with Stephen Harrod Buhner, master herbalist
A year ago I very suddenly developed what has been labeled as P.O.T.S (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). When I sit or stand up my heart rate increases by 20-30 bpm or more. Even at rest my heart rate can vary a great deal within minutes. It has been established by a cardiologist that it is not related directly to my heart but to the blood vessels and nervous system. I have been told this could also be caused by high pain levels and could have also developed so rapidly from a movement of metals in my body after a DMPS injection.
I am very disabled by this and find it gets worse with stress or hormonal changes. I get a great deal of head and neck pressure and have passed out upon rising. I have just started to take Japanese knotweed and have also started hawthorn. I have also been reading your book “The Secret Teaching of Plants” and am trying to concentrate on increasing heart coherence and heart/brain entrainment. I am not able to tolerate beta blockers that have been prescribed.
When an HRV test was done it showed that my parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems were flipping from high to low. I get the sense that my sympathetic nervous system is very over active. If you have any ideas for me it would be very much appreciated. I have been dealing with lyme disease and trying to build up my immune system and slowly detox. I have also been diagnosed with regional sympathetic dystrophy (RSD/CRPS), and know I have some genetic issues involving methylation pathways. Thank you for any help you can provide.
Stephen’s response:
For POTS I would suggest the following as a beginning:
1) Hawthorn 300 mg 3x daily – this will help normalize heart and vascular function.
2) Gingko 80-160 mg of a formulation standardized to 24% gingkoflavoglycosides (or thereabouts) – this will be exceptionally helpful for keeping circulation and oxygen content in the extremeties high which will, in itself, help prevent the dizziness, etc. that accompany POTS.
3) Coenzyme Q10 150 – 300 mg daily – specific for improving vascular and heart function.
4) Knotweed is good.
5) I would suggest astragalus 1000 3x daily – you can read in the Healing Lyme book for more.
6) Eleutherococcus tincture, as in the lyme book.
7) Given your conditions I would suggest you use stephania as well. I would begin with 1 drop of tincture on top of the tongue and see how you respond. If okay, I would use 5 drops 3x daily to begin with and see how you do. If okay, I would work up to 1/4 tsp paying careful attention to your responses. If you tolerate the herb well it will help with POTS and RSD considerably. But you may not respond well to it hence the slow and careful beginning. Please read the lyme book for more on the herb.
All this should be helpful for the lyme as well.
The heart work that you mention is very helpful for heart disease – the biggest challenge early on in that work is calibrating physiological states – once you have it though it is easy to enhance the process to tremendous degrees. It is very helpful.
posted on July 25, 2008 | 1,813 views | tags: astragalus, Borrelia burgdorferi, eleuthero, gingko biloba, hawthorn, Healing Lyme, Japanese knotweed, lyme disease, orthostatic tachycardia (POTS), regional sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), resveratrol, stephania root
Andrographis
400 mg tablets: Nature's Way
<400 mg tablets: Paradise Herbs
400 mg tablets: Planetary Formulas Full Spectrum
Japanese Knotweed (Resveratrol)
Green Dragon Botanicals
100 mg tablets: Paradise Herbs
bulk, wildcrafted: Woodland Essence
bulk and Source Naturals 500 mg tablets: 1st Chinese Herbs [Editor's note: As of September 2011, we have received reports that some people have had bad reactions to Source Naturals brand Resveratrol but have done fine with Paradise herbs. Sometimes the brand makes all the difference.]
Cat's Claw (Uncaria tomentosa)
500 mg capsules: Raintree
bulk, sustainably harvested: Raintree
Cryptolepis
tincture: Woodland Essence
Eleuthero (Siberian Ginseng)
Herb Pharm tincture - alcohol-based
Herb Pharm tincture - glycerite (alcohol-free)
250 mg capsules: Nature's Way
Stephania Root
Caution: New research has shown stephania
unsafe for use in pregnancy.
1st Chinese Herbs
Woodland Essence
ARTICLES BY STEPHEN BUHNER
The Use of Apis and Bi-Edta in the Treatment of Lyme Disease
Some Arguments against the Standardization of Herbalists
Gaian Voices Interview with Stephen Harrod Buhner
Depth Diagnosis in the Practice of Sacred Plant Medicine
The Lost Language of Plants
The Health Benefits of Water Fasting
Herbelegy
The Fall of Gruit and the Rise of Brewer's Droop
Paradise Lost: Of Healing, the Sacred, and Beer
The Yeast of the Ancients
BOOKS BY STEPHEN BUHNER
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