How Can Upper Cervical Care Help POTS Patients?

The Autonomic Disconnect When someone is living with dysautonomia , they often feel like their body is out of sync—heart racing when doing every day activities, digestion stalling and feeling bloated, lightheadedness, anxiety, or overwhelming fatigue. But what’s actually happening inside the nervous system to cause this kind of chaos? To answer that, we need to understand how the autonomic nervous system (ANS) works—and where it can go wrong. The Autonomic Nervous System: Your Automatic Pilot The ANS is the part of your nervous system that runs in the background—regulating heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, breathing, temperature, and more. You don’t consciously control it, and that’s the point: it’s supposed to keep your body in balance without you thinking about it. It has two main branches: Sympathetic nervous system – Often called “fight or flight,” this system ramps things up. It increases heart rate, dilates pupils, slows digestion, and gets you ready to respond to threats or stress. Parasympathetic nervous system – This is your “rest and digest” mode. It slows the heart rate, boosts digestion, and promotes healing and relaxation. In a healthy system, these two branches work like a teeter-totter —when one is active, the other calms down, and vice versa. When the Balance Tips Too Far In dysautonomia, the teeter-totter gets stuck—and that’s when problems arise. If the sympathetic system stays overactive , the body lives in constant overdrive. This can lead to: Rapid heart rate (like in POTS) Poor digestion Sleep disruption Anxiety-like symptoms Cold hands and feet (from poor circulation) If the parasympathetic system becomes dominant in the wrong way , people may experience: Brain fog or fatigue Low blood pressure Dizziness or fainting Depressed mood Slowed gut motility It’s not always about one system being “bad.” The real issue is dysregulation —the body’s inability to shift gears smoothly. The Brainstem: The Master Regulator At the core of this system is the brainstem. This is the main hub for autonomic control. It’s where your brain receives data about your body’s internal state and decides how to respond—raising blood pressure, slowing your heart, stimulating digestion, or releasing stress hormones. But here’s where it gets interesting: the craniocervical junction —where your skull meets your top two neck bones—is the anatomical neighborhood that surrounds the brainstem. If this area becomes misaligned or under strain (from trauma, posture, or hypermobility), it may interfere with the signals going in and out of the brainstem . A Simple Analogy Imagine the brainstem is a thermostat in your home. It constantly monitors the internal temperature (your body’s signals) and adjusts the system accordingly. But if someone covers the thermostat with a towel, it starts getting faulty readings. The heat might crank on when you’re already warm, or the AC might shut off in the middle of summer. That’s what happens when craniocervical tension or misalignment affects autonomic regulation. The control center is intact—but the input and output are distorted. Where Chiropractic May Help At Cerebral Chiropractic, we don’t chase symptoms. We focus on clearing out interference—especially at the craniocervical junction—so the nervous system can regain its ability to self-regulate. When pressure is relieved at the top of the spine, the brainstem can often return to baseline function. In some cases, this has led to dramatic improvements in symptoms of dysautonomia. Relevant Research Rosa S, Baird JW. The craniocervical junction: observations regarding the relationship between misalignment, obstruction of cerebrospinal fluid flow, cerebellar tonsillar ectopia, and image-guided correction. In: Heffez DS, editor. The Craniocervical Syndrome and MRI. Basel: Karger; 2015. p. 48–66. doi:10.1159/000365470. Haavik H, Murphy B. The role of spinal manipulation in addressing disordered sensorimotor integration and altered motor control. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2012 Aug;22(4):768–76. Epub 2012 Apr 6. doi:10.1016/j.jelekin.2012.02.012. PMID: 22483612. Woodfield HC 3rd, Hasick DG, Becker WJ, Rose MS, Scott JN. Effect of atlas vertebrae realignment in subjects with migraine: an observational pilot study. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:630472. doi:10.1155/2015/630472. PMID: 26783523; PMCID: PMC4689902

Pain, Throbbing, Aching, Pressure, and Tension In The Head Dysautonomia isn’t a single condition—it’s a term that describes a range of disorders affecting the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which regulates things like heart rate, digestion, and blood pressure. For many patients, the search for answers becomes a long, exhausting journey. Why? Because our healthcare system isn't built to see the whole picture. A Medical Maze with No Map Most patients are referred from specialist to specialist—cardiology, neurology, psychiatry, gastroenterology—depending on their most prominent symptoms. A person with dizziness might see a heart doctor. Another with brain fog or headaches might land in a neurologist’s office. Yet, none of these specialties receive in-depth training in autonomic function. Each only sees a piece of the puzzle, often missing the bigger neurologic pattern underneath. That leads to fragmented testing, vague labels, and treatments that aim to manage symptoms—without addressing what’s disrupting communication between the brain and the body. Why It’s So Complex Dysautonomia is a multi-system issue. The heart, lungs, digestion, balance, and even emotional regulation are often affected all at once. And while symptoms vary from person to person, many cases seem to stem from similar root factors: physical trauma, infections, emotional stress, or genetic predisposition. These disrupt the circuits governed by the brainstem and vagus nerve—key players in automatic body function. The challenge? These root causes don’t always show up on standard bloodwork or imaging. That’s why a patient might be told “everything looks normal,” even when their daily function is clearly impaired. A Shortage of Help Navigating dysautonomia isn’t just hard for patients—it’s also tough for clinicians. Testing is complicated, terminology can be confusing, and the disorder lives in a gray zone between physical and mental health. There are far more patients needing help than providers equipped to deliver it. So What Can Be Done? It starts with clarity—both for the patient and the care team. At Cerebral Chiropractic, we approach these cases by asking, “What could be interfering with the nervous system’s ability to self-regulate?” We believe the body was designed to heal—and that healing becomes more possible when the pathways between brain and body are clear.  Relevant Research Chu EC P, Lin AF. Relief of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome with chiropractic rehabilitation. J Family Med Prim Care. 2022;11(7):4006–9. doi: 1 0.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2108_21 Khurana RK. Orthostatic intolerance and orthostatic tachycardia: a heterogeneous disorder. Clin Auton Res. 1995 Feb;5(1):12–8. doi:10.1007/BF01845493. PMID: 7780285. Trager RJ, Schuster A, Tao C, Zamary G. Conservative management of cervicogenic dizziness associated with upper cervical instability and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome: a case report. Cureus. 2024 Oct 31;16(10):e72765. doi:10.7759/cureus.72765. PMID: 39618563; PMCID: PMC11608111. Shaw BH, Stiles LE, Bourne K, Green EA, Shibao CA, Okamoto LE, Garland EM, Gamboa A, Diedrich A, Raj V, Sheldon RS, Biaggioni I, Robertson D, Raj SR. The face of postural tachycardia syndrome: insights from a large cross-sectional online community-based survey. J Intern Med. 2019 Oct;286(4):438–48. doi:10.1111/joim.12895. Epub 2019 Apr 16. PMID: 30861229; PMCID: PMC6790699.

This case study reports on a 15-year-old boy with daily headaches and chronic migraines that improved dramatically under Kale upper cervical care. After two years, migraines dropped from once every 3 weeks to only 5 total episodes. Upper cervical care may be a safe, effective option for adolescents with migraines.

This case report describes a 53-year-old patient with 12 years of migraines who experienced full symptom resolution through Atlas Orthogonal care. Precision X-ray analysis and vector-guided atlas correction resulted in immediate and lasting relief from migraine, neck pain, and neurological symptoms.

This article highlights the use of cone-beam CT to assess upper cervical misalignment in a migraine patient. Guided by Blair protocol, two atlas corrections over 10 weeks led to reduced pain and medication use. Upper cervical care continues to advance through precision imaging and individualized correction.

Drs. Bernard, Alcantara, and Pierce report on a 16-year-old with lifelong migraines who found relief through Advanced Orthogonal upper cervical care. After years of medications and ER visits, precise atlas correction dramatically reduced her symptoms and improved quality of life.

Dr. Robert Trager and colleagues present a case where upper cervical chiropractic care played a key role in resolving chronic dizziness linked to cervicogenic dizziness, upper cervical instability, and POTS. The patient improved significantly through conservative management including manual therapy, stability exercises, and autonomic support.

Dr. G. Dave Singh, Dr. Chris Chapman, and Dr. Myles Preble demonstrated that combining upper cervical chiropractic care with biomimetic oral appliance therapy can significantly improve craniofacial alignment. The study highlights how integrating these therapies enhances structural stability and supports neurological health through a multidisciplinary approach.

Dr. Woodfield and his colleagues conducted a groundbreaking study showing how atlas realignment may reduce migraine days and improve quality of life. The research highlights the potential of precise upper cervical care to address migraines at their root, offering insights into a non-invasive approach that could transform migraine management.