Orthostatic Hypotension, Why Won't Anyone Explain My Symptoms? | Incheon POTS

Hello, this is Choi Yeon-seung, a Korean medical doctor at Baengnokdam Korean Medicine Clinic.

Orthostatic Hypotension: The Unfamiliar Beginning Before Knowing the Diagnosis

Before first hearing the name 'orthostatic hypotension,' many people spend a long time with only an intuition that 'something is wrong with my body.'

“Every time I stand up, my vision goes dark and my mind feels hazy.”

“While showering, I suddenly felt short of breath and almost collapsed.”

“My head feels like it's floating, and my feet don't feel like they're touching the ground.”

However, it often takes quite a long time to visit a hospital. Although something feels off, there's no specific pain, and people often dismiss it as simple fatigue or poor condition.

Furthermore, these symptoms are often not well understood when explained to others.

“Aren't you being too sensitive?”

“Isn't it anemia?”

Only advice like 'drink more water and rest well' comes back. But the patient themselves knows. This is not just simple fatigue or sensitivity.

That their body isn't obeying, their sensations are strange, and something feels like it's 'dropping.' As that intuition builds, daily discomfort increases, and when swaying upon standing becomes no longer unfamiliar, that's when they finally seek medical help.

The Reason for Persistent Discomfort Even After Receiving Hospital Diagnosis and Treatment

After receiving a diagnosis of orthostatic hypotension, many patients feel a sense of relief, thinking 'finally, I have a name to explain this condition,' along with the expectation that 'now, with treatment, I'll get better.'

However, it is precisely at this point that another problem begins: while a diagnosis has been made, the treatment is often simpler than expected and its effects are limited.

In hospitals, a tilt table test is typically used to check for a drop in blood pressure upon standing and accompanying changes in heart rate. During this process, if orthostatic hypotension or an increase in heart rate is observed, it may also be diagnosed as POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome).

Treatment Methods

1. Lifestyle adjustments: Guidelines are given to consume plenty of water and salt, adjust the sleeping angle, and avoid sudden changes in posture or prolonged standing.
2. Pharmacological treatment: Mineralocorticoids like fludrocortisone help maintain body fluids, and midodrine works to constrict blood vessels and raise blood pressure.

The problem, however, is that despite these treatments, daily life remains challenging.

The Symptoms Are Not a Matter of 'Blood Pressure' but of 'Sensation'

While the name 'orthostatic hypotension' focuses on blood pressure, what truly troubles patients most are abnormal sensations that cannot be explained by numerical values.

“My body feels like it's floating. My feet don't feel like they're touching the ground.”

“My chest drops, and my heart pounds madly, but it's hard to describe where exactly it hurts.”

“If I stand up after sitting for a while, it feels like something 'whooshes' out from inside me.”

“I feel somewhat okay when lying down, but when I stand up, the world seems to tilt, and I feel dizzy.”

What Does Korean Medicine See Differently?

While orthostatic hypotension is defined in Western medicine as a failure of blood pressure regulation, specifically an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, Korean medicine begins by asking what kind of 'collapse' or 'weakness' in the body's internal flow this symptom originates from.

Stability of the Central Axis

In Korean medicine, it is believed that the heart governs heat from above, and the kidneys manage water from below, and only when these two achieve 'Hwasu Gyoje (harmony of fire and water)' can the body's central axis be stable.

On What Basis Are Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Treatments Designed?

In Korean medicine, the treatment for orthostatic hypotension is not designed with a uniform approach, such as simply 'boosting vital energy.' Instead, the core is to determine 'which axis has collapsed' based on multi-layered information like the sensation of symptoms, triggering situations, accompanying symptoms, time of day, and physical condition, and then to establish the appropriate sequence of recovery.

Explaining Undiagnosed Symptoms in the Language of Sensation

Many people experiencing orthostatic hypotension describe memories of sensations that linger longer and deeper than the medical diagnosis itself.

“It feels like my vital energy just drains away.”

“My insides feel empty, and I have no strength at all.”

“I just stood up, but my body feels like it's floating in the air.”

“It feels like my chest pushes out first, and my abdomen sinks in.”

These descriptions might seem medically ambiguous, but for the patient, they represent a vivid and undeniable reality.

Clinic Information

- Clinic Hours -
Mon-Fri 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Lunch Break 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

※ We do not offer individual consultations via the blog. For appointments and consultation inquiries, please check Naver Place or our official website.

Baengnokdam Korean Medicine Clinic, Songdo Dream City 3F, 81 Convention-daero, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon

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