Introduction
A 39-year-old female presented with vasovagal syncope. She was having syncope “fainting” episodes 4-5x per week. These episodes mostly came without warning. She also suffered from migraines, GI issues and fatigue. The patient had recently been put on daily Sudafed to help syncope episodes, which seemed to be helping.
Examination and Diagnosis
A neurological examination revealed autonomic dysfunction with a drop in heart rate against gravity.
Treatment
The patient was initially treated with 1 intensive day; this included three 1-hour sessions per day with two 30-minute breaks, followed by two 1-hour visits per week for 5 weeks.
The second round of treatment following a re-evaluation the patient was seen 1x per week for 60 minutes for 6 consecutive weeks.
Treatment consisted of bilateral V1 neuromodulation to the trigeminal nerves, red/NIR light therapy and tilt table therapy. Second round of therapy included orthostatic re-training, red/ NIR light therapy, chiropractic care and EMS muscle stimulation to cervical spine.
Results
Patient has not had a syncope episode in 3 months and she is off the Sudafed medication. We continue to work with her on her headaches, sleep and fatigue. She sees another specialist for her GI dysfunction.
Conclusion
Functional neurological care has been shown to be effective in the treatment of vasovagal syncope. Please visit our Dysautonomia Program webpage for more information.