Vegetovascular dystonia (or VSD for short) is a psychosomatic problem in which the functioning of the autonomic system, which is responsible for balance in the body, is disrupted. At the same time, the circulatory system “fails”, blood pressure and vascular tone decrease - therefore, all organs receive the necessary substances in smaller quantities than required. This leads to disastrous consequences, such as blood stagnation, brain hypoxia, and decreased organ activity. One of the varieties of this disorder is VSD of the hypotonic type. It is characterized by disruption of the cardiovascular system, decreased blood pressure, and decreased blood flow to all organs.
Young people who lead a sedentary lifestyle are more often susceptible to VSD of the hypotonic type. But this type of vegetative-vascular dystonia can also affect the older generation.
Signs of hypotonic VSD
Symptoms of vegetative-vascular dystonia are very diverse. In most cases, patients experience the following symptoms: general weakness, fatigue, headaches, drowsiness, low blood pressure and fainting. In addition to the above symptoms, nervousness, irritability, sleep disturbance, pain in the heart, heartburn, nausea, and diarrhea may be observed. Patients often complain of difficulty breathing, limb spasms, decreased body temperature, decreased body weight, and loss of appetite.
The main clinical forms of neurotic conditions (general neuroses):
Neurasthenia (so-called exhaustion neurosis)
It is characterized by a combination of increasing irritability and excitability with increased fatigue and rapid exhaustion.
Hysteria
A pathological form of a person’s reaction to a situation that is unbearable or unacceptable for some reason. Such patients are distinguished by particular suggestibility and self-hypnosis with a clear tendency to “flight into illness”; noticeable demonstrativeness (with wringing of hands, lamentations, etc.; theatrical behavior in search of sympathy and attention from others. The clinical picture of hysteria can imitate almost any somatic or neurological disease. However, it should be borne in mind that serious organic diseases can also be hidden under the mask of hysteria central nervous system (up to a brain tumor) Therefore, seeing a doctor if you have the above signs of the disease is a prerequisite.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive thoughts, memories, doubts, fears, actions and desires against a background of low mood with a feeling of inferiority and hopelessness.
Most often it develops against the background of neurological and somatic diseases.
Diagnosis of VSD by hypotonic type
Diagnosing VSD of the hypotonic type is quite difficult for a number of reasons. Firstly, this type of VSD is characterized by symptoms that fit the descriptions of many types of diseases, and secondly, each person has unique symptoms that are characteristic only of his particular case. Fortunately, modern medicine has methods that help determine whether a person has VSD of the hypotonic type. To make a correct diagnosis, a blood test, radiography, functional diagnostics, and MRI are performed. It is also advisable to consult with specialists such as a cardiologist, urologist, gynecologist, or psychotherapist. It is important to know that when diagnosed with VSD, all human organs are practically healthy.
How to determine the type of VSD?
Vegetative-vascular dystonia is one of the most difficult pathologies to diagnose and treat. What type of VSD do you have?
Symptoms of VSD may differ in different cases, and this is due to the fact that different types of dystonia can disrupt the functions of different systems.
There is no generally accepted classification system for vegetative-vascular dystonia today. Some of these systems are quite difficult to understand and are used only for scientific purposes. Most often, doctors use a classification where the main criterion is blood pressure parameters.
Cardiac type (normosthenic)
This type of VSD is characterized by normal blood pressure. The main symptoms are related to sensations in the heart and psychological reactions. The attacks are accompanied by a feeling of lack of air, palpitations, interruptions in heart function, a feeling of rhythm disturbances, panic, fear of death, and heart pain. Characteristic signs are weather dependence, headaches when overworked, adrenaline surges, and a tendency to depression.
VSD of hypotonic type
The main characteristic of the hypotensive type of VSD is pressure that is low relative to normal, as well as an even greater decrease during periods of attacks. Corresponding symptoms are dizziness, orthostatic collapse, poor tolerance to hunger, “hunger” headaches, pallor, cold feet and hands even in warm weather. A tendency to asthenia is often observed already in childhood. Characteristic psychological symptoms are a tendency towards hypochondria, increased anxiety.
VSD of the hypertensive type
Typically, these people's blood pressure is normal or slightly elevated. Physical activity, psychological stress, fatigue, the need for acclimatization, and alcohol intake can cause an increase in systolic pressure to values above 140 mmHg. In this case, there may be unpleasant, squeezing sensations in the area of the heart and chest, and a feeling of a squeezing hoop on the head. For a long time, no organic disorders that are characteristic of hypertension are observed.
What type of VSD might you have?
Each type of VSD is rare in isolation. Usually the cardiac type is combined with hypertensive or hypotensive. Over time, the hypotensive type can be replaced by a hypertensive one, with the transition to hypertension.
There are also other divisions, for example into syndromes, which indicate a leading system that determines the main group of symptoms. But for the treatment of VSD it is convenient to use the above classification.
Treatment of dystonia, depending on the type, differs in the recommended daily regimen and features of assistance during the period of severe symptoms. The main drug prescribed for all types of VSD is Eltacin® . This is a complex of three amino acids - cystine, glutamic acid and glycine - which activate cellular respiration and act directly on the cause of vegetative-vascular dystonia, regardless of its type.
Constant use of Eltacin® helps to normalize the condition of dystonia of any type.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis is based on characteristic patient complaints and examination data. Usually, in addition to standard laboratory examinations, an ECG is taken at rest and during exercise, electroencephalography, radiography of the spine, and ultrasound of internal organs.
ECG is one of the diagnostic methods
The functional nature of the disease, which does not have clear manifestations, usually does not allow its specific signs to be detected during examination. The diagnosis takes into account the sum of many indirect signs.
Consultations with a neurologist and other doctors of related specialties are important for diagnosis.
Treatment for Nervous Imbalance
Treatment of dystonia should be aimed at all the causes of the disease, as well as its main symptoms. Since each case of the disease is unique, treatment should also be strictly individual, but its general directions can be identified.
The main methods of treating VSD:
- Fighting chronic infection.
- Sedatives (sedatives, tranquilizers, antidepressants).
- Vitamin therapy.
- Normalization of metabolic processes (treatment of diseases of the liver, kidneys, respiratory and digestive systems).
- Stimulants (preparations of eleutherococcus, ginseng, pantocrine).
- Psychotherapy.
- Acupuncture, acupressure.
- Physiotherapy.
- Elimination of external sources of intoxication (professional and domestic), combating bad habits.
- Dosed physical activity, swimming.
- Creating a favorable psycho-emotional environment at work and at home.
Vegetative-vascular dystonia, according to ICD-10 (the latest edition of the International Classification of Diseases), is called “dysfunction” or “complexes of symptoms.”
The vagueness of the criteria makes the treatment of vegetative-vascular dystonia a difficult task, which should only be addressed by a specialist. Unprofessional treatment carried out independently using folk remedies is likely to be ineffective and may worsen the patient’s condition.
Causes of VSD
So as not to burden you, dear reader, with anatomical details, let’s just say that all the arteries of the neck carry blood (nutrients) to the head. The bulk of these arteries (carotid) pass through the muscular thickness of the neck and virtually nothing can interfere with them (except for atherosclerosis in older people). And, here, the vertebral arteries pass directly into the cervical vertebrae themselves and, since their diameter is normally 3-4 mm, i.e. comparable to the diameter of a ballpoint pen, then any, even minor, problem in the cervical spine leads to such unpleasant phenomena as vertebral artery syndrome. What's going on? We sit for a long time and a lot on our phones, tablets, at work, in the car, we become overgrown with salts (osteochondrosis), we move little (disk malnutrition), we get carried away with manual therapy (vertebral displacement), perhaps we often lift heavy objects (herniated disks), i.e. That is, we have a problem in the cervical spine, which sooner or later will make itself felt, and, as a rule, the pain is not in the neck itself, but in the head. And this problem is purely mechanical - a violation of blood flow through the vital vertebral arteries . A disruption in the power supply of the brain - the main database, one might say, of our system unit - can lead to any problem, to the breakdown of any microcircuit, i.e. not only headaches, intracranial pressure , but also “freezing of any program.”
In children , this manifests itself as follows: obsessive movement syndrome ( nervous tics ), epileptiform syndrome, headaches, intracranial pressure, absent-mindedness, poor memory, inability to learn the required amount of material at school, inadequate vision loss (when ophthalmologists shrug their shoulders and prescribe new ones). , more powerful glasses), panic attacks. In adults : depression, insomnia, headaches, nausea, dizziness, unsteadiness when walking, increased irritability, surges in blood pressure, palpitations (tachycardia), so-called “micro-stroke”, hearing loss, noise, ringing in the ears, feeling of lack of air, coma sore throat, panic attacks. Now let’s take a closer look at exactly what problems in the cervical spine can lead to such unpleasant conditions. First of all, this
- osteochondrosis,
- scoliosis,
- disc herniation,
- discopathy (disc destruction),
- vertebral instability (tumbler vertebrae),
- displacement (listhesis),
- uncovertebral arthrosis.
Treatment of VSD at the Starisha Clinic
What is the essence of treatment?
Medical hardware and software complex:
- magnetoson (relieves general tension, calms, improves blood flow and nutrients to the brain),
- laser therapy - pulsed and scanning (restores power to the discs and eliminates the phenomena of brain hypoxia),
- vacuum therapy (improves the nutrition of the discs, removing venous congestion in the muscles),
- neuromyoelectrostimulation (restores the muscular-ligamentous corset, which is especially important for instability of (floating) vertebrae, straightening of cervical lordosis, and scoliosis),
- shock wave therapy (breaks and polishes salt osteophyte spines),
- acupuncture (works on the principle of the 12 meridians of oriental medicine),
- anti-pain scanning module (finds the source of pain, scans and removes it),
- lymphatic drainage (helps remove waste, toxins, “broken salts” from the body), massage.
The course of treatment lasts 10-15 days. A set of therapeutic measures is prescribed strictly individually, after examination by a doctor, making and clarifying the diagnosis. During the treatment process, some changes may be made, depending on the patient’s age, his concomitant diseases, and general well-being.
Treatment methods
The solution to the problem described above is impossible until we eliminate the problem in the cervical spine, which led to a disruption in the nutrition of the brain. In this case, drug treatment will give a short-term effect, because will not affect the cause of all of the above vegetative-vascular manifestations.
Therefore, in THIS case, it is necessary to remove hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of the brain and restore the normal supply of nutrients and oxygen through the vertebral arteries. Influence both the vertebrae and discs, restoring their nutrition, and the vascular wall of the artery, not forgetting that it has a muscular shell and is subject to constant trauma from diseased vertebrae, as well as restore the muscular-ligamentous corset, thanks to which we hold on vertically and have the ability to move in space.
