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POTS Explained: Understanding This Often Overlooked Condition

Picture of Dr. Tenesha Wards By   ·  3 minute read
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS, is a condition that affects blood flow. People with POTS have trouble regulating their blood pressure and heart rate. This condition can make standing up feel like a challenge, causing dizziness or even fainting. Daily tasks often become hard to manage. POTS mainly affects women between the ages of 15 and 50. When you stand up, gravity pulls blood down into your legs. Normally, your body adjusts by narrowing blood vessels and increasing your heart rate. With POTS, these adjustments don’t happen properly. As a result, less blood returns to your heart. This causes the heart to beat faster to try and compensate, leading to symptoms like dizziness and rapid heartbeat. It’s important to find a functional medicine doctor who focuses on finding and fixing the core root cause of these symptoms to help you heal. By addressing the underlying issues, you can better manage POTS and improve your quality of life. POTS can be overwhelming, but understanding it is the first step toward feeling better. Let’s dive into what POTS is, its causes, symptoms, and how functional medicine can help you manage this condition.

What is POTS? Understanding Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a condition that affects the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary functions like heartbeat and blood flow. When a person with POTS stands up, their heart rate increases abnormally, and blood has trouble getting back to the heart. This makes it hard to stand for long periods and can cause various symptoms. POTS is part of a group of disorders called dysautonomia, which means the autonomic nervous system doesn’t work correctly. While the exact cause of POTS is not always known, it can happen after events like infections, surgeries, or trauma. Sometimes, it is linked to other health conditions, such as Lyme disease or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder.

Common Symptoms and Causes of POTS

POTS has a range of symptoms that can vary from person to person. Some of the most common symptoms include:

1. Rapid Heartbeat: This occurs when standing up, making your heart race.

2. Dizziness: Feeling lightheaded or faint when you change positions.

3. Fatigue: Constantly feeling tired, even after getting enough rest.

4. Nausea: A feeling of sickness in the stomach, especially after eating.

5. Brain Fog: Difficulties in concentrating or remembering things.

Several factors can cause or worsen POTS. These include:

1. Infections: Some people develop POTS after fighting off a viral or bacterial infection.

2. Trauma: Physical injuries or surgeries can trigger POTS in some individuals.

3. Genetic Factors: Some people may be more likely to develop POTS due to inherited conditions.

4. Chronic Illnesses: Conditions like Lyme disease or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome can be linked to POTS.

5. Hormonal Changes: Fluctuations in hormones, such as during pregnancy, can trigger symptoms.

Once the triggers are identified, targeted treatments can be developed to address the underlying issues, improving your quality of life.

How POTS Affects Daily Life

Living with POTS can make everyday activities challenging. Symptoms like dizziness, rapid heartbeat, and fatigue can interfere with simple tasks. For example, standing for long periods, like waiting in line, can be especially difficult. This often leads people with POTS to avoid such situations altogether. Many people with POTS also experience "brain fog," making it hard to focus on work or school. This can impact job performance or academic success. The constant need to manage symptoms can also be emotionally draining, leading to feelings of stress or anxiety. POTS can affect physical activities as well. Exercise might worsen symptoms, making it hard to stay active. Social activities might become limited due to the unpredictability of symptoms. Overall, dealing with POTS requires careful planning and adjustments to maintain a manageable lifestyle. By addressing these core issues, you can work towards improving your daily life and overall well-being.

Functional Medicine Approaches to Managing POTS

Functional medicine offers a holistic approach to managing POTS by focusing on root causes rather than just symptoms. Here are some key strategies:

1. Diet and Nutrition: Eating a balanced diet full of whole foods can help manage POTS symptoms. Increase salt and fluid intake to improve blood volume and avoid foods that can trigger symptoms.

2. Exercise: While strenuous exercise might be tough, moderate activities like walking or swimming can be beneficial. Strengthening exercises for the legs can help improve blood flow.

3. Medications: A functional medicine doctor may recommend medications to help manage symptoms. These could include drugs to regulate heart rate and blood pressure.

4. Lifestyle Adjustments: Making changes like elevating the head of your bed or wearing compression stockings can make a big difference. These steps can help manage blood flow and reduce symptoms.

5. Stress Management: Incorporating stress-reducing techniques like yoga, meditation, or breathing exercises can help manage symptoms. Less stress often leads to less severe POTS symptoms.

By creating a personalized treatment plan, a functional medicine doctor can help you manage POTS effectively.

Improve Your Quality of Life: Managing POTS Effectively

Understanding and managing POTS can be challenging, but with the right approach, you can improve your quality of life. Knowing what POTS is and recognizing its symptoms and causes are crucial first steps. By understanding how it affects your daily life, you can make informed decisions about how to handle it. Functional medicine provides a comprehensive approach to managing POTS by addressing the root causes rather than just treating symptoms. This can lead to a more effective and long-lasting solution for managing POTS. At Infinity Wellness Telehealth, we specialize in treating conditions like POTS through a functional medicine approach in Austin, Texas and Waxahachie, Texas . Our team is dedicated to helping you find the root causes of your symptoms and creating a personalized treatment plan. Take the first step towards better health by reaching out to us today for a consultation!