Why does POTS affect so much more than your heart? Because the same autonomic nervous system runs heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, body temperature, sleep, energy and focus. If you are looking for a POTS chiropractor in Royal Oak, here is how we explain it at Van Every Family Chiropractic Center.
What does POTS feel like across the whole body?
People with POTS feel many things that other people don't, and they show up in more than one part of the body. We explained that "With less blood getting to your brain, you get dizzy, foggy, headachy", and your vision can go and you are exhausted.
The adrenaline surge brings the pounding heart, the shakiness, the sweating, the tight chest, the feeling people call anxiety, and trouble sleeping. Blood pooling can turn your feet and legs red or purple. Because the same nervous system runs your digestion and your temperature, you get nausea, bloating, and feeling too hot or too cold.
It is usually worse with exercise, in heat, when you are sick, or around your cycle. Those are "all times when your system is already under extra demand".
What are the different types of POTS?
Doctors describe a few different types, and many people have a mix. In neuropathic POTS, the nerves that tell the blood vessels in your legs to squeeze aren't signaling well. In hyperadrenergic POTS, the body is flooding itself with too much adrenaline. Some people have low blood volume, which means not enough fluid in the system.
They all have one thing in common: "the part of your nervous system that runs everything automatically" isn't regulating smoothly.
Why is POTS not just a heart problem?
Because heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, body temperature, sleep, energy and focus are not seven separate problems. When you step back, "POTS was never just a heart problem". They are all run by the autonomic nervous system.
We like to explain it like driving a car. Your nervous system has a gas pedal, which is fight or flight, and a brake pedal, which is rest, digest and recovery. Its main cable is the vagus nerve, which starts in your brainstem and runs down alongside your neck to your heart and gut. A healthy nervous system isn't stuck on either one. It shifts between them back and forth all day long. "We call that the Goldilocks zone of adaptability."
With POTS, it's like the gas pedal is pinned down. "The system has been in protection mode for so long that the fuel tank is running low." So when you ask it to do something as simple as stand up, it can't make that quiet, automatic adjustment. "It hits the alarm instead, and it overshoots."
Why would a nervous system get stuck on the gas?
When your body gets more than it can handle in the moment, it increases tension. The overwhelm can be physical, like a fall, a car accident, a concussion, a surgery or a hard birth. It can be chemical, like an illness, an infection or a toxin. It can be emotional, like stress, grief or a really hard season of life.
"Bracing is actually a really smart response. Your body is protecting you." POTS often starts with a virus, a concussion, a surgery, a pregnancy or a really stressful season. But plenty of people go through the same thing and never develop POTS, so the question we ask is what is different about your nervous system. Most people never get that question answered, and it is the question that changes how we help.
What does a POTS chiropractor in Royal Oak look at?
We look at the nervous system as a whole, and at what it has been carrying. Dr. Anna Saylor, Dr. John Johr and Dr. Zach Conner all do all of our techniques, and all three see pregnant patients, babies and children as well as adults.
Families come to our Royal Oak office from Royal Oak and nearby towns like Troy, Ferndale, Berkley and Clawson. You can read more on our POTS and dysautonomia page.
If this sounds like what you or someone you love lives with, call or text (248) 616-0900 or book online. We are at 4203 Rochester Rd in Royal Oak.
Frequently asked questions
What is POTS?
POTS is a pattern where the autonomic nervous system, the part of your nervous system that runs everything automatically, isn't regulating smoothly. That is why one person can feel dizzy, foggy, shaky and exhausted, with a pounding heart, digestion trouble and temperature swings, all from the same system. We explained that POTS was never just a heart problem.
What are the types of POTS?
Doctors describe a few different types. In neuropathic POTS, the nerves that tell the blood vessels in your legs to squeeze aren't signaling well. In hyperadrenergic POTS, the body floods itself with too much adrenaline. Some people have low blood volume, not enough fluid in the system. Many people have a mix, and they share one thing: the autonomic nervous system isn't regulating smoothly.
What often comes before POTS?
POTS often starts with a virus, a concussion, a surgery, a pregnancy or a really stressful season. But plenty of people go through the same thing and never develop POTS, so we ask what is different about your nervous system. We look at physical, chemical and emotional overwhelm, because the body braces when it gets more than it can handle.
How do I schedule a visit in Royal Oak?
Call or text (248) 616-0900, or use our online scheduling page. Our office is at 4203 Rochester Rd in Royal Oak, and any of our three doctors, Dr. Anna Saylor, Dr. John Johr or Dr. Zach Conner, can see you. Tell us what you are feeling and we will take it from there.
