POTS: What It Really Is & Why It Happens

by Patrick Ussher

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is currently defined as a 'syndrome', a collection of symptoms for which the root cause has not yet been identified. This book aims to rectify this by arguing the case for POTS being considered a form of neurological injury to the limbic system following an antecedent trauma, such as a viral illness, pregnancy, surgery or psychological trauma (or a combination). Patrick Ussher himself had POTS but recovered by following a limbic system rehabilitation program (originally developed to treat Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) called the Dynamic Neural Retraining System (DNRS). After recovery, he set about mapping the idea of a limbic system impairment onto pre-existing research into POTS and found that it could explain many key findings including: NET protein deficiency (which is responsible for blood vessel constriction problems and resulting elevated heart rate upon standing), low aldosterone and poor sodium retention (which are responsible for low blood volume problems) and mast cell activation problems. This book will simultaneously act as a guide for those interested in using the DNRS as a treatment for POTS and also as a call for further research into the potential efficacy of the DNRS for treating POTS.

Genres: Nonfiction

158 pages, Paperback

Published April 12, 2017

About the author

Patrick Ussher has had ME/CFS for seven years. He has a YouTube channel, 'Understanding ME-CFS', in which he talks about the research into ME/CFS and Long Covid in an accessible way and in which he shares treatment strategies that he has tried. He has also written a medical hypothesis on the potential causes of excessive thirst in ME/CFS and Long Covid and why this symptom has likely been historically misdiagnosed as 'psychogenic water drinking' ('The Myth of Primary Polydipsia'). He also gives regular talks to patient groups such as The Irish ME Trust and has written for the ME/CFS blog, Health Rising, on various topics.

Patrick has also written a book which compares Stoicism and Buddhism (Stoicism and Western Buddhism: A Reflection on Two Philosophical Ways of Life) and edited several books on modern-day applications of Stoic philosophy (Stoicism Today: Selected Writings, Volumes One & Two). In 2018, he worked with Columba Press to publish a new version of his late mother's book on coping with breast cancer, titled: 'Following the Pink Ribbon Path'. He has a BA and MA in Classics (Ancient Greek and Latin) from The University of Exeter.

He is also the composer of music in a contemporary classical style and is part of the online Artlist catalogue. His music can be listened to on Spotify. Patrick is from Ireland and has lived in both Ireland and France over the course of his illness.

His website is: www.patrickussher.com

Reviews

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot thank Patrick Ussher enough for writing this book. I was pretty disgusted by the lack of knowledge and help available for this condition. As Patrick describes in the book, the current health system separates the body into different specialisms and this detracts from understanding the 'whole elephant' that is dysautonomia (or as I now understand it - limbic system dysfunction). Thank goodness Patrick applied his systematic mind to this problem. Literally life changing. If you have POTs, buy this book.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patrick Usshers Book “POTS what it really is and why It happens” is an excellent read and resource for those suffering with this debilitating and widely misunderstood condition. The book is well written and easy to understand for the average non-medical person. This book gave me hope for recovery and I am very grateful the author took the time to write it.

I suffered with POTS myself and have since made a full recovery. While I did not recover from POTS using the specific method discussed in the book ( The DNRS) as I had already started another program, I was treating the same root causes and limbic system. I would highly encourage any POTS/Dysautonomia patient or researcher to read this book with an open mind and not be put off by any of your existing held beliefs.

In my opinion, the POTS/Dysautonomia community has put an overemphasis on the physical bodily symptoms of POTS and neglected the mental and emotional side perhaps due to people’s misunderstandings or patients being told by doctors “it’s all in your head” but with no solution. We often look for pills and other drugs to mask the dysfunction by artificially making alterations to isolated systems like heart rate or blood pressure when there is quite clearly a problem in the control centre (the brain).

Patrick’s theory around the limbic system hits the nail on the head and is the missing link in many people’s recovery. It certainly was in my case.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Because the title says what it is and why it happened, I expected that would be the main focus of the book. Instead half of the book is focused on a hypothetical recovery, which would be okay if it was marketed as that.

[Zondra Shirley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Full of pseudoscience. Also a marketing tool for a DVD/program that is not based in science. To the author's credit, he does say that he is not a scientist several times throughout the book. But then he shouldn't be writing about things he doesn't fully understand and then presenting it as the one true cure for POTS. The system presented in the book is basically therapy (CBT, ect) plus a healthy diet (pro tip: you don't have to pay for a series of DVDs to do that). That will improve outcomes for ANY condition, not just POTS. He should have written and presented this as his own personal journey with POTS, not as a book of facts. Anyone with even a basic college understanding of biology/physiology will read this book as the equivalent of your drunk uncle raving about conspiracy theories at family dinners. Read a book by someone with a science/medical background if you actually want to understand POTS. 

[LiterarySams🎧📚 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is basically a hypothesis. I would say a good hypothesis, but to the majority of people who suffer with POTS this book could be misleading.

For example, I have mulitple chronic illnesses that play off of each other. Even though I believe the information in this book has a lot of marit I don’t think it is the full picture, but the author mentions this when he references that POTS is just a blanket term for something deeper.

POTS has become a term used to discribe way too many overlapping illnesses. I believe the base hypothesis could be correct, however there are way too many factors for the information in this book to be definitive (yet). I do believe it deserves to be throughly researched. The author does make this clear!

The author does a good job making sure the reader knows that this book may not apply to everyone with POTS. Since there isn’t a lot of research being done I think this book is a great start to finding out the root cause of this debilitating disorder. I truly hope someone with funding and medical credentials can turn this into a medical study. That would be the only true way to prove this hypothesis.

The author has made update that’s you can find at https://www.whatpotsreallyis.net/

[Danielle Summers · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title is misleading.

Went researching his theory after reading most of the book only to find his website where he says “While I still think my book has a lot of merit in its emphasis on neuroplastic approaches, like the DNRS, to POTS, **I do not fully stand behind its overall argment anymore and so would encourage any potential readers to read it in light of the four changes that I would now make to it, as outlined above. For that reason, the book is set at the lowest possible price point on Amazon.”

[Amber Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book could be of tremendous value to someone who developed POTS as a result of trauma, acute illness, or injury. I was really excited about the prospect of DNRS until I realized it would likely be wasted effort on someone with EDS because our injuries are constant, often occurring every minute. Disappointing and discouraging but I’ll keep searching. There has to be a way to an easier life.

[Emma Sonck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book of information about POTS. I am interested in speaking with my doctor about some of these ideas. POTS is something that is still being studied, and this book was a great resource, especially in understanding the mental aspect of this condition.

[Charlie - disableddaydreamer | itsbarbieparis (looking for mutuals) · Rating 1 out of 5]

took me straight to pseudoscience city and made me sick to my stomach to see something so predatory(in my opinion).
this is shameful and shamelessly capitalizing on sick people.

[~☆~Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very important book for those of us who suffer from this illness which is related to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). I did NOT read the Kindle edition but purchased an old fashioned REAL BOOK.