This POTS acupuncture case study involves a 22 year old woman who had developed debilitating dizziness.
POTS Acupuncture Case Study
Our patient was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) 9 months earlier. Every time she stood up she would get so dizzy that she fell to the ground. At the time she came to our office she was missing a large number of her college classes and had taken a leave of absence from her college track team. Her condition was not improving. She and her family had tried every type of Western medical intervention, without relief.
POTS – Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome
Wikipedia defines postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) as “a condition in which a change from lying to standing causes an abnormally large increase in heart rate. This occurs with symptoms that may include lightheadedness, trouble thinking, blurred vision, or weakness. Other commonly associated conditions include irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, chronic headaches, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia.”
There has been little research done on the effects of acupuncture in the treatment of POTS. However, there are a handful of studies showing acupuncture benefiting in cases of dizziness, vertigo and Meniere’s syndrome. A 2015 cohort study published in the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine journal examined the effects of acupuncture on dizziness and vertigo during emergency room visits. It found compelling evidence that acupuncture benefited these patients. A 2009 study published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine reviewed 50 cases of vertebrobasilar ischemic vertigo treated by acupuncture and concluded that acupuncture had a 98% effectiveness rate.
Presenting Concerns
The patient in this POTS acupuncture case study was a 22 year old young woman, a college student and a member of the college track team. 9 months earlier she had suffered from three consecutive stomach viruses. During this time she developed severe dizziness, pain the stomach, nausea, and blurry vision all the time. Whenever she tried to stand up she would get blurred vision, her legs would feel “like jello” and she would have severe dizziness, causing her to fall to the ground.
She had been to a number of doctors and had received a diagnosis of POTS. However, her treatment plan was simply to rest. After 9 months she was still not improving. A friend of the family was a patient at our clinic and encouraged her to try acupuncture.
Clinical Findings
On examination, the patient presented as a soft spoken, thoughtful young woman, completely overwhelmed by her current health condition. In addition to her constant dizziness, she was exhausted even though she “slept all the time”. Her condition caused her to feel anxious and depressed. She was unable to attend school and could no longer participate on the college track team.
Besides her intense dizziness she appeared to be healthy. Her stomach function had returned to normal following the series of stomach viruses. Her bowel function was normal. She had no significant pains in her body. Upon examination, her tongue was pale with a thin, white coat, slightly scalloped and her pulse was slippery.
Timeline
Our patient in this POTS acupuncture case study came for her first treatment in September 2017. The three stomach viruses occurred between October and December 2016. Doctors diagnosed her with POTS in December 2016. For the previous 9 months her dizziness had been severe, with no improvement.
Diagnostic Focus and Assessment
This patient’s Chinese medicine diagnosis was Spleen Qi Deficiency with Dampness accumulating in the head causing severe dizziness.
Therapeutic Focus and Assessment
Her treatment included acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. The acupuncture and herbs focused on strengthening her Spleen Qi and transforming dampness that was causing her severe dizziness. The treatment principle used was to strengthen Spleen Qi and transform dampness accumulating in the head.
The acupoints used in this POTS acupuncture case study included: ST36, CV12, ST21, LV3, PC6, Si shen cong, GV20 and Yintang. Other points used in future treatments included: SP6, Li11, CV6, SP9. She was travelling over an hour to attend acupuncture treatment, and agreed to come once a week for four weeks to assess if acupuncture could help.
Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Wan was prescribed as Chinese herbs to supplement her acupuncture treatments. The dosage was 8 pills, 3 times a day. This formula was selected for its ability to strengthen Spleen function and transform dampness.
Progress of Dizziness Treatments
After the first treatment she had less anxiety, but there was no change in her dizziness. She was still very tired. In fact, she had slept until noon that day. After the second treatment she reported feeling 10% less dizzy. She also felt less anxious.
Following the third treatment she reported feeling much less dizzy. In fact she only had 1 episode of dizziness all week. She had more energy and had attended all of her 8:00 am classes that week for the first time in months. She also did a 20 minute, gentle workout with the track team.
After the 4th treatment she continued to improve, with less dizziness, less anxiety and more energy. She attended additional track workouts, although the coach was being cautious and restricted her involvement. After the 5th treatment she reported no dizziness at all. She wanted to start regular exercise again, but agreed to begin with daily walking and gentle workouts with the team. She was starting to get her strength back.
After the 6th acupuncture treatment she began running again and successfully attended a full track practice. The day after practice she was tired with some dizziness. As a result she agreed to ease into practice a bit slower. At this point in the treatments we agreed to drop her to every two weeks. This continued for the next two months, at which time she reported feeling completely better and stopped treatment.
Follow up and Outcomes
A six month follow-up of this POTS acupuncture case study revealed that the patient had returned to full activity with no dizziness. Her energy level was normal, vision was normal and she had no anxiety or depression. She had returned to her normal life activities, including running on the college track team.
The primary outcome measures used in this case included the patient’s weekly reports on her progress and my own observations of her progress. Her tongue and pulse changes also reflected these improvements.
Discussion
As described in this POTS acupuncture case study, acupuncture had a fast, dramatic effect in resolving this young woman’s dizziness. A series of stomach viruses had disrupted her stomach function and damaged her Spleen qi. This led to an accumulation of dampness with ensuing severe dizziness.
By strengthening her Spleen Qi and transforming dampness, her body was able to recover at an almost miraculous rate. I believe her youth and overall excellent health helped her bounce back from this Spleen deficiency so quickly.
By no means is this case report an attempt to “prove” the benefits of acupuncture in the treatment of severe dizziness. But these results are consistent with my experience that strengthening Spleen function and transforming dampness resolves dizziness.
We treat a great number of patients suffering from both dizziness and vertigo at Raleigh Acupuncture. In most cases they present with Spleen Qi deficiency and some form of dampness or phlegm dampness. And in most cases their symptoms are resolved with acupuncture and Chinese herbs.
Next Steps
If you can relate to this POTS acupuncture case study, and suffer from dizziness, try acupuncture. Treatments are safe, natural and provide long lasting relief. You don’t need to be a track star to benefit from the healing power of acupuncture.
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Resolving Dizziness With Acupuncture
We treat a great number of patients suffering from dizziness and vertigo. In addition, we have many patients who have been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Most patients experience relief from acupuncture. It addresses the root issue, and provides deep healing.
References
Chiu et al. (2015). Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for dizziness and vertigo in emergency
department: a pilot cohort study. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15:173.
DOI 10.1186/s12906-015-0704-6
Huang Q (2009). Fifty cases of vertebrobasilar ischemic vertigo treated by acupuncture. J Tradit
Chin Med. 29(2):87-9.
Keywords: acupuncture, dizziness, Chinese herbs, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)