Unlocking the Secrets of Dysautonomia: Understanding the Causes and Treatments

Unlocking the Secrets of Dysautonomia: Understanding the Causes and Treatments
(Shutterstock)
Kuo-Pin Wu
3/14/2023
Updated:
3/16/2023
0:00

Many people suffer from persistent autonomic nervous disorders (dysautonomia). In addition to seeking help from Western medicine, they can also try treatment from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

The autonomic nervous system regulates the function of the body’s internal organs, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and body temperature. Problems with regulating these systems can result in a variety of symptoms including fainting, fluctuating blood pressure, muscle tension, and other symptoms.
How does TCM treat the autonomic nervous system? In this context, we need to look at it from both psychological and physiological aspects.

Psychological Aspects

Many people with autonomic nervous disorders are perfectionists, often have negative emotions, or are under consistently high stress in work and daily life. Persistent psychological pressures can result in tight muscles in the entire body. A consistently tense state and can lead to sympathetic nerve excitement, making it difficult to fall asleep at night, which can bring on a variety of symptoms. Therefore, it is vital to relax as much as possible psychologically, while also learning to manage the pressure of daily life.
(The Epoch Times)
(The Epoch Times)

Physiological Aspects

From my personal clinical point of view, almost all people with autonomic nervous disorders also suffer from sleep disorders. Another common phenomenon is that the muscles of the head, neck, shoulders, and back are particularly stiff. The reason for stiffness in these areas is twofold—one being long-term mental stress—and the other being the forward head position held when using electronic devices.

Stiffness in the head, neck, shoulder, and back muscles may seem to be an unremarkable symptom, however, it is an important key to the treatment of autonomic nervous and sleep disorders.

(The Epoch Times)
(The Epoch Times)

The head accounts for about one-tenth of the body’s weight and is only supported by the muscles and ligaments of the cervical spine and neck. Once degenerative diseases of the cervical spine occur, compression of the vertebral artery or stimulation of the sympathetic plexus around the vertebral artery will cause a series of symptoms, including sleep disturbance, tinnitus, decreased hearing, chronic or morning headache, and dizziness.

There could also be a wide range of eye disorders such as glaucoma, vision loss, eye pain, seeing flashing light, exophthalmos (protrusion of the eyes), and temporary visual field defect.

Additional symptoms of autonomic nervous dysfunction are nausea, vomiting, and sweating.

(The Epoch Times)
(The Epoch Times)
By healing cervical spondylosis, the above-mentioned conditions can also be healed. Though this is not mentioned in most orthodox textbooks of both Chinese and Western medicine, my own clinical experience tells me that starting from the treatment of cervical spondylosis, dredging the meridians, qi and blood, muscles, and ligaments of the cervical spine and the head is an important and most efficient way to treat autonomic nervous and sleep disorders.

A Case of Clinical Success

A woman in her forties presented with most of the symptoms typical of autonomic nervous disorder—tinnitus and difficulty hearing in the left ear, irritability, anxiety, stiffness and soreness of the head, neck, shoulders, and back muscles, and sleep disorder. She had to take five sleeping and sedative pills prescribed by her doctor before going to bed.

After one treatment of scalp acupuncture—under the skull at the Tianzhu, Fengchi, Anmian, Wangu, and Huatuo Jiaji—she now only requires one pill before going to bed and can sleep until dawn. The tinnitus and reduced hearing in the left ear improved by more than half, followed by drastic improvement in mentality and mood.

According to the theory of TCM, the human body has a “meridian” system, which is responsible for transporting “qi” and blood around the whole body. They are the basic substances that constitute the body and maintain all its physiological activities. Qi is the “energy” or “vitality” that constitutes life in the body, and TCM generally refers to the substance that replenishes nutrients in the body as blood. There are some points with special functions on the meridians, called acupoints. Stimulating the acupoints can regulate the energy of the body and help to regulate the nervous system.

Treatment With Chinese Medicinal Herbs

(The Epoch Times)
(The Epoch Times)

The following seven traditional Chinese medicine formulas are commonly used to treat autonomic nervous disorders:

  1. Guipi (spleen restoring) Decoction: specially used to treat deficiency of qi and blood in both the heart and spleen, palpitations, fearfulness, absent-mindedness, and insomnia.
  2. Tianwang Buxin (Ginseng & Zizyphus formula) Pills: For heart palpitations caused by internal bodily heat and short sleep time.
  3. Wendan (Gallbladder-warming) Decoction plus Ziziphi spinosae semen and Coptis chinensis: Allows peaceful sleep at night or calms fear from seeing unsettling images.
  4. Jiawei Xiaoyao (Bupleurum & Peony Formula) Powder: can significantly improve emotional anxiety and sleep disorders.
  5. Coptis and Ass-hide gelatin combination decoction: For restless heart feeling, and difficulty falling to asleep.
  6. Licorice, Wheat, and Jujube Decoction: For emotional instability, and repeated yawning.
  7. Bupleurum, Dragon bone, and Oyster Shell Decoction: calms the nerves and aids sleep.
Note: Because different people have different physiques, it is recommended to consult your doctor or TCM experts.
Kuo-pin Wu is the superintendent of Taiwan Xinyitang Heart Clinic. In 2008, he started to study traditional Chinese medicine and obtained a bachelor’s degree from China Medical University in Taiwan.
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