For countless teenagers, like Francesca, daily life has become a constant battle against a multitude of chronic conditions, including seizures, insomnia, anxiety, depression, constipation, and autoimmune issues.
Francesca’s journey began at age seven when she was diagnosed with absence seizures and prescribed epilepsy medications, which she would continue to take for the next seven years. As she entered her teenage years and faced increasing stress from school and life, her seizures worsened, eventually escalating to grand mal seizures.
Unfortunately, Francesca’s story is not unique. According to recent studies, an estimated 1 in 100 teenagers in the United States suffer from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Symptoms (POTS), one of the types of dysautonomia, which can manifest in a wide range of symptoms affecting nearly every bodily function.
Additionally, we now know that dysautonomia plays a major role in the development of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, PANDAS/PANS, anxiety, and even such common conditions as constipation and digestive disorders.
In this article, we’ll explore dysautonomia, its effects on children and teens, and the unique approach to care offered by PX Docs’ Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care. The goal is to empower parents and caregivers with the knowledge and resources they need to advocate for their child’s health.
What is Dysautonomia?
To grasp the complexities of dysautonomia, it’s important to first understand the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and its critical role in nervous system regulation and maintaining overall health and well-being. The ANS is responsible for controlling involuntary functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature regulation—all the things that happen automatically without our conscious control.
This incredibly intricate system goes even further than those basic physiological functions and also plays a role in immune system activation and regulation, controlling inflammation, generating speech and communication, sensory processing and integration, and even our behavioral and emotional regulation.
The ANS consists of two main branches that work together to keep our bodies functioning optimally:
- The sympathetic nervous system (SNS): Often referred to as the “fight or flight” response, the SNS activates during times of stress or perceived danger. It increases heart rate and blood pressure and diverts blood flow to the muscles, preparing the body for action.
- The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS): Known as the “rest, regulation, and digestion” response, the PNS helps the body conserve energy and recover after periods of stress. It slows heart rate, promotes digestion, and facilitates relaxation.
In a healthy individual, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems work together seamlessly, responding to internal and external stimuli to maintain balance.
However, in children with dysautonomia, this delicate balance is disrupted, leading to a wide range of symptoms and challenges.
Why Is Dysautonomia So Prevalent Today?
Unfortunately for the past couple of generations we’ve allowed chronic stress, anxiety, and toxicity to invade our culture like never before.
Never before have our families been exposed to such unrelenting levels of stress and tension, as well as a daily bombardment of toxic chemicals that come from every component of our environment such as our food supply, air pollution, contaminated water, cleaning and other household supplies, makeup, clothing, vaccinations, medications, and more.
For example, studies show that when a woman is exposed to chronic stress even before conception, it can negatively affect the self-regulation and stress resilience of her offspring far down the road, even generationally. Established studies have shown that high amounts of stress and anxiety during pregnancy lead to a “shared supply” of stress and tension going to the fetus and developing baby’s brain and nervous system, increasing their risk of everything from autism to asthma to obesity later on in life.
Then from there we now know that birth interventions and physical trauma to the delicate brainstem and neurospinal regions of the infant from things like forceps, vacuum extraction, induction, and c-section can damage the vagus nerve and disrupt autonomic function as well, triggering dysautonomia in infants and leading to a cascade or “Perfect Storm” of downstream neurophysiological effects and chronic health conditions in kids.
By far and away, the most overlooked aspect of chronic health challenges in kids is dysautonomia. And in turn, the most overlooked and easily missed trigger of this neurological storm and imbalance is birth trauma.
Read more about this Perfect Storm and Toxic Load theory here.
The Different Types of Dysautonomia
Dysautonomia is a term used to describe several different conditions that share a common thread: a malfunctioning autonomic nervous system. When the ANS is not working properly, it can cause problems with heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, temperature control, and other essential functions.
Some common examples of dysautonomia include:
- Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: A condition characterized by a rapid increase in heart rate upon standing, often accompanied by dizziness, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
- Neurocardiogenic Syncope (NCS): A disorder that causes sudden drops in blood pressure, called orthostatic hypotension, leading to fainting or near-fainting episodes.
- Gastroparesis: A condition in which the stomach takes too long to empty, causing nausea, vomiting, and bloating.
- Multiple System Atrophy (MSA): This condition is caused by a progressive death of certain nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and causes a person to suddenly lose their balance, become stiff, have a tremor, or even faint.
While those conditions are the most commonly discussed conditions linked to dysautonomia in the conventional medical world today, we now know that dysautonomia plays a significant role in much more common childhood conditions such autism, sensory challenges, seizures, autoimmune conditions (allergies, asthma, etc.), PANS/PANDAS, and so much more.
The Role of the Vagus Nerve in Autonomic Regulation
One of the most important components of the autonomic nervous system is the vagus nerve, a long, wandering nerve that extends from the brainstem to the abdomen. The vagus nerve plays a crucial role in regulating many of the body’s vital functions, including heart rate, digestion, and immune response. We now know that the vagus nerve also plays a crucial role in regulating inflammation, as well as our social, emotional, and behavioral functions as well.
When functioning properly, the vagus nerve helps to promote relaxation and recovery by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. However, when it is not working optimally, it can contribute to the development of dysautonomia and its associated symptoms.
Research has shown that stimulating the vagus nerve through techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, and neurologically-focused chiropractic adjustments can help to improve autonomic function and reduce symptoms of dysautonomia.
What Causes Dysautonomia?
One word—stress.
We live in a world absolutely overrun by stress, and simply put, consistent exposure to stress is the leading cause of dysautonomia. But the story of stress is not just for us adults and parents. Our kids are exposed to more stress, tension, toxicity, and anxiety than ever before. And they are exposed to it earlier than ever before.
The “Perfect Storm” of Dysautonomia
At PX Docs, we often refer to the “Perfect Storm” concept when discussing the underlying causes of dysautonomia and other chronic health conditions in children. This concept suggests that a combination of factors, often beginning early in life, can create a cascading effect that leads to the development of dysautonomia and related challenges.
The three main components of “The Perfect Storm” include:
- Prenatal stress: Maternal stress during pregnancy can impact the child’s developing nervous system by affecting the fetus through the release of stress hormones, potentially increasing the risk of dysautonomia later in life.
- Birth interventions and trauma: Complications during labor and delivery can cause physical trauma to the infant’s nervous system and specifically the brainstem and vagus nerve regions, potentially leading to neural miscommunication, which is critical for autonomic regulation.
- Early childhood stressors: Exposure to stress during early years can impact a child’s developing autonomic nervous system, potentially leading to symptoms of dysautonomia.
- Overuse of antibiotics and exposure to toxins: In today’s over-medicalized and industrialized world, even our infants and toddlers are exposed to excessive amounts of toxins, chemicals, and medications, especially antibiotics.
Other Potential Causes and Risk Factors of Dysautonomia
In addition to “The Perfect Storm” factors, several other potential causes and risk factors have been identified for dysautonomia, including:
- Familial dysautonomia from genetic factors: Some research suggests that certain genetic variations may increase an individual’s susceptibility to developing familial dysautonomia. While there is no single ‘dysautonomia gene,’ studies have identified several genetic markers that are more common in people with autonomic disorders.
- Autoimmune conditions: Dysautonomia is linked to autoimmune disorders like PANS/PANDAS, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy nerve cells, causing damage to the autonomic nervous system.
- Chronic illnesses: Certain chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, Lyme disease, and Parkinson’s disease, are often accompanied by signs of dysautonomia. These conditions can cause damage to the nerves and blood vessels that regulate autonomic function, leading to symptoms of dysautonomia.
While these factors can increase the risk of developing dysautonomia, it’s important to note that not everyone who experiences them will go on to develop the condition. Conversely, some individuals may develop dysautonomia without any identifiable risk factors.
Signs of Dysautonomia in Children
Dysautonomia can manifest in a wide range of symptoms that affect multiple body systems, making it challenging for parents and healthcare providers to recognize and diagnose the condition. These are some of the most common signs of dysautonomia in children.
Physical Symptoms
- Digestive issues: Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea are common in children with dysautonomia due to autonomic dysfunction affecting the gastrointestinal tract.
- Altered tone and coordination: Dysautonomia can affect motor tone and coordination, leading to frequent imbalances and gross and fine motor challenges in children.
- Immunosuppression and inflammation: When dysautonomia and sympathetic dominance set in, the immune system becomes weakened and the entire body and brain can get stuck in a chronic inflammatory cycle.
- Fatigue and weakness: Children with dysautonomia often experience chronic fatigue and may have difficulty keeping up with their peers in physical activities.
- Dizziness and fainting: Orthostatic hypotension, or the inability to regulate blood pressure and heart rate when changing positions (e.g., standing up from sitting), can cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and even fainting (syncope).
- Rapid or slow heart rate: Dysautonomia can cause tachycardia (rapid heart rate) or bradycardia (slow heart rate), which may be accompanied by palpitations or chest discomfort.
- Seizures and epilepsy: It is well known that dysautonomia, sympathetic dominance, and vagus nerve dysfunction can contribute to seizures and epileptic conditions.
Cognitive and Emotional Symptoms
- Sensory processing difficulties: The vagus nerve and autonomic nervous system are heavily involved in sensory processing and integration, so when dysautonomia is present, many children struggle with sensory overload, transitions, meltdowns, tantrums, and more.
- Brain fog and difficulty concentrating: Many children with dysautonomia experience cognitive symptoms, such as difficulty focusing, memory problems, mental fatigue, and other ADHD-like challenges.
- Anxiety and depression: The chronic nature of dysautonomia and its impact on daily life can take a toll on a child’s mental health, leading to increased anxiety and depression.
Seizures, Subluxation, and Dysautonomia
When subluxation occurs, it interferes with the normal function of the nervous system, particularly affecting nerve communication in areas like the upper cervical spine and brainstem, which has a direct impact on the vagus nerve.
This interference can trigger sympathetic dominance, keeping the body in a chronic “fight or flight” state. As the nervous system becomes overactive, it leads to dysautonomia, an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system that disrupts essential functions like digestion, heart rate regulation, breathing, motor tone, and immune response. In this state, the body’s ability to maintain a healthy balance is compromised, creating the perfect conditions for neurological imbalances, including seizures.
At the same time, vagus nerve dysfunction—which can be caused by subluxation or prolonged nervous system stress—further impairs the body’s ability to regulate brain activity. The vagus nerve normally plays a key role in calming the brain and modulating electrical signals, but when it’s not functioning properly, the brain becomes more excitable, increasing the risk of seizures.
Together, subluxation, sympathetic dominance, dysautonomia, and vagus nerve dysfunction create a vicious cycle that keeps the nervous system in a state of heightened stress, ultimately making the brain more prone to seizure activity.
PANDAS/PANS and Dysautonomia
PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) and PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) are complex conditions that often leave parents and traditional medical providers puzzled.
At the heart of PANDAS/PANS lies dysautonomia — the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. This imbalance between the sympathetic “fight or flight” response and the parasympathetic “rest and regulate” functions can trigger a cascade of neurological and immune system disruptions. Children with PANDAS/PANS often experience sudden onset of OCD, tics, anxiety, and behavioral changes, which are all closely tied to nervous system regulation.
The vagus nerve, a key player in the autonomic nervous system, is particularly affected in PANDAS/PANS. When functioning optimally, it helps regulate inflammation, immune responses, and mood. However, in children with these conditions, vagus nerve dysfunction can contribute to the intense and often puzzling symptoms they experience.
Understanding PANDAS/PANS through the lens of dysautonomia opens up new avenues for care. By addressing the underlying nervous system imbalance, rather than just managing symptoms, we can help restore proper neurological function and support the body’s natural healing processes.
Limitations of Medical Specialists and Conventional Treatments
When children present with symptoms of dysautonomia, they are often met with a lack of understanding and limited treatment options within the conventional medical system. This is because many healthcare providers are not well-versed in recognizing and treating autonomic disorders and do not understand nervous system dysregulation much at all.
A general pediatrician is just that, a “generalist” who in today’s traditional healthcare system often functions more as a “refer out specialist” than anything else. If your child complains of gut or digestive problems, you’re sent to a GI specialist. If they get sick often or struggle with autoimmune conditions like allergies and asthma, you’re sent to an immunologist or allergist. If they show any signs of neurological issues (which sadly need to be painfully obvious for a standard pediatrician to spot them) or early warning signs of autism, ADHD, or Sensory Processing Disorder, you’re sent to a neurologist.
You arrive at each of these specialists with the hope of finally getting some answers and explanations as to what’s going on and what’s really causing your child’s struggles, and most importantly some solutions to address it and help them heal. But so often the opposite happens, and you leave with even more questions than answers and nothing but a recommendation for more medications to stuff down the symptoms but not actually address the root cause.
Since the majority of children, teens, and young adults struggling with chronic health issues today actually have multiple different “systems” that are offline and dysfunctional, another massive frustration that family’s life Francesca’s face is this – finding out if they are all tied together.
Another one of the limitations of conventional treatments for dysautonomia is the focus on symptom management rather than addressing the root causes of the condition. Medications such as beta-blockers, midodrine, and fludrocortisone may be prescribed to help regulate heart rate and blood pressure, but they do not address the underlying autonomic dysfunction.
Additionally, many of these medications come with potential side effects that can further compromise a child’s quality of life. For example, beta-blockers can cause fatigue, dizziness, and depression, while fludrocortisone can lead to electrolyte imbalances and edema.
A Neurologically-Focused Approach For Healing the Autonomic Nervous System
At PX Docs, we understand the limitations of conventional treatments for dysautonomia and believe that a new approach is needed to help children and families achieve optimal health and well-being. Our approach is centered around Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care, which aims to address the root causes of dysautonomia by restoring balance to the autonomic nervous system.
Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care is based on the understanding that proper nervous system functioning is essential for overall health and well-being. Interference and dysfunction within the nervous system (known as subluxations), can lead to dysfunction in the autonomic nervous system and contribute to the development of conditions like dysautonomia. And in turn, dysautonomia and nervous system dysregulation contributes to nearly every single chronic illness out there.
Our Pediatric + Family Chiropractors are specially trained to identify and address subluxations using INSiGHT Scans, which then allows us to build customized and individualized care plans for each and every child, and to choose the most effective and precise adjustments tailored to each child’s unique needs. By removing interference in the nervous system and promoting optimal communication between the brain and body, chiropractic care can help restore balance and function to the vagus nerve and autonomic nervous system.
Finding Hope and Answers for Your Child
If you are a parent or caregiver of a child struggling with dysautonomia, it can be a challenging and overwhelming journey. You may feel like you have exhausted all of your options within the conventional medical system and are unsure where to turn next.
At PX Docs, we want you to know that there is hope and that you are not alone. By taking a neurologically-focused approach to dysautonomia with chiropractic care and addressing the root causes, we have seen incredible transformations in the lives of countless children and families, just like Francesca and thousands of others!
If you suspect that your child may be struggling with dysautonomia, or if you have already received a diagnosis but are looking for a more holistic approach to care, we encourage you to visit the PX Docs Directory to find a qualified pediatric chiropractor near you.
