Eps 35. Dr. Diana Driscol - Healing from POTS Overcoming Challenges and Finding Hope

Dr. Diana Driscoll, a renowned optometrist, author, and researcher, transformed her personal battle with POTS and other debilitating symptoms into groundbreaking medical advancements. After contracting a virus in 2004 and finding no answers from over 50 physicians, she embarked on her own research, establishing Genetic Disease Investigators, LLC. Her work, which led to multiple U.S. patents, uncovered the role of the vagus nerve in "invisible illnesses." Now fully recovered along with her children, Dr. Driscoll founded TJ Nutrition® to provide unique supplements from her research and treats POTS patients worldwide at POTS Care®.Contact Info https://potscare.com/https://drdianadriscoll.com/ Get your Parasym Plus here: https://vagusnervesupport.com (Use Surita10 to get 10% off)Show Notes:1:45 – The Journey’s beginning – upper respiratory sickness after a trip to Costa Rica leading to debilitating POTs symptoms4:00 – What else brings people to experience these symptoms and how we can help them?4:50 – Children experiencing symptoms. Dr. Driscoll’s son missed 3 years of school due to fragility from the disorder.6:00 – The connection of the 80 symptoms to the vagus nerve, the ileocecal valve12:30 – presentation similar to autoimmunity, but receptors still responding14:00 – Diana’s 9-year-old and the fuel that kept her going. “I am never going to give up looking for answers until we know what’s wrong with us.”16:20 – being too sick to advocate for self, but allowing time for acceptance20:05 – Diagnostic criteria for POTS, Tilt table testing, heart rate and blood pressure24:25 – Overlap with fibromyalgia, Long Covid, even PTSD25:30 – Chronic pain/inflammatory conditions ignited – avoiding the label of “chronic pain” patient, covering up the pain versus finding the underlying cause29:30 – The genetic component that makes us more susceptible to illnesses like dysautonomia; 30:00 – The need for neurotransmitter balance and not just vagus nerve stimulation, the development of Parasym Plus33:20 – A lifestyle and mindset shift that is needed to keep inflammatory responses down35:03 – 10 years of being stuck in a room and feeling near death37:24 – Sometimes less is more, sometimes surgical procedures are not the answer, turning of the response to desperation to fully understand before making decisions39:00 – oxidation, damage to blood vessels, organs and brain function; 40 % of patients admit to wanting to end their lives because of the extreme suffering40:00 – A note on medical records impacting the ability to receive proper care41:00 - Nicotinic nerves vs Muscarinic nerve; pupil response, and tear production43:00 – Glutathione manufactured in the body and recycling, feedback loop and NAC supplementation 44:00 – Recovering and pacing appropriately to avoid stress activating sympathetic nervous system and causing cortisol dominance46:00 – Biofeedback HRV monitor, other apps to help bring down stress and turn down the over responding; the need to address the inflammation to maintain the healing48:30 – improvements to measuring inflammation 49:00 – Resources on inflammation, EDS, high anxiety, genetics resources to help people out of chronic illness51:00 – Our lives are meant to be livedFunctionally EnlightenedFollow us on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@functionallyenlightened⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to be notified when new interviews with amazing functional practitioners and chronic illness warriors are published.Visit us at ⁠⁠⁠www.functionallyenlightened.com⁠⁠⁠ to find out how we work or to contribute to the ongoing research on implant illness.