Dysautonomia Solutions: A Mitochondrial Approach?

We know that the mitochondria in all of our cells are the power plants that create energy, namely ATP, the body's main energy molecule. When mitchondria aren't working right or to their full potential, they don't make enough energy, and that leaves a variety of organ systems, tissues and key areas high mitochondria concentration not working very well. The brain and heart have literally thousands of mitochondria per cell as opposed to a few hundred in other parts of the body, so when mitochondria aren't working right, there's an energy problem that leads to a variety of functional problems for those cells--especially where there are large numbers of mitochondria.

Nervous tissue cells in general have a lot of mitochondria per cell, so it makes sense that if there's a mitchondrial issue, there are likely to be issues with that nerve cell's function. Interestingly, according to Richard  G. Boles, MD (Medical Genetics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles), for people with "mitochondrial disease, the sympathetic system works well, whereas the parasympathetic system does not - thus causing the various functional disorders we see." The parasympathetic nervous system is, of course, one of three divisions of the autonomic nervous system--and it's the autonomic nervous system that is not functioning properly with autonomic disorders such as dysautonomia. Hmmm...

What might your dysautonomia doctor recommend to improve mitochondrial function and thus lessen dysautonomia symptoms? Some possible courses of action might include:  

Avoid fasting

Hydrate

3 small meals + 3 snacks a day

Exercise (exercise has been shown to increase mitochondrial function)

Cofactors ("Mito cocktail")

Medications (some psychotropic drugs have been shown to increase mitochondrial function) like amytriptiline, proton pump inhibitors

Of course, this is exciting news and this approach may be very helpful, but if you have dysutonomia, talk with your doctor to see if this is a good direction for you personally. Your best bet is to make an appointment at Dysautonomia-MVP Center LLC in Birmimgham, AL. Dr. Paula Moore and Dr. Susan Phillips bring many years of successful autonomic disorder treatment, often helping patients make progress when other efforts have failed. Call them 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

Autonomic Disorders and Diet: Are Dietary Deficiencies & Inaccuracies Causing Your Symptoms?

For so long, the standard food pyramid (showing a majority of grains at the bottom, followed by vegetables, meats, fats & sugars as you go up) has been recommended by nutritionists and physicians as the standard guide to getting your diet within healthy parameters. And we're told by a lot of so-called experts that if we follow that guide, everything will be alright. Current disease rates,mortality, and current gene-related dietary research, however, is showing that this advice is anything but a good set of guidelines for everyone.

 

Actually, leaders in the nutritional world such as Dr. Catherine Shanahan in her new book 'Deep Nutrition', are showing that this pyramid is essentially backwards or upside down, where 60-85% of calories should be coming from healthy fats and oils, not at the top to be used 'sparingly' as commonly shown. To be fair, trans or damaged fat is clearly unhealthy, but quality healthy fats from grass or natural-fed animal sources (cream, butter) with no antibiotics, hormones, virgi olive oil, avocados, etc actually supports the body's repair systems, provides crucial fats to help keep nerves myelinated  or insulated so they don't misfire or not fire as well as they should.

 

Considering that nerves or specifically the autonomic nervous system is essentially operating ineffeciently and abnormally in dysautonomia patients, it makes sense to take a look at diet and see if not only fat deficiencies, but other nutrient deficiencies could be causing malfunction in nerve tissue. Other things like proper electrolyte levels of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium are also crucial for proper nerve (and brain) function, but even if those electrolytes are in line and the nerves are demyelinated as a result of fatty acid deficiency and other factors, those nerves are not going to function properly--which is why some people feel like they're getting their electrolytes right and still hit a wall with their symptoms.

 

And every vitamin on the planet isn't going to take the place of getting proper fats in the diet to rebuild cell wall structures and repair that myelin on a daily basis. So if you're looking to get to the bottom of autonomic disorder symptoms and truly define the cause, not just treat the symptoms, it may make sense to take a look at your nutrition with your dysautonomia specialist and see if there are deficiencies. One other important point is that each person's diet and vitamin requirements are now being shown to be as individual as a fingerprint and each person really needs to get a hair analysis done so that the doctor can get an accurate look at metal pollution levels, metabolic rates, nutritional deficiencies or excesses that are present.

 

Yes, hair analysis is providing this key information so now we can stop using the shotgun approach with multivitamins and our diets and actually feed our bodies according to our individual needs, which vary greatly based on a variety of factors including gene expression, environmental pollution and other things. Do yourself a favor today--call Dysautonomia-MVP Center LLC in Birmingham AL at 205-286-3200 and book an appointment. Dr. Paula Moore and Dr Susan Phillips are experts in autonomic disorder diagnosis and treatments and bring more than 40 years of combined experience to you. It may be the best call you ever make.

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

Dysautonomia and Gut Health: Could Probiotics Help?

It's becoming more and more well known that proper gut health is central to good overall health and proper function of various systems within the body. When the good bacteria in the gut (small and large intestine) are outnumbered by 'bad' bacteria, not only do biomarkers for inflammation read positive or abnormal,  but a variety of other problems begin to occur such as permeabiltiy of the gut lining which allows toxins to flow out into the body, unhealthy permeabiltiy of the blood-brain barrier, and many other ill effects. Obviously this could throw off neurological function as well as require many more electrolyte resources to balance the overproduction of acid, which is so common with poor gut health. Throw off or use up precious electrolytes and you've often got more dysautonomia symptoms, as electrolyte balance is a key factor to helping mitigate many of those symptoms.

At the same time, you can't just go eat a bunch of yogurt every day or grab any probiotic supplement. Many brands of yogurt and probiotic supplements include a list of bacteria that either aren't diverse enough, don't include the best strains or include species that are known to increase histamine production, which increases inflammation. More inflammation often leads to more issues in several body systems at once, which can make dysautonomia symptoms worse. Bacterial species that degrade histamine, reduce inflammation include Bifidobacterium infantis (found in breast milk),  bifidobacterium longum, and Lactobacillus plantarum. Bacteria that typically increase histamine production in the body are Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus reuteri, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (Found in most yogurts and fermented foods).

Some key points to maintaining a healthy, properly-functioning gut microbiome is to avoid antibiotics unless absolutely necessary, avoid enviromental toxins from various airborne and water pollutants, avoid processed or fried foods, and avoid artificial sweeteners. One probiotic that has gotten a lot of good reviews online, has the right histamine-reducing bacteria, fewer of those bacterial species that cause issues, etc is Garden of Life Primal Defense Ultra. If the blood brain barrier can be weakened and various other body systems can be harmed by poor intestinal flora balance, allowing toxins to get to the brain and cause issues, then it  makes sense that the gut bacteria kept in proper balance could make things better for those with autonomic disorders.

As always, however, discuss this and any other decisions with your autonomic disorder doctor before making changes. A great place to start is Dysautonomia-MVP Center, LLC in Birmingham, AL Dr. Paula Moore and Dr. Susan Phillips bring more than 40 years of successful autonomic disorder treatment and diagnosis, so if you have questions on this subject, 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