There used to be a time when I dealt with so much pain every day, and no doctor in the local hospital in our small city could tell me its cause. Having dysautonomia disrupted my life for months and kept me from doing the things I loved. Then, someone suggested going to a specialist. And what did they find out?
The 2017 MSA Conference happened in Nashville, Tennessee, which was the Annual MSA Patient and Family Conference. Around 200 families attended the event, and 2000 people streamed it online. This event put more emphasis on updates about Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) of the critical advances in the study of the disease, including treatment.
There is no one definitive test for dysautonomia. The condition is often dysautonomia diagnosed by taking a thorough medical history and ruling out other medical conditions with similar symptoms. People with dysautonomia struggle getting up in bed. They have problems with focus, practice, and management. As a result, they should eat healthy diet and avoid caffeinated beverages. They should also veer away from exhausting events. Increasing awareness about dysautonomia can help save lives.
So how does it feel living with dysautonomia?
Living With MSA
Living with dysautonomia means undergoing the necessary treatment for dysautonomia, according to healthcare providers. Life with it also means dealing with the stress, anxiety, and physical symptoms of the condition. However, a patient that is dealing with dysautonomia is not simply managed with medications. Because someone with the illness may suffer from recurring thoughts, worries, and depression, it’s equally important to consider their wellness and manage their stress (through yoga, healthy nutritional food, standing exercises, etc.) to their benefit. This is where therapy can help someone living with a condition like dysautonomia.
Source: pexels.com
Therapy Treatment For Dysautonomia
How is someone living with dysautonomia managed?
Therapy for a primary condition like postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) or dysautonomia is different from taking medication. It can show you ways to relax, perceive situations in a new light, and generate better coping and problem-solving abilities. Anxiety disorders vary considerably, some of which are a result of other issues like high blood pressure, fainting spells, dizziness, poor foods choices or diet, lack of friends, limited walking or exercise, not treating diabetes, nausea, or chronic fatigue in my case. So when seeking therapy from physicians for someone managing autonomic nervous system dysfunction, it should lead towards your affected forms, severe cases and diagnosis.
Dysautonomia is a condition that can cause headaches, dizziness, and fainting. People with dysautonomia are unable to regulate their blood pressure and heart rate, which can make it hard to stay upright or even lying down. There are many different types of dysautonomia, but all share some common symptoms, concerns, progress, and treatment options. There is no cure for dysautonomia, but there are reviewed ways and tips to manage and cope with the condition and improve your ability. Acupuncture is an example.
Source: pexels.com
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Considered a widely used approach, it has shown effectiveness in the alleviation of panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and phobias, among many other conditions. Patients with MSA tend to develop mental illnesses. Thus, CBT can help address distorted perceptions of the way many dysautonomia patients look at the world and themselves. It mainly involves two components:
Cognitive Therapy
Examines the contribution of negative thoughts to your dysautonomia-induced anxiety.
Behavior Therapy
Examines your behavior and help in handling the situation.
Exposure Therapy
People with MSA often experience anxiety. A patient of dysautonomia depends on inconvenient actions to avoid symptoms of fear, and it’s only natural to avoid the things that scare you. However, the problem with this behavior is you never get the opportunity to overcome and walk past it. You can be stuck with fear and do irrational behaviors all your life to evade it, according to doctors.
Exposure therapy allows you to confront your fears. Its objective is to expose you to it numerous times until you gain control over your fear.
Thoughts On Dysautonomia
Primary dysautonomia is an umbrella term that can affect the peripheral nervous system or sympathetic nervous system and physical health of familial dysautonomia patients chronically and progressively. It adversely affects the mental health of dysautonomia patients and increases brain fog and chronic illness symptoms and likely reduces blood flow and high heart rate if you don’t make vast improvements to raise awareness about this medical condition and other autonomic disorders. However, the diagnosed condition won’t be as difficult to cure as it may seem based on research body if you have proper support systems and treatments from healthcare professionals (for example, a physician) in your daily life.
Dysautonomia therapy methods such as talk therapy can ultimately help identify sores in the muscles caused by disorders in the nervous system. So, it’s important for you not to lie to your therapist about your medical history. Give your therapist access to your experiences. Make lives count.
FAQs
- Can you live fully with dysautonomia?
- What worsens dysautonomia?
- How does an individual with dysautonomia feel?
- What is the role of the neurologist for autonomic dysfunction?
- Is a person with autonomic dysfunction considered disabled?
- What are the different types of dysautonomia?
- What can cause autonomic dysfunction?
- What kinds of mental health professionals can manage dysautonomia?
- What type of dysautonomia is life-threatening despite lifestyle changes?
- What is the lifespan of people with dysautonomia?
- What organs are affected by dysautonomia?
- Can you fully recover from dysautonomia?
- How disabling is dysautonomia?
- What triggers dysautonomia?
- Why do people get dysautonomia?