Anxiety and Dysautonomia: Do I Have POTS or Autonomic Dysfunction?

What causes anxiety to be so prevalent in so many people? How is it best prevented and treated? What can patients and physicians do to better understand this common medical issue?
Anxiety is a component of many physical and mental disorders, from depression to PTSD. Unfortunately, not many patients find relief in the associated therapies and medications, and simply adding more of the same often causes other disorders. Additionally, many who suffer from anxiety may in fact have other, anxiety-like conditions, such as the frequently misdiagnosed postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which can make any attempt at treatment futile. 

But now, with Anxiety and Dysautonomia: Do I Have POTS or Autonomic Dysfunction?, Donald J. Parker and physicians Joseph Colombo and Nicholas L. DePace aim to show, with a simplified analysis and discussion focusing on this common patient complaint and how best to treat it, that no longer does anxiety need to be merely managed with the forced lifestyle changes that are often required. Topics covered include: ​

• Parasympathetic and Sympathetic (P&S) dysfunctions that lead to anxiety-like conditions, plus clear concepts of anxiety and anxiety-like symptoms, the six-pronged Mind-Body Wellness Program, and the P&S nervous systems.
• How many of these anxiety-like conditions are actually caused by a lack of proper blood flow to the brain, which may cause mild symptoms of depression, fatigue, malaise, brain fog, and cognitive and memory difficulties, sleep difficulties, and more.
• The way these issues, when exacerbated, may trigger “adrenaline storms” that cycle the anxiety-like symptoms.
• Treatments that in many cases enable a return to a “normal” (as defined by the patient) quality of life, including natural therapies to relieve symptoms and promote wellness.

Presenting discussions with patients and doctors side-by-side to help physicians see how to present information to their patients and patients to learn what physicians need to know to tailor therapy to their individual needs, Anxiety and Dysautonomia is an essential resource for anyone concerned with anxiety and anxiety-like disorders, from medical professionals to patients to family and friends.
 

Dr. Nicholas L. DePace is board certified in cardiology, echocardiography, internal medicine, lipidology, and nuclear cardiology, with nearly forty years of clinical practice experience in cardiovascular and autonomic medicine. He was trained at Mount Sinai Medical School and Columbia University in New York, and Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia.  He runs practices in the greater Philadelphia area. He is professor of medicine and former associate chief of cardiology, with affiliations at local area hospitals.

Donald J. Parker is a licensed clinical social worker with nearly twenty years as president and CEO of Atlantic Care Health Services, providing leadership and business development for a multi-site ambulatory strategy. For the past ten years, he has been the president and CEO of Carrier Clinic, a 281-bed psychiatric hospital and residential treatment center as well as a special school for adolescents.

Dr. Joseph Colombo is trained in neurology with a background in electrical and mechanical engineering. His doctorate from University of Rochester, NY, is in neuroscience and biomedical engineering. He currently serves as chief technology officer and senior medical director of Physio PS, Inc.; and parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system consultant at Franklin Cardiovascular Associates, PA. He is licensed as a Doctor of Natural Medicine and a Doctor of Humanitarian Services. He has coauthored or ghostwritten numerous journal articles, book chapters, and books.