Autonomic Nervous System failure? Breathing problems, Dry eyes dry mouth

[Barbarossa]

Hello,

for some time now I have been suffering from breathing difficulties during exertion.
I also have to constantly self-control my breathing and often breathe in a concentrated manner.
During exertion my body does not react properly and does not increase the breathing rate and I then get short of breath or can hardly put any weight on myself. When resting or lying down, I have the feeling that the respiratory muscles are not working properly. When moving quickly, like getting up from a lying position or turning while lying down, I get palpitations and heart palpitations. I feel as if my autonomic nervous system is disturbed. My eyes are always dry, as is my mouth. I know that the Parasympathetic Cholinergic System has the task to produce tears but it does not work for me. Could it also be that I get breathing problems and dry glands due to too little choline in my body?

I have had a pituitary tumor that is also active for a few years, have had elevated ACTH levels since 2017 but no firm diagnosis because my cortisone fluctuates.

Could be the pituitary gland tumor be my main problem behind those symptoms? I read that the pituitary gland controls the autonomic nervous system. My Tumor is active last ACTH was 122 (60> normal)

I need help really

 

[bell]

Hello,

for some time now I have been suffering from breathing difficulties during exertion.
I also have to constantly self-control my breathing and often breathe in a concentrated manner.
During exertion my body does not react properly and does not increase the breathing rate and I then get short of breath or can hardly put any weight on myself. When resting or lying down, I have the feeling that the respiratory muscles are not working properly. When moving quickly, like getting up from a lying position or turning while lying down, I get palpitations and heart palpitations. I feel as if my autonomic nervous system is disturbed. My eyes are always dry, as is my mouth. I know that the Parasympathetic Cholinergic System has the task to produce tears but it does not work for me. Could it also be that I get breathing problems and dry glands due to too little choline in my body?

I have had a pituitary tumor that is also active for a few years, have had elevated ACTH levels since 2017 but no firm diagnosis because my cortisone fluctuates.

Could be the pituitary gland tumor be my main problem behind those symptoms? I read that the pituitary gland controls the autonomic nervous system. My Tumor is active last ACTH was 122 (60> normal)

I need help really

Does not sound fun Barbarosa. I have plenty of respiratory stuff too, and I've found that having thyroid on-board is essential, but so is B1 (aka thiamine) and B2. If you look for writing by Derrick Lonsdale, he writes a lot about dysautonomia and B1, including how low B1 creates a kind of pseudo-hypoxia. When I get into respiratory difficulty, a little benfotiamine (specifically that version, in my case) often clears is up, assuming that I am also addressing thyroid. (And if at all possible, get a practitioner to look at B-vitamin levels, and see what you actually need first.).

 

[yerrag]

I'm experiencing breathing issues that are taking a while for me to figure a way out of. Forgive me if I should appear to make matters too simple in searching for solutions, but having recently only understood the essence of bio-energetics (as it's easy to bandy a term without knowing its true meaning and implications) I am trying to approach the problem by going into what the body needs most to get back into becoming functional (in this case breathing well and feeling good by not feeling exhausted with each small effort).

Reading Ray's Mind and Tissues has put me in this frame of mind. While at the same time, it has also put me in a state of helplessness admittedly. Maybe helpless is not the right word, but confused and paralyzed - as he rolls off many substances such as the usual steroid hormones, but also niacinamide, aspirin, ginseng, Siberian ginseng, inositol, agmatine and what not.

It isn't uncommon for people to be set into a buying spree for supplements, as it takes less effort to go on another round of buying for supplements, than to take stock of what really one has to do if one were to focus on what he is trying to fix.

Not everyone needs all those supplements. If one were to focus on his context, one would know his ground zero, and where and when his issues began. It may also be that he doesn't know because everything is a blur, especially when new into self-healing. But it helps to observe and think and narrow down on one or two supplements and observe how he improves, and then decide if he needed some more supplements.

But even before buying supplements, it helps to not go too deep into what you don't understand. For me, a lot of times going too deeply into parasympathetic and sympathetic and the pituitary glands is like opening up a black box that really doesn't need to be opened. At that level, you are mired in dealing with the way the body compensates by way of signalling, and without knowing much of this mechanism, you end up playing fire with fire.

But that is just my opinion.

I prefer dealing with the nuts and bolts in our body. Like when I have a hard time breathing, I would ask whether my external respiration is working well, as well as ask the same of my internal respiration. Often overlooked, but oxygen and CO2 insufficiency in blood is much easier to understand and troubleshoot.

As easy as it is to understand internal combustion engines in cars.

The rest are details.

 

[Barbarossa]

I'm experiencing breathing issues that are taking a while for me to figure a way out of. Forgive me if I should appear to make matters too simple in searching for solutions, but having recently only understood the essence of bio-energetics (as it's easy to bandy a term without knowing its true meaning and implications) I am trying to approach the problem by going into what the body needs most to get back into becoming functional (in this case breathing well and feeling good by not feeling exhausted with each small effort).

Reading Ray's Mind and Tissues has put me in this frame of mind. While at the same time, it has also put me in a state of helplessness admittedly. Maybe helpless is not the right word, but confused and paralyzed - as he rolls off many substances such as the usual steroid hormones, but also niacinamide, aspirin, ginseng, Siberian ginseng, inositol, agmatine and what not.

It isn't uncommon for people to be set into a buying spree for supplements, as it takes less effort to go on another round of buying for supplements, than to take stock of what really one has to do if one were to focus on what he is trying to fix.

Not everyone needs all those supplements. If one were to focus on his context, one would know his ground zero, and where and when his issues began. It may also be that he doesn't know because everything is a blur, especially when new into self-healing. But it helps to observe and think and narrow down on one or two supplements and observe how he improves, and then decide if he needed some more supplements.

But even before buying supplements, it helps to not go too deep into what you don't understand. For me, a lot of times going too deeply into parasympathetic and sympathetic and the pituitary glands is like opening up a black box that really doesn't need to be opened. At that level, you are mired in dealing with the way the body compensates by way of signalling, and without knowing much of this mechanism, you end up playing fire with fire.

But that is just my opinion.

I prefer dealing with the nuts and bolts in our body. Like when I have a hard time breathing, I would ask whether my external respiration is working well, as well as ask the same of my internal respiration. Often overlooked, but oxygen and CO2 insufficiency in blood is much easier to understand and troubleshoot.

As easy as it is to understand internal combustion engines in cars.

The rest are details.

Thank you so much for writing, awesome information that I need to think about it.

I emailed Ray Peat one year ago about my autonomic breathing difficulties, he said that very high stress hormones can cause it. And it makes sense because I have high ACTH since 2017, but no doc wants to operate my tumor out.
Ray Peat even mentioned this study in the email: Benzodiazepines and anterior pituitary function


what can cause Oxygen and CO2 insufficiency?

 

[Barbarossa]

Thank you so much for writing, awesome information that I need to think about it.

I emailed Ray Peat one year ago about my autonomic breathing difficulties, he said that very high stress hormones can cause it. And it makes sense because I have high ACTH since 2017, but no doc wants to operate my tumor out.
Ray Peat even mentioned this study in the email: Benzodiazepines and anterior pituitary function


what can cause Oxygen and CO2 insufficiency?

Me:
Hi Ray,

I have a constant feeling of breathing problem, I must concentrate myself to breath in and out. I can’t let it happen autonomously, because then I think that I will not breath or not breath enough.

It’s that a problem of my nervous system ? Hormones?

As you know from other email before, Iam in an constant stress mode.
Ray Peat:
Very high stress hormones create that feeling. Sometimes a little cyproheptadine can lower the hormones and sense of stress.

 

[miquelangeles]

Hi @Barbarossa there are a lot of things you can do to improve or fix this completely. I don't have time to write everything that I have in mind now, but I will mention a few things and follow up later with other suggestions.

The first and most important thing is to practice strict EMF hygiene (this means getting rid of your smartphone and drastically reducing computer usage or other devices). It is a complicated subject and I recommend you read my thread Nothing in life comes free

Another thing that is very helpful and can often be curative is abdominal massage done in a certain way.
In dysautonomia the splanchnic veins lose tonicity and they do not contract properly to send the dark venous blood to the right atrium, right ventricle and then to the lungs to be properly oxygenated.
This results in the stagnation of this venous blood which is akin to self asphyxiation which impairs organ function, promotes accumulation of endotoxin, serotonin (which is normally detoxified by the lungs) etc.
The method of the abdominal massage is to lie on your back, bend your knees to relax the abdomen, then choose 10-12 points that are to be pressed, one is the navel, then 2-4 points in your lower abdomen near the pubic bone and bladder area, 2-4 points on the sides of the abdomen, and 2-4 points in the upper abdomen and under the rib cage.
With two or more fingers you then alternately press these points and at the same time you flex your abdominal and corresponding muscles to oppose the force of your hands. You can do this quite vigorously.
This triggers reflexes which contract the abdominal veins and send the blood to the heart and lungs. Make sure you breathe in and out deeply while you do this so that the lungs will take in all the blood, because a lot of blood might be sent too quickly to the heart through these maneuvers.
Another similar method is sandbag breathing, where you do abdominal breathing with a sand bag on your abdomen to strengthen the diaphragm. But the manual method described above is more effective. The same method will also cure constipation or hemorrhoids.
Headstands and shoulder stands are also helpful.
Another thing to mention is that most often the lungs secretions are too viscous, which gives you the sensation that you don't get enough air, despite your chest cavity expanding normally.
In this case, certain breathwork techniques are very effective but they need to be done regularly, twice a day.
You can do a combination of OM chanting and Bhramari pranayama (the humming bee breath) for 15-20 minutes and then the huff cough technique and chest percussion to expel the mucus.
The pranayama is not only calming for the nervous system, but the induced vibrations literally liquefy mucus and make it less viscous.
Higher frequency humming will activate the nasal/sinuses area, but if you do a lower hum you will feel the chest vibrating more, which is where you want to focus. But it's best to alternate.
Kapalbhati pranayama is also very helpful.
Another helpful technique is breath retention after you take in as much air as you can. With your chest fully expanded you then relax and hold the breath for as long as it feels comfortable. This creates something similar to hyperbaric therapy and it forces the small alveoli to open.

 

[mostlylurking]

Hello,

for some time now I have been suffering from breathing difficulties during exertion.
I also have to constantly self-control my breathing and often breathe in a concentrated manner.
During exertion my body does not react properly and does not increase the breathing rate and I then get short of breath or can hardly put any weight on myself. When resting or lying down, I have the feeling that the respiratory muscles are not working properly. When moving quickly, like getting up from a lying position or turning while lying down, I get palpitations and heart palpitations. I feel as if my autonomic nervous system is disturbed. My eyes are always dry, as is my mouth. I know that the Parasympathetic Cholinergic System has the task to produce tears but it does not work for me. Could it also be that I get breathing problems and dry glands due to too little choline in my body?

I have had a pituitary tumor that is also active for a few years, have had elevated ACTH levels since 2017 but no firm diagnosis because my cortisone fluctuates.

Could be the pituitary gland tumor be my main problem behind those symptoms? I read that the pituitary gland controls the autonomic nervous system. My Tumor is active last ACTH was 122 (60> normal)

I need help really

You might find some of Dr. Derrick Lonsdale's articles helpful. Here are some links:

Dysautonomia and Hypoxia - Hormones Matter

Is thiamine deficiency and the resultant hypoxia involved in the myriad of autonomically controlled systems currently labeled dysautonomia?

www.hormonesmatter.com

How Can Something As Simple as Thiamine Cause So Many Problems? - Hormones Matter

Is thiamine deficiency too simple to explain the devastating nature of the systemic adverse reactions to some vaccines and medications?

www.hormonesmatter.com

Derrick Lonsdale, MD

www.hormonesmatter.com

 

[Jam]

.

 

[yerrag]

Thank you so much for writing, awesome information that I need to think about it.

I emailed Ray Peat one year ago about my autonomic breathing difficulties, he said that very high stress hormones can cause it. And it makes sense because I have high ACTH since 2017, but no doc wants to operate my tumor out.
Ray Peat even mentioned this study in the email: Benzodiazepines and anterior pituitary function


what can cause Oxygen and CO2 insufficiency?

There is a caveat to each and every answer Ray Peat gives us. It is that context matters.

Ray does not read minds. Nor does he have the power to look at your sentence construction from your email to diagnose you. So his answer is very general and is likely to be oversimplified, or he may throw the kitchen sink at you.

It is general advice. The rest is up to you to fine tune. Because only you knows your context because you are there 24/7.

I don't know about the tumor. If it exists, it won't come without a cause. But the last thing I would assume is that it is genetic. Why ACTH is high may not be the pituitary being dysfunctional. On the contrary, it is being functional.

It's just more convenient for the system to blame it on dysfunction. As then the buck stops there. Problem identified.

Whereas if you don't stop there, you will continue digging for answers. I offer a possible simple cause to start with.

Rather than tell you your car engine won't start because the engine is a lemon, even though it is a Toyota (I assume we are Toyotas instead of GMs), I would start with cleaning the battery terminals.

In the case of hardness of breathing, are your lungs fine? Is your hemoglobin carrying oxygen fully or is mercury toxicity causing your hemoglobin in to carry half as much oxygen? Is your blood carrying a full load of oxygen but unable to release the oxygen to your tissues because CO2 is very low?

The answer to the first can be likely answered by looking at your spO2 values. Seeing a value of 96 and higher would be a good indication but not a certainty still. It would say you have enough oxygen, but does not say you have enough CO².

I know of that because I recently contracted bronchitis, and I am finding out by myself, not through doctors, that bronchitis restricts the exhaling of CO² less than it restricts the inhaling of oxygen. Given the amount we exhale and inhale in a day, it is easy for a person with bronchitis to suffer from having very low CO² in the blood (due to the cumulative effects of breathing out a disproportionate amount of CO² compared to the oxygen breathed in). The net effect is that our blood will release very little oxygen to the tissues, and this cause us to have difficulty breathing.

Your problem could be this simple. But I offer this as a starting thought. But because it is too simple, it is also often overlooked.

And also, your symptom of dry mouth is possibly coming from sleeping with your mouth open as a natural result of having difficulty breathing. Have you tried taping your mouth before you sleep?

 

[arien]

It sounds like you are failing to produce adequate acetylcholine. This could be a result of inadequate choline, B5 and thiamine. The latter two nutrients are essential for respiration. If they are deficient, excessive lactic acid and inadequate CO2 will be produced. This could account for difficulties in breathing and intolerance of exertion. This would be compounded by an absence of the cholinergic function required to restrain that state of stress.