Your Baby's Brain on Rest

From “Soldier’s Heart” to Modern Science Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) might sound like a modern diagnosis, but descriptions of similar symptoms go back more than a century. Doctors once called it “effort syndrome” or “soldier’s heart” when young recruits fainted or struggled with rapid heartbeats upon standing. It wasn’t until the 1990s that Dr. Phillip Low and Dr. Ron Schondorf at the Mayo Clinic formally introduced the term POTS to describe patients with orthostatic intolerance—those whose heart rate jumped dramatically when standing without the expected blood pressure drop (Schondorf & Low, 1993). This unifying definition helped shape research and treatment around a condition that had long been misunderstood. What Have We Learned About POTS Since Then? Over time, scientists discovered that POTS is not one single disease but a syndrome with multiple drivers. Four major insights stand out: Hypovolemia (low blood volume) : Many patients have reduced circulating volume, leading to fatigue and dizziness. Hyperadrenergic states: Some live in a constant “fight-or-flight” mode, with adrenaline surges driving symptoms. Deconditioning: Prolonged inactivity can weaken the heart muscle and reduce stroke volume. Exercise responsiveness: Graded, structured activity has been shown to reverse much of this imbalance. Together, these findings have shifted care away from “just anxiety” toward real, measurable physiological changes. Why This Matters for Patients Because POTS is heterogeneous , treatment must be personalized. Some patients improve with fluids, salt, and compression , while others need exercise retraining or strategies that calm the nervous system. At its core, progress often depends on empowerment : learning to pace, self-regulate, and gradually rebuild tolerance. That means long-term improvement is possible—even if the journey looks different for each patient. The Upper Cervical Connection At Cerebral Chiropractic, we also pay attention to the craniocervical junction (CCJ) —the area where the top of the spine meets the base of the skull. This region surrounds the brainstem , which regulates blood pressure, heart rate, and vagal tone. When there is even subtle misalignment , pressure or irritation at this level may disrupt autonomic balance. That can amplify the very same challenges POTS patients face—like poor blood flow regulation, excessive sympathetic drive, and reduced vagal calming. By restoring alignment, upper cervical care may help reduce brainstem stress, support healthier blood flow, and allow the body to better regulate itself. While not a standalone solution, it can be part of a comprehensive plan that includes hydration, exercise, and patient education. Related Reading  Raj SR. The postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS): pathophysiology, diagnosis & management. Indian Pacing Electrophysiol J. 2006 Apr 1;6(2):84-99. PMID: 16943900; PMCID: PMC1501099. Schondorf R, Low PA. Idiopathic postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome: an attenuated form of acute pandysautonomia? Neurology. 1993 Jan;43(1 Pt 1):132-7. doi: 10.1212/WNL.43.1_Part_1.132. PMID: 8423877. Fu Q, Levine BD. Exercise and non-pharmacological treatment of POTS. Auton Neurosci. 2018 Dec;215:20-7. doi: 10.1016/j.autneu.2018.07.001. Epub 2018 Jul 4. PMID: 30001836; PMCID: PMC6289756.

Brain Communication and POTS Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is one of the most misunderstood nervous system conditions today. It’s part of a larger group of disorders known as dysautonomia, where the autonomic nervous system (ANS) doesn’t function correctly. The ANS controls automatic body processes like heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature regulation. When it’s out of sync, the body feels chaotic—especially when changing positions like standing up. POTS symptoms often include: Fast heart rate when standing Dizziness or fainting Brain fog Fatigue Temperature regulation issues Shaky or anxious feelings Many patients are told it’s “just anxiety” or are bounced from doctor to doctor without answers. But the issue is real—and it’s often rooted in how the brain and body communicate. The Three Subtypes of POTS There are three common subtypes of POTS, each with its own pattern: Hyperadrenergic POTS- This type involves too much adrenaline. When standing, people may feel like they’re in constant fight-or-flight mode: fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, sweating, and panic-like symptoms. Neuropathic POTS- This subtype results from poor nerve function, especially in the legs. The small nerves that control blood vessels don’t squeeze properly, so blood pools in the lower body. That means less blood gets to the brain—causing dizziness, blurry vision, or blue hands and feet. Hypovolemic POTS- Here, the total blood volume is too low. That could be due to problems with fluid retention, salt balance, or kidney function. People may feel lightheaded, weak, and intolerant to heat or exercise. Many patients actually have a mix of these subtypes, which is why personalized care is so important. Where Upper Cervical Care Comes In  At the very top of your spine is the craniocervical junction (CCJ)—the area where the skull meets the top two bones in your neck (the atlas and axis). This region surrounds the brainstem, which acts as the body’s autopilot control center. It helps regulate: Blood pressure Heart rate Breathing rhythm Vagal tone (rest-and-digest) Adrenal and kidney signaling Blood vessel control When the CCJ is misaligned—even by a few millimeters—it can distort neurologic input and blood flow to the brainstem. Think of it like a blown fuse at the breaker box: the system isn’t completely shut down, but nothing is working quite right. Upper cervical care gently corrects these misalignments, allowing the nervous system to regulate more effectively. Many POTS patients experience reduced symptoms like fewer dizzy spells, steadier heart rate, and improved mental clarity after care begins. Subtype Support: A Functional Comparison Here’s how upper cervical care may help across all three POTS subtypes:

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.