Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
SweetFeatherParticipant
Hi Potsie Friends 🙂
I just posted about “Senobi Breathing” over on the post about gaining weight. Studies have shown Senobi breathing, which involves raising hands above the head, can up-regulate sympathetic nerve activity and increase concentrations of catecholamines after one minute in some people. I wonder if we are releasing too many catecholamines when we keep our hands up too long especially if we are looking up… it would be like doing extended episodes of Senobi Breathing. It is interesting that Senobi breathing had these increased concentrations of catecholamine effects in the Obese and DEPRESSED (OWD) group immediately after the breathing but not the “healthy” group but the relative sympathetic activity during the day is HIGHER in the healthy group. This is exciting! The OWD group’s “sympathetic nerve activity and hormone levels” recovered in 30 DAYS!!!!!! I think this fits in with Dr. Diana’s theory…VAGUS nerve, sound familiar anyone? Do you have any time for a new trial, Dr. Diana? 😉http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21551954
“After one minute of SBE, significant up-regulation of sympathetic nerve activity and increased concentrations of catecholamines, estradiol, and growth hormone were observed in OWD (depressed) group.”
“Twenty were healthy, and the other 20 were obese (body mass index > 25 and body fat > 30%) and in a depressive state (OWD). Sympathetic nerve activity determined by analyzing heart rate variability, and the hormone levels in the urine were investigated before and 30 min after one minute of SBE. The relative proportion of sympathetic nerve activity among healthy women in the daytime was 79.2 ± 2.3%, whereas that in OWD group was 30.4 ± 1.9%. After one minute of SBE, significant up-regulation of sympathetic nerve activity and increased concentrations of catecholamines, estradiol, and growth hormone (all P values < 0.001) were observed in OWD group. After 30 days of SBE, the sympathetic nerve activity and hormone levels had recovered in OWD group, and the depressive state, as evaluated by the Hamilton Depression Scale, had ameliorated. The "Senobi" breathing exercise was found to be effective for amelioration of depression in obese women possibly through up-regulation of sympathetic nerve activity and hormone secretion." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20834183
"After 1 min of the "Senobi" breathing, substantial up-regulation of sympathetic nerve activity and increased urinary hormone secretion were observed in the overweight women but not in the healthy controls. Moreover, after repeating the exercise for a month, the obese patients showed significant loss of body fat. The "Senobi" breathing exercise was found to be effective for weight loss in obesity possibly by regulating the autonomic nervous system and the hormone secretion."http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20930645
“Senobi” stretch ameliorates asthma symptoms by restoring autonomic nervous system balance.”
"We recommend the patients engage in the "Senobi" stretch exercise, which involves stretching the arms and body upward while standing. After 1 month of regularly performing this exercise, most patients showed a decrease in the frequency of asthma rescue medication use. They also showed a recovery of forced expiratory volume in 1 second. These results suggest that the Senobi stretch is a useful exercise for asthmatic patients to perform to achieve a desirable improvement in symptoms."SENOBI BREATHING. (You can do this SITTING down too, my Potsie, friends!)
http://www.healthhabits.ca/2011/05/11/senobi-breathing-cure-depression-obesity-asthma/We are in a vicious cycle... we are dizzy so we stop raising our hands above our heads because it makes us dizzier. I wonder if Senobi Breathing might help reverse that cycle?
I'm going to try doing this 3 times a day. (sitting to start) I mean... I've got 3 minutes a day to spare! 🙂
My best, SweetFeatherSweetFeatherParticipantDr. Diana and friends! 🙂
I was reading on Dr. Jack Kruse’s blog (he’s a neurologist who talks a lot about evolutionary biology, leptin resistance, low carb Paleo, and cold thermogenesis and optimal health) He’s a bit controversial… he has a group of detractors, he was kicked off a cruise, and his Facebook was hacked! But he is gaining a large following because he has an incredible analytical mind and explains complex issues in a way that even my brain foggy mind can grasp. Many of his readers report weight loss and major health improvements. I decided to take a closer look after seeing his and his son’s before and after pictures… I’m a visual learner. lol.Anyway, a poster on his site mentioned “Senobi Breathing” for weight loss. So of course, I had to do a PubMed search…
WoW, Wow, Wow! “REGULATING THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM” caught my attention!Dr. Diana… is this working because it is stimulating the Vagus Nerve? By improving blood flow? Both? Is there a danger this could cause mast cell degranulation in some due to the release of catecholamines? What do you think?
SENOBI BREATHING. (You can do this SITTING down too, my Potsie, friends!)
http://www.healthhabits.ca/2011/05/11/senobi-breathing-cure-depression-obesity-asthma/http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20834183
“The “Senobi” breathing exercise was found to be effective for weight loss in obesity possibly by regulating the autonomic nervous system and the hormone secretion.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21551954
“After one minute of SBE, significant up-regulation of sympathetic nerve activity and increased concentrations of catecholamines, estradiol, and growth hormone were observed in OWD (depressed) group.”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20930645
“Senobi” stretch ameliorates asthma symptoms by restoring autonomic nervous system balance.”Dr. Jack Kruse also has some interesting ideas on weight loss. He advocates Cold Thermogenesis. He suggests starting with dunking the face in cold water.
Sound crazy? Dunk your face in cold water and lose weight? Well… what about dunk your face and lower your heart rate? He mentioned the “mammalian diving reflex” so I googled THAT! And WOW! Again!
I didn’t know it but…
“humans experience bradycardia when simulating a dive by holding the breath and immersing the face in cold water.”“The decrease in heart rate due to immersion in the presence of apnea is 8 beats/min, which, when added to the 10 beats/min reduction
caused by apnea in the presence of immersion, is close to the total reduction of 20 beats/min caused by the simulated dive.”Yes, this is transitory… but what if we could use this through time to have an effect on our autonomic nervous systems and have a heart rate lowering effect that is more lasting? What if???? Could this help us lose weight and lower our heart rates?
Studies have found holding breathe at 60% lung capacity with shorter dunks had a larger decrease in heart rate than bigger breathes with longer dunks. Fascinating!
http://advan.physiology.org/content/27/3/130.full.pdf+html
Oh… and Dr. Diana, I’m excited to hear what you think of all this it seems like it fits right in with The Driscoll Theory!
“A slowing of the heart rate occurs relatively quickly upon facial contact with cold water. The trigeminal facial nerves (5th cranial nerve) transmit the information to the brain which innervates the vagus nerve (10th cranial nerve) causing bradycardia and peripheral vasoconstriction. The colder the water, the faster the reaction. Temperatures above 21° C (70° F) do not elicit a response.”
I’ve got a mini pulse ox which also has HR and I’m going to test this with both cold dunking and with wet washclothes. Looks like my Mom was right about the cold washcloth on my face when I’m sick all these years!!!!!
I know cold can be a trigger for some for mast cell degranulation… so I am proceeding with caution.
Oh, that reminds me, … Dr. Jack tells posters that if they have cold urticaria they need to optimize their Omega 6 and Omega 3 levels as in they have too high of levels of the 6’s. I wonder if some of them have mast cell activation? So far I haven’t had any cold urticaria and I’ve been trying to optimize my Omega 3’s for a few years but who knows, maybe cold isn’t a big trigger for me since I live in the FarNorth?OMgosh, I think I’ve just had a big adrenalin dump… I’m so excited about this. Hugs all around!
My best, SweetFeather
🙂SweetFeatherParticipantDr.Diana, I’m sorry I missed seeing this until now. THANK YOU!
I like the idea of the scratch test. When I had my sulpha reaction it was unlike my usual med reactions (rashes except for doxycycline lip and tongue swelling)… it was TERRIBLE. I had a fever over 105 and I thought my brain was going to boil. I also felt terrifically anxious similar to when my metanephrines were 10 times normal. It was just this feeling of DOOM. My mother had the same reaction to a sulpha antibiotic so I will proceed with extreme caution and report back if I try it! I’ll ask both the neurologist and my retina specialist about it.
When I had my POTS “episodes” one of the symptoms I forgot about was the back of my head near my neck feeling slightly numb and the bones that protrude slightly at the base of the skull were tender to the touch. I noticed that happened lately when I was having an aggravation in my heart rate… headache behind my eyes and that numb/tender feeling at my lower skull. Your suggestion for the soft cervical collar is helping me a lot. My head feels lighter and I think more clearly before coffee when I wake up in the morning.
I need to examine my head and neck MRI’s from when they were looking for a carotid artery tumor the Pheo expert my doc consulted with over the phone thought I likely had. Which I didn’t. 🙂
Dr. Diana, thank you so much for all you do!
My best, SweetFeatherSweetFeatherParticipantI just got a haircutting/stylist saddle stool to aid me in the kitchen. It is similar to the Kayline hi-rider and has a foot ring. It helps keep your back in proper alignment (as Esther Gokhale recommends.) I wish I could afford a Salli or Bambach saddle stool! But… this is very comfy and with a pneumatic lift it is easy for me to move quickly around the kitchen and to my dining table. I love it!
SweetFeatherParticipantYes, peg teeth are EDS related. I somehow had missed this:
http://www.ednf.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1484&Itemid=88888988SweetFeatherParticipantBarbara and Megha, thanks for posting! My daughter’s right incisor is a peg tooth with a normal sized root and her left incisor is normal. She is my youngest of five and the only one with a peg tooth. She is also the one of my kids who I’d say has the most EDS symptoms and the worst asthma. I somehow missed that she had lost that tooth and it came in that way because she lost a lot of baby teeth at one time. I actually thought it was still her baby tooth and I asked the dentist about it. He missed it at first… said it was a baby tooth just late to lose it and then came out to the waiting room and said he looked at the xrays again and it had adult sized roots. He said she could have it capped when the adjacent permanent tooth comes in. It has but so far she seems to kind of like her tiny tooth but she’s only 10 now. I told her to let me know if she wants to get it capped. The dentist said it was genetic and asked about family but as far as we know neither side has had it before. I wonder if it is EDS related? I know that high palates, crowded teeth, and TMJ are related. Hmmmm…?
SweetFeatherParticipantPalominoMorgan, I’m sorry you had pain with yours and so young too. I never felt mine. My doc said to ignore them as best as I can and I’ve gotten quite good at it! 🙂 Do you get headaches behind your eyes? When I had my bad POTS “episodes” that was one of my symptoms.
SweetFeatherParticipantTrammell7, my floaters don’t bother me enough to want to risk treatment… I’m scared they’d be worse. I’ve been very near-sighted since about age 15. I liked the idea of laser correction except the procedure was so new they didn’t know what would happen as the eyes aged and I didn’t want to be a Lasik surgery guinea pig. I was scared when they lasered my tear down but it didn’t hurt and stopped it from detaching. Does macular degeneration run in your family? My dad has that. He had a laser treatment that helped stop the progression of it. Do you have bright blue eyes, by chance?
SweetFeatherParticipantThank you to everyone and Dr. Diana for always listening!
I also went off Singulair….my mom had actually noticed my moods drastically changing when I was on it, but at first I didn’t attribute it to the singulair. I had higher levels of anxiety, emotional instability (i.e. feeling like crying for no reason). Even my dreams were very vivid and unpleasant! I am happy to be off of it.
Megan, I reacted poorly to Singulair too.
…….. I was a raving biotch on it. It was like BAD PMS. I was so cranky and impatient with my kids. In one word I was extremely “irritable.” I didn’t even like being with myself when I was on it and I couldn’t do that to my hubby and my kids! My allergist and primary were surprised I reacted that way.Florinef gave me a nearly constant headache which felt like a giant hand was slowly squeezing my brain. I immediately gained back fifteen of the pounds back that I’d lost with my first bad POTS episodes.
My cardiologist put me on propanolol and midodrine when I was first diagnosed with POTS but the beta blocker had my blood pressure so low I thought I wouldn’t wake up in the morning and I started having really bad anxiety episodes. Like crawling up the wall! My doc tested me for a pheo and my urinary and plasma tests showed grossly elevated metanephrines. (10 times normal and 4 times is considered virtually 100 percent for a pheo.) So I had scan after scan after scan…. no pheo. Went off the betablocker and midodrine and metanephrines returned to normal. My endocrinologist said I was lucky I hadn’t had a “catastrophic heart event” at those levels. So if you are feeling worse and you have anxiety symptoms (I didn’t have high blood pressure with it like most pheos but my other symptoms sounded like a pheo) … ask about having your catecholamines tested… I wish she’d checked my methylhistamine and tryptase at that time. I have lab orders for those two tests if I have an “episode” but haven’t had one since being on the mast cell protocol. 😉
Best of luck with your docs and with getting your meds figured out.
SweetFeatherSweetFeatherParticipantI got my Digifit connect 2 on Amazon and the Garmin chest strap there also. You can get Digifit for ipad and ipod touches also. You have to download the Digifit software onto your hardware and you need to upgrade from the free version. I chose the iCardio version of the Digifit software and I downloaded it from iTunes once I had the Digifit connect 2 and the chest strap. Digifit has a website with lots of info but I found Amazon had it cheaper!
I HIGHLY recommend anyone with POTS with Ehlers use this on everyone in their family to see if anyone has undiagnosed POTS AND to help manage their own symptoms.
I found out my 13 year old son has POTS using the Digifit and the cardiologist confirmed it is POTS! Luckily his P waves being inverted are a benign variant on him. On the sonogram, his valves looked good and the cardiologist found no dilations. Heart is good! PHEW! She referred us to a neurologist and a genetic specialist for his sister who has the worst EDS symptoms. The specialist will be coming to our state so we won’t have to travel. YEAH!
SweetFeatherParticipantThis post was very timely for me and a good warning for all of us. You can have POTS AND some other heart problem!
I finally got confirmation my thirteen year old son’s inattentive ADD is actually probably POTS which I’ve suspected since I was diagnosed by tilt table with POTS. I’ve had the nurses at our clinic test his pulse standing at least three times since he spontaneously vomited during a poor man’s tilt I gave him but his heart rate was normal every time the nurses took it. (The longest they would wait is 12 minutes) My blood pressure cuff would go to “error” on him so I couldn’t prove his pulse was sometimes high but I noticed he’d turn pale when singing at a concert and his teacher’s commented he’s been increasingly inattentive at school. He’s also been complaining of back pain in his left kidney area for 7 weeks and he’d been diagnosed with a muscle strain but I didn’t believe that because it was coming and going and he’s been increasingly fatigued.
I KNEW something was going on with him, and I suspected POTS, but I couldn’t prove it so I bought an iPhone with a Garmin chest strap and a Digifit connect 2 and Digifit iCardio to turn my phone into a heart monitor. He carried the phone in his cargo pants pocket for half a day. I was shocked by the results.
I took him to the clinic with a print out of the results and I finally got our doctor to believe me something was going on! Well… his EKG showed abnormal P waves and his heart rate ranged from 59 to 128 while lying down having the test. He’s going to a pediatric cardiologist in a couple of days. I am really worried because while I have POTS, I’ve never had any abnormal heart or chest tests (EKG’s, echos, Chest MRI’s and Sono’s).
Anyone else have an EKG with inverted P waves or ectopic atrial tachycardia?
Thanks, SweetFeatherSweetFeatherParticipantI have POTS and one or more of my kids may have it also. Last week, I sent my youngest son to school with my new iphone, Garmin chest strap and Digifit Icardio heart rate monitor running on it and I picked it up at noon. His heart rate was high and had wild swings. I took him the next day to our clinic and his EKG showed inverted P waves. My EKG’s are always fine so I am really worried. He’s going to a cardiologist who has seen POTS patients in a couple of days.
I originally thought my POTS was from the swine flu but I think I’ve had mild POTS most of my life and I was misdiagnosed as ADD-inattentive. I tested two of my other kids with my Digifit iCardio and they were fine but I’m going to test my oldest two when they come home for the holidays. I suspect my POTS may be familial. How did you find out yours was familial? Is there a certain ethnic group that familial POTS runs in or is it rare but wide spread across different heritages? I appreciate your posting! Thanks!
My best, SweetFeatherSweetFeatherParticipantDeb, that’s interesting the SCD didn’t help your fingernail ridges either. I added back corn, potatoes and rice after being on the SCD for two years and I started having a recurrence of IBS type symptoms (bloating and pain) even though I wasn’t eating ANY gluten. I also had a return of crazy carb cravings (especially from CORN) which led to a 10 pound weight gain and I was feeling a little more foggy headed so I’ve recently gone back 100% SCD but low histamine. I’m going to stick to it the rest of my life because it really does make me feel so much better. The “Breaking the Vicious Cycle” by Elaine Gottschall was the book that got me started and I used the stages on pecanbread dot com as a guide for when to add foods back into my diet. My best, SweetFeather
SweetFeatherParticipantI’m a non-smoker and I have ridges on my nails. I’m celiac (negative blood test but diagnosed through diet). My intestinal issues (bloating, episodic pain, constipation) resolved on the SCD diet. The pads of the tips of my fingers, toes and my BUTT had flattened from being an undiagnosed celiac for so many years. After improving my gut flora on the SCD, I started absorbing nutrients better and the pads of my fingers, toes AND my butt have returned to normal. I was also obese before the diet and had crazy carb cravings. The diet helps normalize your weight because it heals your intestines so you absorb nutrients better and it helps you to have a normal appetite. Those who are underweight gain, those over tend to lose. (Unless you eat too many nuts!) Alas, the diet didn’t seem to help my horizontal fingernail ridges at all, so for me I think it is being caused by something more than just malabsorption.
BTW, if you have really bad brain fog and and IBS symptoms try the SCD diet for a month. I was shocked how my brain fog dramatically lifted after four days on the diet. Keep it low histamine though, I learned that the hard way.
My best, SweetFeather
-
AuthorPosts