10/20/2021
So important to note, especially for healthcare practitioners. I’ve seen several clients with POTS or ED over the years who were either misdiagnosed or on a very long clinical journey. The constellation of symptoms is important. Take a good health history.
October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month 💙
What is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome? PoTS is a neurological condition in which the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is dysfunctional
The ANS controls all automatic bodily functions that we don't have to think about, like breathing, temperature control, heart rate, digestion, pupil dilation, sweating and more
In PoTS, the blood vessels do not constrict to push blood back up to the heart, brain and other organs when we change posture. This causes a jump in heart rate as the heart tries its best to pump the blood back up, but can't due to the blood vessels not constricting
Because the heart rate increases rapidly and the brain and heart are starved of oxygen and blood, the body's response is to faint or to have something called pre-syncope (the feeling of beginning to faint). It's important to note that not every PoTS patient does faint, however there are still significant symptoms that can and do disrupt daily life
PoTS is often referred to as an "invisible illness", as often you cannot tell that the person is unwell. However, this does not mean that the condition is any less life altering. Though you may not be able to see what the person is feeling or what is happening inside their body, this does not make their experience any less debilitating
The symptoms of PoTS are life changing and can be extremely debilitating. Because the ANS is faulty in PoTS, the symptoms are widespread throughout the body and can effect every single organ
For more information, you can visit and 💙
ID: An illustration of all of the PoTS symptoms. It has the symptoms along side little drawings to identify them, like palpitations and a heart, pain killers and chest pain, blood pooling in legs & arms, etc
