When standing up makes your heart race, your blood pressure fluctuate, and your body feel exhausted, restoring brainstem communication helps regulate autonomic tone.
Living with POTS or dysautonomia can feel like your body’s automatic settings have malfunctioned. Your heart races just walking up stairs, you feel lightheaded in warm showers, and medical specialists often dismiss your symptoms because standard cardiac workups come back unremarkable. You want a provider who truly understands autonomic physiology.
The Biomechanical Reality: The autonomic nervous system—controlling heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature—is orchestrated by nuclei located within the brainstem and regulated by the vagus nerve (cranial nerve X). The vagus nerve exits the skull base immediately adjacent to the Atlas vertebra. Mechanical tension or irritation here can disrupt autonomic equilibrium.
An umbrella term describing disorders involving dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary body functions including heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, digestion, and pupil response.
Clinical Context: Requires coordinated medical care by an autonomic neurologist, cardiologist, or integrative physician.
Diagnostic Consideration: Can occur as a primary genetic condition or secondary to viral infection, autoimmune disease, or physical craniocervical trauma (cervical medullary syndrome).
Hope Southlake provides specialized, adjunctive upper cervical care. By correcting structural misalignments at the cranio-cervical junction, we help eliminate mechanical traction on the vagus nerve and brainstem, encouraging your autonomic nervous system to better regulate heart rate and orthostatic tone.Upper cervical subluxation can mechanically irritate the brainstem’s solitary tract and vagal outflow, exacerbating autonomic dysregulation.
The cranio-cervical junction (where the skull meets the Atlas and Axis vertebrae) is the primary structural crossroads of the central nervous system. When misalignment occurs here, it can create mechanical traction on the brainstem, impede venous drainage, and disturb autonomic balance. Hope Southlake uses calculated 3D digital imaging to gently reposition these vertebrae without any twisting, popping, or cracking.
An umbrella term describing disorders involving dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary body functions including heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, digestion, and pupil response.
Read Condition Resource →Diagnosed ConditionA form of dysautonomia characterized by an excessive heart rate increase of 30+ bpm (or exceeding 120 bpm) within 10 minutes of standing upright, in the absence of orthostatic hypotension.
Read Condition Resource →Diagnosed ConditionA condition in which an individual develops symptoms—including lightheadedness, fatigue, cognitive fog, visual dimming, and weakness—while standing upright that are relieved by sitting or lying down.
Read Condition Resource →You sit down and your heart rate is 65 bpm. You stand up to walk to the kitchen, and within two minutes your watch shows 110, 120, or 130 bpm. Your chest pounds, and your head feels light.
Explore This Symptom →Symptom SearchWhenever you rise from a chair, bed, or the floor, your vision dims, your ears ring, and a wave of lightheadedness washes over you, forcing you to freeze or sit right back down.
Explore This Symptom →Symptom SearchTaking a warm shower leaves you exhausted, breathless, and needing to sit on the shower floor. In summer heat, your symptoms flare up instantly, leaving you drained for the rest of the day.
Explore This Symptom →Symptom SearchYou feel caught in an exhausting trifecta: your heart races over small tasks, your brain feels trapped in thick fog, and you feel profoundly exhausted despite sleeping.
Explore This Symptom →Symptom SearchYou used to enjoy working out, but now even light walking or basic household chores causes your heart to spike, leaves you dizzy, and triggers a multi-day physical crash.
Explore This Symptom →You sit down and your heart rate is 65 bpm. You stand up to walk to the kitchen, and within two minutes your watch shows 110, 120, or 130 bpm. Your chest pounds, and your head feels light.
Read Symptom Guide →Related SymptomWhenever you rise from a chair, bed, or the floor, your vision dims, your ears ring, and a wave of lightheadedness washes over you, forcing you to freeze or sit right back down.
Read Symptom Guide →Related SymptomTaking a warm shower leaves you exhausted, breathless, and needing to sit on the shower floor. In summer heat, your symptoms flare up instantly, leaving you drained for the rest of the day.
Read Symptom Guide →Related SymptomYou feel caught in an exhausting trifecta: your heart races over small tasks, your brain feels trapped in thick fog, and you feel profoundly exhausted despite sleeping.
Read Symptom Guide →
After suffering from multiple concussions, a serious back injury, and finding no answers in the traditional medical system, Dr. Kramer discovered upper cervical care. This personal journey fueled his passion for bringing precise, individualized care to the Southlake community.
"We understand how discouraging it is to keep searching for answers and still not feel like yourself. You deserve clarity and a precise path forward."
Advanced testing and examination help determine if upper cervical care is right for you.
Start restoring nervous system function and getting your life back.
What does life look like when your nervous system is finally in balance and your symptoms no longer control your calendar?
Wake up without debilitating head pressure or dizziness
Keep commitments to work, family, and social plans
Achieve deep, restorative sleep that recharges your energy
Reduce dependency on endless prescription rescue medications
Don't just take our word for it.
"Dr Kramer was my answer to constant, severe headaches which were caused by my neck. He identified the issue, and got things working properly again. The relief has been incredible. I'm so grateful."
- Stephanie Kabat
"I came in to this office very afraid for my future, because the symptoms I was having were debilitating. After completing my recommended course of initial treatment, I am excited about the future again. Dr Kramer is incredibly knowledgeable."
- Jessica Gilbert
"Dr. Kramer is wonderful. Takes time to listen to your story and comes up with a treatment plan just for you. Patient specialized care that is evidence based. His treatment has helped me tremendously with symptoms others could not change or even bothered to address. Highly recommend his skilled approach."
- Elizabeth Rose
Hope Upper Cervical Spine Center
500 N Carroll Ave Suite 110
Southlake, TX 76092
Phone: (972) 638-0994
No. Dysautonomia is a complex neurological disorder that requires comprehensive medical co-management. Upper cervical care serves an adjunctive structural role, ensuring that mechanical compression or irritation at the skull base is not exacerbating autonomic dysfunction.
The vagus nerve passes through the jugular foramen right at the base of the skull, passing directly anterior to the transverse process of the C1 (Atlas) vertebra. Anatomical shifts in C1 can exert tension or alter vascular supply to this crucial nerve.
Absolutely not. You should never alter, reduce, or stop prescribed medications without the explicit guidance of your cardiologist, neurologist, or prescribing physician.
The vagus nerve, which originates in the brainstem and passes directly by C1, coordinates parasympathetic control over gut motility, heart rate, and internal regulation.
Take the first step toward lasting relief and neurological stability. Schedule your consultation with Hope Southlake today.
