For parents whose children suffer from sudden seizures or convulsions, receiving news that traditional anti-epileptic medications are ineffective can heighten fears enormously. Negative EEG readings and lack of improvement, despite medical care, lead many physicians to scratch their heads as to what could be behind these dramatic episodes.
Conventional medicine often points toward epilepsy as the diagnosis. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 80% of people are diagnosed with epilepsy worldwide, and more than one-third are children. However, the culprit of these fainting episodes may be something entirely different: vasovagal syncope seizures.
Because these fainting episodes mimic epileptic seizures without necessarily responding to medications for epilepsy, these convulsive spells can be easily confused. Older studies have suggested that as many as 30% of people with cardiovascular syncope have been misdiagnosed with epilepsy.
In this article, we’ll shed light on the distinguishing features of vasovagal syncope seizures, their causes, the critical role of the vagus nerve, and drug-free care solutions that target the root of the issue.
What are Vasovagal Syncope Seizures?
A vasovagal syncope seizure occurs when reduced blood flow to the brain temporarily causes loss of consciousness. This occurrence is typically accompanied by seizure-like shaking, stiffness, or jerking movements of the muscles, symptoms that often resemble an epileptic episode.
Unlike epileptic seizures, vasovagal syncope seizures are triggered by situational changes in heart rate and blood circulation rather than abnormal electrical activity in the brain. During a vasovagal episode, the vagus nerve, which helps regulate the parasympathetic “rest and digest” functions, overreacts to triggers like extreme emotional distress.
Heart rate and blood pressure then drop abruptly, diminishing oxygen to the brain and causing temporary loss of consciousness. Muscles may spasm violently, contributing to the convulsive, seizure-like activity.
Research shows that about 20% of the population is affected by syncope, a selection of which experiences vasovagal seizures. Still, differentiating between epilepsy, psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), and syncope-related seizures remains complex. Telltale signs lie in the detailed history and witness accounts more than testing.
Fortunately, understanding how the vagus nerve underlies certain seizure presentations can help guide appropriate non-drug care options. Addressing nervous system dysregulation through Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care lends personalized solutions beyond conventional one-size-fits-all anti-seizure medications.
Understanding the Vagus Nerve During a Vasovagal Episode
The vagus nerve, a critical component for nervous system regulation, plays a central role in triggering vasovagal seizures. Known as the “wandering nerve” extending from the brain to the abdomen, the vagus helps control digestion, breathing, heart rate, inflammation, and other parasympathetic “rest and regulate” functions.
Any dysfunction along intricately networked vagus neural communication, however, can lead to sudden cardiovascular shifts. Emotional triggers and times of extreme distress can prompt an overreaction of vagal influence. This can then abruptly lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduce blood flow to the brain, and result in a brief loss of consciousness.
Those with existing vagus nerve dysfunction from early trauma, chronic anxiety, or nervous system imbalance stand most susceptible to vasovagal seizures. Restoring healthy vagal tone and neural coordination helps prevent recurrence.
Underlying Causes and Risk Factors
At the root of most chronic pediatric health conditions lies a cascade of events that disrupt normal nervous system development and throw the body out of balance. This can lead to a vasovagal syncope seizure and other health challenges.
At PX Docs, we refer to this cascade of events as “The Perfect Storm.” In general, this term is used to refer to cumulative stressors like maternal distress in pregnancy, birth trauma, antibiotic overuse, and poor nutrition combined to impair nervous system function—eventually, dysfunctional stress responses and loss of resilience tip the body into episodes of vasovagal seizures.
The machinery controlling appropriate cardiovascular responses and blood flow rests upon finely tuned neurological communication. Any dysfunction of the vagus nerve or wider autonomic nervous system can lead to faulty processing of environmental input and triggering of seizure-like episodes.
Common underlying causes include:
- Birth Trauma: Difficult or traumatic births involving interventions like C-sections, forceps, or vacuum extractions often physically damage delicate vagus nerves. This “subluxation” leads to impaired communication over time.
- Genetics: While not causative in themselves, certain individuals may have a predisposition towards vasovagal sensitivity and nervous system hyper-reactivity that lowers their threshold for seizures.
- Stress and Anxiety: Chronic stress, adverse childhood experiences, and histories of anxiety disorders can create sustained dysfunction of the vagus nerve and autonomic communication. The nervous system gets “stuck” in sympathetic overdrive.
- Situational Triggers: Events causing sudden shifts in blood pressure, like standing too quickly, exposure to trauma or distressing stimuli, crowded places, and body positioning, can then more easily precipitate seizures in those with existing neurological vulnerability.
In those with nervous system imbalance, seizure activity represents a tipping point of dysfunction more so than an isolated condition. Restoring appropriate neural responses and cardiovascular control through conservative care opens the door to preventing recurrences.
Diagnosis and Testing Considerations
Since vasovagal seizures closely resemble certain epileptic seizures on the surface, correct diagnosis proves essential to selecting the appropriate care. Sent down the epilepsy pathway, many children unnecessarily endure medications with disruptive side effects without resolution of underlying nerve dysfunction.
Distinguishing features uncovered during testing include:
- Normal EEG findings unless than half of the cases
- Changes in heart rhythm, blood pressure, or oxygen levels before, during, or after episodes
- Absence of typical neurological conditions linked to seizures
- Situational triggers related to emotional distress, fatigue, body positioning
A detailed case history outlining events surrounding previous seizure-like spells often provides more information than testing alone. Identifying long-standing patterns of nervous system imbalance, including anxiety, insomnia, digestive complaints, and sensory issues, helps connect current symptoms to their neurological roots. Advanced technologies like PX Docs’ INSiGHT Scans assess and locate areas of subluxation contributing to abnormal sensorimotor processing.
Tracking heart rate variability patterns also quantifies the severity of vagus nerve dysfunction, which guides appropriate management. By measuring nervous system dysfunction directly, the chances of misdiagnosis drop substantially, sparing children unhelpful medications.
The Limitations of Conventional Care
Within mainstream medicine, pharmacologic options dominate the management of seizure disorders without respect to the underlying origin. Anti-seizure medications like Dilantin, Tegretol, Keppra, and Depakote comprise frontline interventions.
However, designed to dampen electrical misfiring in the brain, these drugs fail to address the root causes of syncope-based seizures originating from cardiovascular miscommunication. Side effects like drowsiness, nausea, mood changes, and cognitive dulling often exacerbate quality of life without halting convulsive episodes.
Surprisingly, as many as 20% of people diagnosed with epilepsy suffer from recurrent syncope, explaining why, in many cases, anti-seizure medications prove more harmful than helpful.
The PX Docs Approach
Rather than overriding nervous system dysfunction with medication in vasovagal syncope seizures, the PX Docs approach first identifies and addresses the root triggers of cardiovascular instability and nervous system dysregulation.
Each doctor in our PX Docs Network uses advanced INSiGHT scanning technology to accurately identify and address nervous system dysfunction and subluxation. These scans provide a “window” into the nervous system, enabling our doctors to pinpoint the exact location and type of subluxation and neurological dysfunction. This precise information allows doctors to create customized care plans and select specific adjusting techniques for optimal patient outcomes.
By addressing the neurological roots of syncope-based seizure activity, rather than overriding them with medications, Neurologically-Focused Pediatric Chiropractic Care offers the missing piece when conventional epilepsy approaches fail.
Restoring Hope and Quality of Life, Naturally
Witnessing a child endure minutes that feel like hours seized by violent convulsions, only to have doctors declare medications ineffective, drains hope and deepens confusion enormously.
At PX Docs, we recognize that these seizure-like presentations stem from a nervous system imbalance triggering shifts in blood flow, not deeply woven brain misfires, as with epileptic episodes. As such, we’re committed to providing parents with Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care that addresses the real root of the issue and restores healthy nervous system regulation.
If your child has been diagnosed with epilepsy, yet conventional approaches and medication have proven ineffective, consider contacting one of our qualified PX Docs. By visiting our PX Docs directory, you can find a neurologically-focused pediatric chiropractor who can develop a drug-free care plan tailored to your child’s needs and challenges.
