Tongue Tie, Trauma, Menopause & More: Your EDS Questions Answered with Dr. Dacre Knight (Ep 209)

Tongue tie and POTS? EDS without obvious hypermobility? Perimenopause making symptoms worse? And tongue numbness after a nerve block? In this listener Q&A, Dr. Linda Bluestein, the Hypermobility MD, and recurring co-host Dr. Dacre Knight, medical director of the UVA Health EDS and Hypermobility Disorders Center, tackle some of the complicated questions patients are asking—and where the evidence is still evolving. Can tongue tie contribute to dysautonomia? Can men have a connective tissue disorder even without obvious joint hypermobility? How should people with hEDS, POTS, and MCAS think about pregnancy? And could being born prematurely influence autonomic function later in life? Dr. Bluestein and Dr. Knight also explore emerging research examining trauma histories in people with EDS and HSD, including how repeated medical dismissal and gaslighting may contribute to trauma over time. The conversation turns to perimenopause and menopause, including why perimenopause can be particularly challenging and the sometimes-competing considerations of estrogen and progesterone therapy for people managing both menopausal symptoms and connective tissue laxity. Finally, they break down Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity (LAST): what it is, symptoms to recognize, potential risk factors, and how it is managed—prompted by a listener’s experience with recurrent tongue numbness following nerve blocks. In this episode, you’ll learn: What we know—and don’t know—about tongue tie and dysautonomia Why connective tissue disorders may look different in men Important considerations when planning pregnancy with hEDS, POTS, and MCAS Whether prematurity may influence autonomic function later in life What emerging research suggests about trauma, EDS/HSD, and medical gaslighting Why perimenopause may be particularly difficult for some hypermobile patients How estrogen and progesterone may affect symptoms and connective tissue laxity How to recognize Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity (LAST) Why unusual neurologic symptoms after local anesthetic exposure deserve attention Go to AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code BENDY_ to get UP TO $300 off today! Want more Dr. Linda Bluestein, MD? Website: ⁠https://www.hypermobilitymd.com/⁠YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@bendybodiespodcast ⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hypermobilitymd/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/BendyBodiesPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/BluesteinLinda⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hypermobilitymd.substack.com/ ⁠Shop my Amazon store ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.amazon.com/shop/hypermobilitymd ⁠Dr. Bluestein's Recommended Herbs, Supplements and Care Necessities: ⁠https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hypermobilitymd/store-start⁠ Want to learn more about the UVA EDS Center? For Appointments and Questions: ⁠[email protected] ⁠UVA EDS: ⁠https://www.uvahealth.com/healthy-practice/advancing-care-through-ehlers-danlos-clinic⁠UVA EDS FAQ: ⁠https://www.uvahealth.com/support/eds/faq⁠ UVA Pediatric Integrative Medicine: ⁠https://childrens.uvahealth.com/specialties/integrative-health⁠ Thank YOU so much for tuning in. We hope you found this episode informative, inspiring, useful, validating, and enjoyable. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to level up your knowledge about hypermobility disorders and the people who have them. YOUR bendy body is our highest priority!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about Human Content at ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www\.human-content\.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Advertising/Business Inquiries: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠ Part of the Human Content Podcast Network FTC: This video is not sponsored. Links are commissionable, meaning I may earn commission from purchases made through links Join YOUR Bendy Bodies community at ⁠⁠⁠https://www\.bendybodiespodcast\.com/⁠⁠⁠. Chapters: 00:00 Medical Trauma Opens00:36 Show Intro and Fan Qs02:38 Adult Tongue Tie Talk12:09 hEDS in Men Question16:58 10 Percent Rule Toolkit21:36 Pregnancy Planning Advice28:02 Prematurity and Trauma Links33:46 Trauma Begets Trauma34:52 Stellate Blocks And Vagal Stimulation36:20 Postmenopausal Bleeding And MCAS38:36 Endometriosis And Perimenopause42:19 Hormones Versus Hypermobility45:49 Clinician Advocacy And Learning49:57 LAST And Tongue Numbness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices