Management of Autonomic Dysfunction - Recommedations

For patients who suffer from Postural Orthostatic Hypotension Syndrome - 'POTS' or 'Autonomic Dysfunction' the following are recommended:

•       Maintaining a good fluid intake (plenty of water)
•       Taking adequate dietary salt
•       Elevating the head of the bed upwards at night by about ten degrees
•       Developing a good situational awareness of factors likely to be associated with lower blood pressures. These include warm environments, prolonged standing, pain, stress, large meals, exercise, hypotensive  medications, alcohol and factors associated with elevations in intrathoracic and intra-abdominal pressures (for example, coughing and micturition respectively)
•       Making use of physical counter measures such as calf exercises
•       Ensuring good general cardiovascular fitness in particularly trying to make sure that there is good lower limb muscle tone.

This came from my letter from Hospital of Neurology, Queen's Square in London (the doctor who saw me works very closely with Professor Mathias, a leading expert in Autonomic Dysfunction.