Michelle Sawicki

Nina and I were just discussing this on the phone earlier. I can relate to the teeth problems....I've spent soooo much money on my teeth and I still need more work. I think my dentist must see dollar signs when I walk in the door. Michelle

So happy to hear things are turning around for you, Nina! Congrats on getting through school! Michelle

I've been using Stevia with good results. It is a plant that is much sweeter than sugar. Here is some info on it: http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?id=2269 Michelle

Pam, I did a search on POTS & Livedo Reticularis on google. There were sites that mentioned a connection. Stewart's site mentions a connection in the last paragraph on the page: http://www.nymc.edu/fhp/centers/syncope/POTS.htm Michelle

Anyone?

Thanks for all of the thoughts and suggestions regarding the forum. We did consider splitting the forum into different sections in the past but decided against it. For one, that means Nina and I would have to keep moving posts from one forum to another if someone posted in the wrong category. However the main reason we decided against it is was because NDRF's forum is split up this way and most people just post under the General Discussion heading anyway. Take care, Michelle

We've had a problem with our email the last couple of days. It is fixed now. You can send an email directly to Jane at meetothers@dinet.org. You can send emails to DINET at staff@dinet.org. Sorry for any inconvenience, Michelle

Take care of yourself, Nina. We've all been there before. I wish I could spend more time responding to posts too, but as is I am beyond busy and can only skim through posts as a moderator. Such is life... Michelle

Bumping this up....anyone?

Hi guys! I'd be happy for more people to join us with fundraising. As Nina said, it does take time, energy and commitment. If you interested please do let me know by dropping an email to staff@dinet.org Emily, I have read over your ideas and think they are great. I'll be in touch with you soon to discuss them further. Thanks for sharing your interest! Michelle

You can read a little about mast cell/POTS on the DINET site: http://www.dinet.org/what_causes_pots.htm Michelle

B-vitamins and magnesium really seem to help me. Michelle

There can be a connection in those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and dysautonomia. See: http://www.dinet.org/what_causes_pots.htm Michelle

Happy Easter to those who celebrate! Michelle Sawicki

If you haven't already read the link to info on Erythropoietin on the POTS Place "what helps" page you might want to....I don't know if it addresses your specific question but it has some pretty good information. Michelle

Hi Emily! I was so happy to read your post yesterday. Like everyone else, I have been thinking of you and hoping you'd be back to join us soon. Keep healing up. Michelle

Hi Kathy, Welcome to the forum! We covered a bit on dysautonomia and menapause in our first newsletter: http://www.dinet.org/images/newsletter2.pdf I hope this helps! Michelle

Hi and welcome to the forum. Each study does have its own set of criteria and perhaps the criteria is different now than it was on the previous study. In any case, we do have a list of physicians that treat autonomic disorders on our website: www.dinet.org/physicians.htm Michelle

Here is some info on how Candida is thought to be linked to allergies: http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2004/gut.htm Perhaps the worming medication disturbed the gut's microflora and that was what actually led to the children's allergies? Michelle

Also check out a press release in the last newsletter: http://www.dinet.org/Winter2005/jan05_news...nter05news2.htm On a side note, I wouldn't eat sugary foods as these can make the blood pool even more. Michelle

This is from the POTS Place "What to Avoid" page: Certain Foods, such as dairy products, may increase symptoms in some patients. White sugar and other refined carbohydrates can exacerbate hypotension by causing increased dilation in the gut (Mathias, 2000). It is important to identify and avoid food triggers. Studies show that gluten sensitivity may play a role in neurological disorders (Hadjivassiliou, Gibson, Davies-Jones, Lobo, Stephenson & Milford-Ward, 1996). See the page for the references. Michelle

It makes sense that pectus excavatum might be seen in those with dysautonomia. It can occur in those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and some with dysautonomia also have EDS. See: http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/health/...s-excavatum.htm Michelle

It is understandable that some of you may be upset at the way you have been treated by doctors, but please no swearing or bashing others on the forum. This is not the place for such negative energy. Strong feelings can be a great catlyst in producing change, and I encourage all of you who have these strong feelings to attempt to channel your energy into creating positive changes in the dysautonomia community. Michelle

I remembered a publication I recently read on this topic just this morning. This was in reply to a letter to the editor in The American Journal of Medicine, June 1, 2004 Volume 116. In this letter doctors (Bulbena et al) were asserting that panic disorder and dysautonomia overlap. These are excerpts from the reply by Gazit, Nahir, Jacob and Grahame: "The assertion by Bulbena et al that our patients' symptoms are psychogenic rather than dysautonomic in origin is highly contentious. Furthermore, it totally ignores the objective laboratory evidence of autonomic dysfunction demonstrated in 78% of the patients in our series presented in our paper. Moreover, there is no evidence of autonomic abnormalities in patients with panic attacks." Michelle

I can only share from my own personal experiences on this one, and from those experiences I do not believe my POTS is related to anxiety. I do not suffer from undue anxiety and I never have, not even when my POTS was at its worst. In fact, there have been times in the last 6 years that I've had POTS where I've gone through stressful periods and wondered if I would become worse. In truth, I've found that sometimes I actually feel better when I'm going through stressful periods, and my guess is that it may be because my blood pressure is actually a little higher during these times. Other times everything in my life is just peachy but the POTS is acting up. I have not found a conection in my own life between the two. That's not to say that there isn't a connection between the two in some of your lives. I hope those of you with anxiety troubles do seek appropriate treatment. Michelle