Really Confused: Dys & Can It Be Treated W/ Holistic Methods To "balance" The Para & Sympa?

[hilbiligrl]

I need to reply to a post, but wanted to post this one really quick. I have been getting much worse again and it's totally freaking me out. I've found a few articles about balancing the para and the sympa pathways with holistic methods (im guessing its like tested with chakra methods (and others that are nonconventional) then treated with tincture type holistic meds)...... one tincture would balance/correct the para and a different one would do the same for sympa.... but what if both are malfunctioned and the whole autonomic system is truly malfunctioned? Does this mean, this type of approach would not even work?

Has anyone went this route or tried it? My prob is, is this dysautonomia a complete malfunction that will not respond to this type of method treatment? My reasoning with that question is that, it seems BOTH my para and sypa are both severely out of whack. It's not just one. All the things im reading is as if it treats one pathway or the other but i can't find where this method treats and balances them both back to where they are suppose to be...... so now I am confused.

Any input anyone? Is this an area of treatment that does not apply to 'us'? Now im confused.... if my autonomic system is malfunctioned..... that's totally different than out of balance...... am i right here?

I hope someone can enlighten me in this area..... please????

thanks so much

tennille

[lieze]

I think anything has potential to work to a certain degree.

I'm not trying to be funny saying this but my treatment this summer was to sit and stare at the wall and it worked. I calmed down.

I'm not ready to go out and run a marathon but I'm alive and breathing and besides a little anemia okay they tell me.

The message I get every where is that stress can cause all of this that it affects the way the autonomic system works.

I was reading yesterday about stress induced anaphylaxis.

The mind and body connection is powerful.

Being able to relax and calm yourself is very important to every other component.

I'm

[hilbiligrl]

lieze~ great post..... as i was thinking around the same lines..... i know, that my life has severe stressors, daily, weekly.... and im not dealing with them at all even on a decent standpoint. I have been overly, overly nervous my ENTIRE life..... small things, throw me for loops..... however, to contradict what i just said, i've always been a pillar of strength in an odd sort of way...... but my strength has wore down considerably over the years.

interesting about the stress induced anaphalaxis...... i wander if it can happen if it was a stressor from days before an attack happens, or if its triggered by tiny amounts of stress...... glad you mentioned that, as i will read into it.

you are so correct... the mind and body connection is powerful..... and i cant ever seem to ever remember a day in my entire life of me ever being relaxed..... ever.... .and im being completely honest.

the low dose of klonopin i have been taking has made a difference in one area, (anxiety and worry).... but doesnt seem to affect the 'panic' in me..... i overly panic many times a day..... ugh, im so lost in all of this, which i guess many of us are....

lieze~ how are you doing?

thanks for your reply

tennille

[lieze]

I am here-a little better than yesterday.

Able to stand and make my kid's breakfast this morning.

Weight is stable at 91.

How I wish I could gain weight.

I still think there is something off in us.

Genetically, chemically, whatever.

It goes beyond stress.

This is not a normal response to life-what we're dealing with.

The stress and how we deal with it is just one component.

Until they can figure this thing out we have to just basically treat our symptoms.

I think it's like a domino effect-one thing off and the body comes crashing down.

I'm happy to be a friend to anyone out there and listen.

I'm not sure if it's appropriate to post an email but if anyone wants to private message me I'm happy to try to correspond. It just takes me a while some times to reply. I have my busy times and my down times where I just have to put my focus into breathing.

[WyomingGal]

I would be cautious with any tinctures. Start slow and see how you feel, also check to make sure they don't interact with any medication you might be on. I have heard some people say that pure essential oils (therapeutic grade), like young living, have saved their lives. If you are open to those things, then I absolutely think they will help if you believe in it.

I have had some energy work done recently, working on my chakras, etc and I do think it has helped. If anything it has given me a way to find some peace. I am going to be out on a limb here and just share this, if it's not for you, that's ok too: The energy worker said I had beings attached to my aura, which can suck your energy. She got rid of them and I swear I felt something.

If anything I have learned to find more spirituality in my life, like noticing the simple things in life, like a breeze on your face, a beautiful day, etc. It's important to work on your mind too, I would at least talk to a holistic worker or energy worker, and it may spark your interest.

When I worked on my anxiety, a biofeedback lady told me anxiety is like a ladder. It can be really quick to go up, but takes time to go back down. Try finding a mantra. I use to laugh at that thought, but tried it and it brings me comfort!

[lieze]

So true about the anxiety just being so quick to be triggered but taking so long to recover from.

It takes me hours to regroup.

[sandymbme]

I think that there can be tremendous benefit integrating holistic and homeopathic treatments with conventional medicine. As to whether either one can "cure" us, I have reservations. I have tried a lot, with mixed results. Acupuncture and energy work has not done me a lot of good, but I had several session with a woman who specialized in facial reflexology that did wonders for my TMJ, and gave me some relief in the hips and lumbar spine. (I wish I could find someone with her training here in Ohio, I saw her while staying with my parents in Charlotte, NC. Anyone interested, send me a PM and I'll be happy to share her info.) I think ultimately, any treatment that can reduce our overall stress level is worth pursuing. Assuming of course, you have any money left for such things after seeing all our doctors and buying all our prescriptions!

[skiberthoud]

I agree with Sandyshell. I think much benefit can be had from integrating different approaches. I have my MD and my ND who work harmoniously together. When I first stated seeing my ND both my parasympathetic and sympathetic systems were overstimulated. Through the work that we've done on my "whole" we have definately achieved more balance between these two systems, as well as other benefits. I'm not sure that you can find a "cure" but I do think that there are ways to make improvements.

[Sallysblooms]

Integrative MD's have helped me SO much. Not chakra kind of stuff but really great supplements. Testing for many things including neurotransmitters. There are so many ways to help with symptoms and overall health.

[abnel]

Hi Tennille, I'm sorry to hear you've been through such a rough time. This may not be a direct answer to your query but before I started Florinef I swear that Cranio-sacral therapy made a big difference to my overall functioning. It works on the parasympathetic nervous system but in my experience I believe it balances out both systems (para and sympathetic).

I would often feel wiped out for 2-3 days (sometimes longer) after these treatments, then I would have around 4-5 "good" days and then I would slowly start to get more symptomatic until my next treatment which would be fortnightly. Before these treatments it felt like I never had any "good" days.

In these "good" days I was less symptomatic (not as tachy, not as breathless, less light-headed and feeling like I was going to faint). I usually sleep really well after one of these treatments but I do tend to feel quite tired after, but it isn't the same "sick" tiredness that I get with POTS. It's more a healthy kind of tiredness if that makes any sense! I also feel better emotionally and less anxious. The cranial work is fantastic and I can feel heat and energy in my head and in my brain while she works. I often fall asleep during these treatments as it is so relaxing. Neither sacral and cranial work are rough like physio or any other type of massage. It is very gentle and you hardly feel it at all. You lie on your back the whole time and the therapist places their hands underneath your back while you are lying down. I can elevate my legs if I feel like it and I can also rest my head on a pillow if needed. I was so scared the first time I had this treatment that I was visibly shaking. I didn't know if it was going to make me worse but to my pleasant suprise it has definitely helped.

Some osteos who do this type of treatment may also do lympatic drainage and biofeedback therapy. I've found the lymphatic drainage very painful but effective. My osteo always finds a build up in my lymph system and through releasing whatever she finds in my system it seems to helps my breathing more than any other type of therapy. However I'll often get a temporary worsening of my breathing before it gets better.

Sorry, this is longer than I intended but I just wanted to put this out there in case it might help. Take care

[lieze]

Oh my gosh lotusflower!!!

Something you said just made me think.

I have these knots I get that are swollen and painful like in my shoulders.

What if it is the lymphatic system backed up and not a muscle thing???

I have the chronic sinus.

When they are touched it is painful and tender but after gentle massage I get relief.

After that massage at work I felt like a totally different person maybe it isn't just a muscle thing maybe it is lymphatic.

I could be totally wrong but when you said what

you did it made me think.

Especially my right eustachian tube also gets blocked and I get water behind my ear.

When it finally drains it feels like a bug crawling through my ear.

Does the eustachian empty into the lymphatic?

Is there an overload to where my body just can't keep up to everything draining out of my sinuses?

I'm not thinking this is my total problem just one factor that makes me feel icky at times.

[abnel]

I don't know Lieze but my Osteo said that with me I always have a build up in my lymphatic system and she firmly believes that is part of the problem with my POTS. I never knew I had any build up and it certainly is not obvious. If I remember correctly she said that in every human the left side of the body is always more challenging than the right as lymph drains into the left central side of the body (heart, lung area, which incidentally is where a lot of us are affected). I am also affected in my neck too. When a person is sedentary it is even more difficult for lymph to move and drain as there is no "pump" like the heart to pump it around. She believes I need to keep massaging the left area of my body under my left armpit and do left breast massages to stimulate the lymphatic drainage. In fact this is recommended for a lot of people I believe. I've been a bit slack over the last few months and it's possibly contributed to my breathing being much worse. Also my osteo hasn't been doing lymphatic drainage on me for a while because it was so painful the last time, but I think I need to suck it up because it seemed to really help.