Dysautonomia: Getting Better with The Right Exercise Program

Many doctors and other health professionals agree that, if you have an autonomic disorder, exercise as an important part of your treatment plan as any medications or nutritional programs that you're using. Of course, what type and how much exercise will be tolerated by each patient is an individual thing, and naturally each person should consult with their doctor before beginning or moving on to more advanced exercise programs.

The great news about adding an exercise program is that in most cases you can work out at home, at a fitness center, and either by yourself or with a friend, so there are lots of ways you can get it done and make it comfortable for you. Sometimes hiring a personal trainer is a good option, as well, if you're home-bound or just want to make sure you get off on the right foot with correct form, the best exercises for you personally, etc.

In general, dysautonomia patients usually fare better starting with exercises that do not cause orthostatic stress and moving toward better tolerance of exercises that can cause orthostatic stress--start with what's possible or comfortable and gently move toward what's more challenging to get stronger, etc. Some of the best exercises for dysautonomia are floor-based exercises such as yoga, pilates, or low-intensity weight lifting done from a seated or laying down position and swimming, and are usually good places to start.

Then, when the patient has spent a good amount of time building up tolerance to these exercises, they can begin attempting upright exercises like running, biking, or other upright exercises, stopping and resting as needed to continue to build tolerance. Patients with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) often report that after getting a solid execise program in place and staying with it for while that they can function better and feel like they have a better quality-of-life.

The other great thing about stretching, yoga, or whatever exercise program you choose, the exercise is going to increase blood flow and help nutrients (as well as medicines) get where they need to go and do a better job. 

If you want to find out more about how an exercise program could help reduce your dysautonomia or POTS symptoms, do yourself a favor and call Dysautonomia-MVP Center, LLC in Birmingham, AL.  Dr. Paula Moore and Dr. Susan Phillips bring more than 40 years of results-based treatment to their patients and there's a very good chance they can help you get better, faster and enjoy life more. Call for an appointment today at 205-286-3200--you'll be glad you did.

Dysautonomia-MVP Center, LLC
Accurate Diagnosis & Treatment for Better Results
2470 Rocky Ridge Road Vestavia Hills, Alabama 35243
http://www.mvpctr.com
(205) 286-3200

Natural Solutions for Dysautonomia: It Might Be a Deficiency

Many doctors (and patients) are now looking at dysautonomia and related disorders from a more holistic approach, and finding some measure of relief from nutritional supplementation in addition to other therapies. One patient named Tyler has had dysautonomia for some time and has been taking clonidine, which is often effective for some patients. His mother had also found that supplementing with inositol was also making a big difference. Inositol is used by the body for so many things, if it the body doesn't make enough for some reason or there's insufficient inositol in the diet, cell communication and many biochemical pathways don't work as well as they should. On the surface, it does make sense that inositol could help with dysautonomia, if it facilitated better communication within the body's electrolyte balance systems, for example. While there isn't a lot of research out there on the effects of inositol supplementation on dysautonomia, here's one study that seems to offer some good information.

 

Inositol, or vitamin B8 is found in energy drinks and does boost energy levels as it's a sugar that the body can readily use to create energy. It's also found in many foods, such as  fish, poultry and other meats. Eggs are also a good source of vitamin B8, and choline, which is also very important to cell structural repair and works with inositol. There is an enzyme, however, in egg white that neutralizes some of the inositol found in the yolk, so if you're trying to get the maximum amount of inositol, eat more yolks than egg whites. Nuts and seeds are also a good source of inositol and other important fats the help with myelination, or repairing the insulating myelin sheath around nerves that can degenerate if there's a prolonged deficiency of repair nutrients like inositol, choline and other fatty acids. Do make sure you choose grass fed, antibiotic, hormone and pesticide free organic foods as much as possible, though, as polluted foods, though helpful nutrients are there, can actually make matters worse because of the pollutants.

 

It's important, however, not to read things like this and start taking a bunch of supplements, or make a big change in your diet, especially if you have dysautonomia. Your best bet is to consult an MVP syndrome doctor, or one that is specifically skilled in successful treating whatever your condition is.  Dr. Paula Moore and Dr. Susan Phillips at Dysautonomia-MVP Center, LLC bring specific knowledge and over 40 years of combined history of successfully treating and improving life for many patients with dysautonomia and related conditions. Do yourself a favor and give Dysautonomia-MVP Center, LLC a call today and get to the bottom of your symptoms and start feeling better now!

Dysautonomia-MVP Center, LLC
Accurate Diagnosis & Treatment for Better Results
2470 Rocky Ridge Road Vestavia Hills, Alabama 35243
http://www.mvpctr.com
(205) 286-3200

POTS and Brain Fog: Can Increasing Cognitive Function Help?

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) affects an estimated 500,000 people in the United States and probably many more worldwide. POTS symptoms usually include a significant increase in heart rate when going from sitting or lying down to standing. Along with the increased heart rate, POTS sufferers also often experience  palpitations, chest pain, lightheadedness, dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, fatigue and general body weakness. Another common complaint is 'brain fog' or inability to think clearly, focus or remember things.

Since brain fog is such a common complaint among POTS patients, many seek various methods of increasing cognitive function through natural supplements as well as prescription drugs such as modafinil. In fact, there is a study going on now (Google clinical trials.gov POTS modafinil) to determine how much or if modafinil can provide significant relief from the brain fog. Of course, there are a variety of natural methods for increasing cognitive function and getting rid of brain fog, not the least of which is increasing dietary intake of specific oils found in coconut oil (specifically C-8)--check out Bulletproof.com and Brain Octane oil for details on that.

Other ways to increase cognitive function are going to include anything that increases efficiency of the tiny power plants in all of our cells--the mitochondria. Interestingly, a couple of areas of the body that have the highest mitochondrial density are the brain and heart. And what is being shown in a lot of research now is that certain supplements such as Coenzyme Q10 can increase mitochondrial function, which helps decrease brain fog. Another important thing to do is make sure you're eating organic as much as possible.

Roundup Ready corn and other vegetables and grains sprayed with glyphosate are being found cause a variety of health issues. Glyphosate (Roundup) is being shown to inhibit mitochondrial function when we ingest foods sprayed with it, so eating organic can take most of that problem out of the equation and give your mitochondria a boost.  Glyphosate or Roundup also ruins our absorption of manganese, which is critical for our bodies being able to get oxygen from the water we drink. You can Google all of this, too--do that and you'll see more on what we're talking about above.

As with any treatment methodologies or ideas, you'll want to consult your physician and do your own research before proceeding, to make sure it's right for your particular situation. A great place to start is Dysautonomia-MVP Center LLC where you'll find two world-class autonomic disorder specialists that are also skilled in internal medicine and other disciplines. This extra background and experience often enables Dr. Moore and Dr. Phillips to tackle and successfully treat POTS and dysautonomia symptoms where other physician haven't been able to get results.

Wherever you are, if you have POTS, dysautonomia, etc, call 205-286-3200 for an appointment. One call could change your life for the better.

Dysautonomia-MVP Center, LLC

Accurate Diagnosis & Treatment for Better Results

2470 Rocky Ridge Road Vestavia Hills, Alabama 35243

http://www.mvpctr.com

(205) 286-3200

Take Charge of Your Health for More Accurate Dysautonomia Diagnosis & Treatment

If you're dealing with a lot of strange symptoms that sound like POTS or dysautonomia, understand that your regular or family doctor might not be equipped to understand what's going on and may think your symptoms are psychological because there won't be a lot of definitive results from the usual range of tests. Similarly, and no offense to anyone, but specialists can do this too, because they have their 'specialist blinders' on and may not be considering the whole picture. So, it's your responsibility and in your best interest to arm yourself with a set of guidelines to make sure you get good information, treatment and relief instead of misdiagnosis and more issues. Here's a few guidelines as a place to start:

 

1. Don't Take 'It's All in Your Head' at Face Value---If a doctor can't seem to find a specific physiological cause for your symptoms, they'll often start talking about anxiety, which is one of many ways to say 'it's all in your head'. You know what symptoms you're having and you've probably done a little research, so if it doesn't right, get another opinion, ask for clarification and if it still doesn't sound right, get a second, third or fourth opinion. Dysautonomia patients get the 'anxiety' or 'stress' diagnosis quite often and that usually means you need another opinion.

 

2. Be Assertive in the Diagnostic Process--if you feel something doesn't sound right, or you don't understand, tell the doctor you don't understand and ask him or her to explain. And don't do anything until you do understand and agree with the diagnosis or treatment being suggested. There is no law that says you have to accept what they say at face value. Also, be sure to keep good notes of everything.

 

3. Find the Right Doctor--modern allopathic medicine still seems, to a large degree, to focus on individual body parts rather than on full-body systems and tries to treat just those organs or parts--which isn't always best. Your best bet is to find a knowledgeable holistic physician that treats the whole body and considers all possibilities before settling on a treatment plan. Sometimes a D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) can be more open to these whole body treatments and often get better results.

 

4. Don't Get Brushed Off--if your physician attempts to give you what feels like a quick answer, again, don't just accept that. This is your health and it's up to you (and your right) to question anything you don't feel right about--especially when it feels like the doctor is in a rush and just wants to write a prescription, etc.

 

5. Educate Yourself--one of the best things you can do for yourself and your doctor is to educate yourself--this helps you communicate with a doctor more effectively, too, so they will see things more clearly. And yes, Google University often works very well to gain specific knowledge about symptoms, conditions, etc. Plus, by educating yourself, you'll be able to recognize when something is off much more easily. Online symptom checkers are good, too.

 

The main point here is to take charge of your health and seek help with your eyes open and knowledge. If you think you have dysautonomia, POTS or some other autonomic disorder, a great source of information and dysautonomia treatment is Dysautonomia-MVP Center, LLC in Birmingham, AL. Dr. Paula Moore and Dr. Susan Phillips bring many years of real world experience with diagnosing and effectively treating autonomic disorders to patients of all ages, nationwide. Call for an appointment today at 205-286-3200.

Dysautonomia-MVP Center, LLC

Accurate Diagnosis & Treatment for Better Results

2470 Rocky Ridge Road Vestavia Hills, Alabama 35243

http://www.mvpctr.com

(205) 286-3200