporarily ease symptoms, they do not provide lasting relief and they may actually be disruptive to other systems of the body.
How does the Biologix Center treat POTS?
While the prevailing medical thought is to first and foremost mask any symptoms by prescribing purple pills for stomach pain, sleep-aids for exhaustion, and antidepressants for anxiety, none of these drugs address the symptoms’ underlying causes. The Biologix Center uses precise, real-time testing and treatment methods to target the multiple structural and functional imbalances associated with every case of POTS, enabling the body to naturally, and often rapidly, achieve lasting relief. Our goal is to promote the long-term restoration of health without encouraging a dependence upon medications.
Using tests such as Biospectroscopic Emission Sequence Testing (BEST), developed at the Biologix Center over 20 years ago by Dr. David A. Jernigan, D.C., we can eliminate much of the guesswork in doctoring. Unlike conventional blood tests that produce merely a snapshot of a patient’s blood on the day it was drawn, our constantly evolving technologies provide far more insight into the root causes of a patient’s symptoms as well as treatment options that are tested for compatibility and effectiveness for each patient’s unique body, before even beginning treatment.
Every system of the body is interconnected and interdependent, meaning that each system must be precisely addressed in order for the body to achieve optimal health. Health care delivery is often a minimalistic approach. It is far easier to prescribe a painkiller or antibiotic than to provide the maximum applied effort needed to truly restore the optimum form and function of the body. The Biologix Center’s approach is for those who truly desire to be well, not just feel well from drug-induced illusions of health. The best of every healing method and testing is brought to your unique case, in one-on-one, hour-long treatment sessions with the doctor treating you.
Once we have determined a compatible treatment method to rid your entire body of any toxins and harmful bacteria, we will use NeuroCardial Synchronization™, developed at the Biologix Center by Dr. David Jernigan, D.C., to synchronize your brain and heart waves in an effort to help your body to maintain the correct heart rate and blood pressure. We will also use neurofeedback to enable the brain to correct its stuck brain waves. Doing so will restore the optimum functional and structural integrity of the body, and help you get your life back!
For further insight into our treatment of people with POTS at the Biologix Center, please visit our blog.
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