Ep. 28- I Passed Out So You Can Learn About Dehydration, Vasovagal & P.O.T.S

This is the You Winning Life podcast, your number one source for mastering a positive existence. Each episode, we'll be interviewing exceptional people, giving you empowering insights and guiding you to extraordinary outcomes. Learn from specialists in the worlds of integrative and natural wellness, spirituality, psychology, and entrepreneurship so you too can be winning life. Now here's your host, licensed marriage and family therapist, certified neuro-emotional technique practitioner, trainer and certified entrepreneur coach Jason Wasser.

So this week's episode is going to be a little bit of a different episode, and I'm hoping that at least one person will benefit from the information. On January 26, 2020, a few days away, I'll be running my second ever half marathon. I'm 41 years old. I haven't played competitive sports actively since 10th grade varsity tennis and have an on-again, off-again love affair with the gym. I play tennis in spurts with a coach over the last 14 years and have attended dozens of yoga classes and even a week-long retreat in the Bahamas a few years ago. However, one activity that has been consistent for me has been running. The challenge is that for the last 7 years or so, every time I work out, push my heart rate, and exert myself, I would first get palpitations get dizzy, then I would get nauseous, followed up with the occasional panic attack. I even blacked out in the gym bathroom a few years ago after an intense workout with my personal trainer. Yeah, I know it sounds serious and certainly not normal, but thankfully it has not been life-threatening. I went to a cardiologist after that happened and shared my symptoms with him. He jokingly responded saying, "Well, you either have gonorrhea or vasovagal cardio-syncope, but my money's on the gonorrhea." Well, we both knew it wasn't that, so he started to explain what vasovagal was. He said more than 80% of his clients each day come in with symptoms similar in varying degrees, which all lead back to this diagnosis. So before I continue, let me share that I'm not a medical doctor, nor am I giving you directions on clinical treatment. I'm only sharing with you some of my research and my personal experiences along with what has worked for me in helping me to feel better. So please consult your medical professionals for assessment, diagnosis, and any treatment protocols. I'll be leaving links in the show notes with more info, definitions of specific medical terms, supplements that I've used, and more. So let's get back to it. Also called neurocardiogenic syncope, it is not a disease and seems to occur from a self-limited episode of what they call systemic hypotension. Syncope is defined as a transient loss of consciousness with a loss of posture, which could be falling. It's also commonly described as fainting, passing out, or a blackout. Syncope accounts for 3% of visits to emergency departments and 6% of all admissions to a hospital annually. 15% of children under the age of 18 and 23% of elderly patients aged 70 years and above also experience some form of this. The prevalence and incidence of syncope increase with advancing age, with a 30% recurrence rate. So basically, 22% of the human population will have some type of cardiogenic syndrome at least once in their life. In fact, when you look back at the 2016 elections, this is what Hillary Clinton seemed to suffer from when it was reported that she was dizzy and passed out after speaking engagements. The problem is that this syndrome isn't fully understood, but it does seem to involve changes in heart rate or vascular tone. For me, it was when I was doing activities that my heart rate jumped up too fast and wouldn't come back down to normal resting rates efficiently enough, causing my body to go into panic mode. So as I started my training for my big run a few months ago, I had a vasovagal attack. And it happened within 20 minutes of starting a light jog, even when I took multiple walking breaks. The next thing I knew was that my heart rate was soaring, and no matter what I tried to do, deep breathing, focused meditation, walking with my hands over my head, drinking more water, nothing seemed to work. And it actually took over 30 minutes for my heart rate to return back to normal. So of course, I scheduled an appointment with the same doctor that I saw years ago, hoping for some new insight. So a few days later, at his office with a clean EKG test just completed, he walks back into the room with a big grin and says, "So, vasovagal again, huh?" According to this doctor, his main treatment is to increase the amount of good quality water and to add sodium to your diet. I know, salt, water, that's it? That's a big treatment? Even though there are many different types of experiences people can go through and many medications and the way that this can show up for someone can be way more extreme than it is for me, on the simplest level, we're missing salt and more water. So I live in South Florida and spend most of my days inside in my therapy office, but truth be told, most of us out there are not getting anywhere near as much pure water intake. He said the average sports drink doesn't even have enough sodium in it to make a big enough impact. So Gatorade, which we're all familiar with, was actually created by the University of Florida in 1965 to help athletes by acting as a replacement for body fluids lost during physical exertion. The earliest versions of this beverage contained water, sodium, sugar, potassium, phosphate, and lemon juice. I wonder how much the increasing rise of temperature, lack of quality food and nutrition, and decreased water intake actually changes the amount of sodium we need to take in daily today. So I've heard the saying, "It's not water unless it's water," meaning if you drink tea, coffee, seltzer, or even worse, soda or power drinks, you're not drinking pure water. And therefore aren't hydrating your body properly, which can lead to hypertension. Hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure, is common in people who are chronically dehydrated. When the body's cells lack water, the brain sends a signal to the pituitary gland to secrete vasopressin, a chemical that causes constriction of the blood vessels. This causes blood pressure to increase, which leads to hypertension. So perhaps another strong link to why this is happening for so many people. Research also shows the avoidance of situations such as stress, significant alcohol consumption, extremely warm environments, and tight clothing can all contribute to vasovagal factors. Another study at the University of Florida shows that up to three-fourths of Americans drink well below the recommended levels. According to the Institute of Medicine, men are advised to drink 13 ounces of fluid a day, while women require 9 ounces per day. Over time, chronic dehydration can lead to many complications, such as fatigue, joint pain, headaches, ulcers, and high blood pressure. So if the human body's a machine, then water is the oil that keeps us running. Our body is made up of 60% water, so staying hydrated can help muscles work more efficiently. It can also help your kidneys and liver function and ensures that nutrients get digested. Proper hydration is also great for your general health of your hair, your skin, and your immune system. In fact, it's one of the simplest, most straightforward treatments for many common ailments. Although there are basic recommendations for how much fluids to drink a day, the amount of water each person needs varies depending on climate and exercise intensity. The more you sweat, the more you need to drink. For every pound of sweat loss. Rehydrate by drinking at least a pint of water. So many people think if they feel weak, tired, or suffer from headaches, they need to eat. More likely, water is the actual solution. And remember, if you're thirsty, your body is already complaining. You're already dehydrated. Let's take this a step deeper with a few more facts. So number 1, 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated, and a survey of 3,003 Americans found that 75% likely had a net— fluid loss, resulting in chronic dehydration. Although the survey found that Americans drank about 8 servings of hydrating beverages per day, this is offset by drinking caffeinated beverages and alcohol and eating a diet that is too high in sodium. 2. Dehydration causes fatigue. A pair of studies found that young people who were mildly dehydrated were much more likely to feel fatigued during moderate exercise and even when sedentary. 2. Unsurprisingly, fatigue is a common dehydration symptom, and it's said to be the number one cause of midday fatigue. 3. That means you're dehydrated when you're thirsty. Dehydration triggers the body's thirst response. So when you feel thirsty, dehydration is already setting in. In many experiments, just 1 to 2% dehydration in your body has been shown to trigger thirst. This level of dehydration can happen quickly, especially during intense exercise or when battling a virus. 4. Dehydration causes foggy memory, irritability, and more. Dehydration, even mild dehydration, has been shown to put stress on our cognitive functioning. In younger adults, for instance, dehydration was linked to a dip in concentration and short-term memory, as well as an increase in feelings of anxiety and irritability. With children, studies are more conclusive that hydration can also improve attention and memory. 5. Hydration can boost your metabolism. Although the evidence is limited, your metabolism can benefit from drinking cold water. In fact, one study found that drinking cold water helped boost healthy men and women's metabolic rate by 30%. The researchers concluded that the body's expending more energy when it's heating the water when you're drinking cold water, which resulted in the boost in metabolism. 6. Dehydration is one of the most common risk factors for kidney stones. A study in 1990 examined the causes of kidney stones in more than 700 patients. Chronic dehydration caused by a variety of factors was believed to be involved in 20% of the cases. More recently, researchers examined the length for more in-depth experiences. In one 5-year randomized trial, patients with kidney stones were told to drink more water, which resulted in a drop in kidney stone occurrence. Two additional studies that I found show that sodium rate variability in one's blood and urine are associated with more severe symptoms in subjects with vasovagal syncope. And that salt supplementation improves orthostatic tolerance in those with unexplained passing out or syncope-related experiences. I've heard for years that it's common practice for athletes to drink pickle juice to stop cramping. And my assumption is that that high sodium intake allows the blood to start flowing again, thus alleviating the symptoms. So here I am, One awful and scary run the day after I signed up for a half marathon a few months ago, wondering if I should just give up or start trying this increased salt intake as a science experiment. So what did I do? Before I ran, I took some good quality Himalayan sea salt, mixed it with some water in a shot glass, and knocked it back. Now, I really didn't dose it out, and I can't imagine I did more than a half a teaspoon at that time. But I did it and went out for my run. So even though it wasn't fast-paced or a long distance, I realized that after the first few minutes, I had no symptoms. So I pushed myself a bit more. 40 minutes later, I was back home and realized I ran about 3 miles without anything showing up. So I guess I must be onto something here. So for my next run, I took a sea salt shot added some more to my water bottle, just enough that I wouldn't notice the taste change, and went out for a longer run. Again, no symptoms. I knew that my miles were going to have to increase, so I had to get creative. I started adding a little bit more salt in a water shot, a few drops of Liquid Trace Minerals with some more ground salt to my water, that was now flavored with a Nuun hydrating powder and a small Ziploc bag with a teaspoon or two of sea salt to pop into my mouth one grain of salt at a time if I started to feel anything funky. So it wasn't until about an hour into that run where I start felt, where I started to feel my first signs of wonkiness. So I slowed down. I took 2 grains of sea salt, popped them under my tongue, and started to suck on them until it disintegrated. I washed that down with a sip of water, and a few minutes later, I started back up on my light jog. That was it. Symptoms handled. No dizziness, no nausea, no raise in my heartbeats, really no feeling of wonkiness, no panic, no shakiness. My only symptoms at that point were related to my conditioning, my lack of good running form, and needing to learn proper nutrition as to when to take my energy shots, how often I should really be having a drink, and what timeframe or distance that I'm using where I notice that I start needing more salt intake. So here I am now, just a few days out from my half marathon, stocked with newly found wisdom, having solved a significant medical concern for myself by just adding more water and salt to my diet. And I'm excited to see what happens this Sunday when I actually do the run. So, I guess you can say I blacked out, had what felt like panic attacks, felt like total crap, so I can prevent you from becoming dehydrated and hopefully help some other listeners solve some unresolved symptoms that you might be going through. So like I said before, if this helps even one person, then it's been entirely worth it for me. Now I know there might be somebody out there who has radically different symptoms and radically different experiences, and this whole theme of vasovagal or POTS, post-orthostatic tachycardia, tachycardia syndrome has been really debilitating for people out there. And again, I'm not saying I have any of the answers or any or all the answers, but this was just one experience that I've had over and over again, and this is one way that has helped me. And I hope that if you're out there and you have more of a significant experience, you're having the right resources out there to help you. So if you found value in this podcast episode today, please do me a small favor, subscribe and share it with someone. Who may benefit from this info, from this episode, or even in other episodes. Go on iTunes, leave us a 5-star written review, and if you really, really love what we're doing and you really want to help support me more, please know that I'm running this marathon in honor of The ONE Foundation. The ONE Foundation is comprised of individuals who are committed to the natural and non-invasive healing of the mind and body. Its mission is to advance mind-body healthcare through research, education, and service. As a 401 nonprofit dedicating to making these natural methods available to all as the standard of care. The groundbreaking research that they're doing focuses on neuro-emotional technique, or NET, and you've heard me talk a lot about this in other episodes, and if you haven't listened yet, I would definitely suggest you check that out. NET is based on the concept that unresolved emotional trauma is stored in our body. Emotions such as anxiety or unresolved anger, grief, fear, feeling stuck, all can affect people long after they've forgotten the cause of what has happened to them in their life. So since emotional reality dramatically affects our health, using N.E.T. to identify these negatively charged emotions, or what we call a neuro-emotional complex, and then releasing them can normalize abnormal physical and emotional and behavioral patterns. The ONE Foundation's research aims to validate these mind-body techniques that will improve physical health and then make these practices widely available to patients in need of help. If you're looking for more information, please check out onefoundation.org. And if you'd like to support me, please go to GoFundMe and look up the Running for the ONE Foundation, which I'll also leave a link in the show notes. And if you want to partner with me in the supporting this incredible organization, I'd be beyond grateful to you. Thanks for listening. And we look forward to connecting with you in our next episode. And if you wanna get in touch with me directly, please reach out to me on Instagram @JasonWasserLMFT.

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