Dysautonomia Episodes

“There is always a reason for illness. You may not have all your answers today, but that doesn’t mean answers don’t exist. Never give up.” – Dr. Diana Driscoll In this episode, Dr. Diana Driscoll — optometrist, researcher, patient, and founder of POTS Care — takes us inside her groundbreaking journey to uncover the hidden mechanisms of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). After years of worsening illness and dismissal by the medical system, Dr. Driscoll combined her medical expertise with relentless patient-driven research. What emerged is now known as the Driscoll Theory, a framework that explores: What drives POTS: high intracranial pressure, vagus nerve dysfunction, neurotransmitter disruption, and systemic vascular irregularities. How to intervene: restoring vagus nerve function, reducing inflammation, supporting acetylcholine activity, and managing oxidative stress. Practical tools: supplements like ParaSym Plus and NAC Max, targeted use of histamine b…

Pediatric Acute Onset Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus Infection and Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome is a troubling condition that involves sudden onset of OCD, anxiety, tics, sometimes aggression, sometimes ADHD, sometimes depression, sometimes dysgraphia.. that abruptly happens almost overnight. In some cases like PANDAS it follows a streptococcus infection in other cases like PANS it may follow a virus, vector-borne-illness, or mycotoxin exposure. In this episode a legend in functional medicine Nancy O'hara, MD joins us as she is an expert in this topic and author of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS: A Functional Medicine Desktop Reference on Basal Ganglia Encephalitis.

Highlights 0:00 🎙️ Dr. Rinde introduces the episode on mental health and the immune system with guest Dr. Emily Gutierrez .1:30 🧠 They discuss the relationship between mental health and changes in weather, seasons, and activity. 4:15 🍏 Dr. Gutierrez’s expertise lies in how nutrition and genetics impact mental function in conditions like ADHD and depression. 7:45 🧬 The immune system and neurotransmitters, like glutamate, play a role in mental health. 10:20 🧪 They explore the activation of the immune system through genetics and environmental triggers .15:10 🎓 Dr. Gutierrez’s journey to integrative and functional medicine started with her own struggle with postpartum depression. 18:30 🌐 She initially had a traditional medicine viewpoint but learned to bridge the gap with integrative approaches. 22:45 ⚙️ They discuss the importance of collaboration and listening to patients in providing the best outcomes .25:55 🌍 Mental health is influenced by the immune system, and chronic infla…

In episode #84 we welcome back a familiar name to our audience: Dr. Jill Crista. Dr. Crista is back to discuss another area of her expertise Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated With Streptococcal Infections(PANDAS) and Pediatric Acute Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndromes (PANS) She recently authored a new book called A Light in the Dark for PANDAS & PANS which highlights integrative and root cause strategies and treatments for patients and their families who are struggling wi...

Episode 83: Neurostabilization with Amber Walker. Link in Profile and below, or Scan QR code on picture. The worlds of Mast Cell Activation Disorder, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, and Hypermobility Ehlers Danlos Syndrome have many threads in common and many shared experiences. The common thread in these conditions expands to the fact that the symptoms, causes, and triggers are unpredictable, undefined, and this experience is largely disruptive to the nervous system. Further the nerv...

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a key metric in the overall homeostatic balance of the body. HRV is simply a measure of the variation in time between each heartbeat. This variation is controlled by a primitive part of the nervous system called the autonomic nervous system (ANS). It is largely an indicator of how well the body is handling the Allostatic Load (stress load). I didn't truly grasp HRV until I was exposed to the work of Dr. Marco Altini; so I decided to ask him to come on and help e...

In this episode we speak to my Colleague Dr. Alena Guggenheim about hypermobility and Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes. Dr. Alena Guggenheim is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. She is one of the few Naturopathic Physicians in the world that holds such a prestigious position at a major clinical research institution. Dr. Guggenheim specializes in the care of children and adults with chronic pain and connective tissue disorders. S...

In this episode we speak with a repeat guest Dr. Jessica Pizano who a doctor of clinical nutrition and her clinical teammate Sabrina Vaz who is an expert in Pilates. They are from Mast Cell Advanced Diagnosis and their unique focus on mast cell disorders brings them in close interaction with patients with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). EDS is a connective tissues disorder that involves hypermobility of joints and sometimes hyperelasticity of tissue. Those who are suffering from it deal with a un...

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome encompasses a consortium of imbalances in the body that results in suffering from sensitivities to foods, chemicals, and environmental triggers. These sensitivities seem to be mediated by over release of histamine and other inflammatory mediators by mast cells. The consequences are vast including digestive, neurologic, immune, dermatologic, endocrine , musculoskelatal, and psychological impact. This episode brings in an expert in this area Dr. Jessica Pizano to help...