Dysautonomia

Lots of us have dysautonomia.

For me the chief symptoms have ben POTS and gastroparesis. I have seen some dysautonomia specialists, some of whom said meds help as well as placebos, and some of whom only offered meds. The ones who thought outside of the pharma box advocated plenty of salt, proper hydration (not too much!), compression stockings, circulation exercises, vagus nerve stimulation exercises, and practices that reduce stress (tapping, limbic system retraining, meditation, yoga, etc.). Reducing stress is important because stress dysregulates the nervous system and helps to cement these improper neuronal activities. Continuing to move one's body, especially with a safe practice that can be done reclining such as restorative yoga, is important to avoid deconditioning. (I learned that the hard way!) Craniosacral therapy can be very helpful as well.

If you do not have MCAS, then lion's mane mushroom is a good supplement for rebuilding the nervous system. Some find magnesium threonate helpful for brain function, but I did not notice a difference relative to other forms of magnesium. Another option to reduce stress on the nervous system is the amino acid L-theanine.