
Why Your Heart Isn't the Real Problem
Why Your Heart Isn't the Real Problem
Most doctors treat POTS as a cardiovascular condition. They focus on your racing heart, your blood pressure swings, and the fainting. But those are symptoms, not the source.
The real issue is upstream, in your brain and brainstem.
Your autonomic nervous system is the command center that tells your heart how fast to beat, your blood vessels when to constrict, and your body how to respond when you stand up. When this system is miscalibrated, it sends the wrong signals, and your cardiovascular system just does what it's told.


Three systems drive most POTS symptoms:
Autonomic regulation controls your heart rate, blood pressure, and how your body responds to position changes. When the brainstem centers that manage these functions aren't working properly, standing up triggers an exaggerated response.
Vestibular calibration is how your inner ear tells your brain about position and movement. If these sensors are off, your nervous system perceives standing as more dramatic than it is and overreacts accordingly.
Breathing mechanics affect how much oxygen actually reaches your brain and tissues. Poor CO₂/O₂ balance can starve your brain of blood flow and make every other symptom worse.
This is why salt tablets and compression socks only go so far. They're helping your body compensate for a regulation problem they can't fix
How Our Program Is Different: We're Treating the Problems With a Different Tool Kit
We're not asking your body to adapt to dysfunction—we're retraining the dysfunction itself
Traditional approaches try to build tolerance around a broken system. Compression socks, salt loading, and slow cardio reconditioning help you cope with dysregulation, but they don't fix the autonomic nervous system that's causing it.
Our approach targets the brainstem and autonomic centers that are causing the exaggerated heart rate and blood pressure responses. We're recalibrating the thermostat, not just adjusting to a room that's always too hot.
We use tools that most POTS programs don't even consider
Therapeutic CO₂ use - Most providers see CO₂ as waste. We use it to improve oxygen delivery and teach your blood vessels to respond appropriately.
Vestibular recalibration - Your inner ear sensors tell your brain about position changes. When these are miscalibrated, your nervous system overreacts to standing. We directly retrain these sensors.
Cranial nerve activation - Strategic use of taste, smell, and sensory inputs to influence the brainstem centers that control heart rate and breathing in real-time.
Our interval-recovery method teaches your nervous system to switch gears
Standard reconditioning keeps you in moderate zones for long periods. Our Neuro-Cardio Training uses brief rounds working through all heart rate zones, including higher and lower, along with precise recovery. This teaches your sympathetic (gas pedal) and parasympathetic (brake pedal) systems to work together again—the core problem in POTS.
You're not just building stamina; you're retraining the autonomic reflexes themselves.
We have a specific origin story: concussion patients with POTS
This protocol wasn't invented for POTS—it was discovered while treating patients with post-concussion syndrome (PCS). We noticed our PCS patients with POTS symptoms were recovering their autonomic function through neurological rehabilitation. We then refined and formalized what was working into a dedicated POTS program.
This means our approach emerged from actual patient outcomes, not theory.
Five days of intensive, supervised recalibration vs. months of trial-and-error at home
Most programs send you home with general exercises and hope. We provide 5 days of hands-on, real-time adjustment of your treatment based on how your nervous system responds. Then you leave with a personalized protocol that's already been tested and refined on your specific dysregulation pattern.
The bottom line:
If you've tried cardiovascular reconditioning, medication management, and lifestyle modifications without lasting improvement, it's likely because those approaches aren't addressing the neurological regulation problem. We're treating a different layer of the problem—and that's why patients who've "tried everything" often see results they haven't experienced before.
Standard POTS Treatment Approach vs. Cognitive FX
| Most Healthcare Providers |
|
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|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Cardiovascular deconditioning — aims to gradually rebuild exercise tolerance through low-to-moderate steady-state cardio. | Neurological retraining — targets the autonomic nervous system (ANS) to restore proper regulation of heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. | |
| Underlying Theory | POTS is a heart and blood vessel issue. | POTS is a form of dysautonomia — an ANS and regulation issue that manifests as cardiovascular symptoms. | |
| Treatment Tools | Salt tablets, high water intake, compression garments, medications, and gradual recumbent-to-upright cardio. | Multi-modal neurological retraining: Neuro Cardio Training, vestibular recalibration, cranial nerve activation, breathing mechanics, and carbon dioxide therapy. | |
| Cardio Method | Long-duration, low-intensity cardio focused on conditioning. | Proprietary Neuro-Cardio Training method that recalibrates and teaches the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems to work together again and respond appropriately to exercise. | |
| Vestibular Work | Rarely included or generalized balance work. | Targeted vestibular recalibration (especially saccule/vertical orientation) to reduce orthostatic overreaction. | |
| Breathing Approach | Basic relaxation or endurance breathing. | Retrains nasal/diaphragmatic mechanics and CO₂/O₂ balance to directly influence ANS function and blood flow. | |
| Cranial Nerve Integration |
Not addressed. | Activates smell/taste/trigeminal inputs to influence brainstem centers that regulate HR and breathing. | |
| CO₂ & Oxygen Use | Viewed as waste vs. intake gas; not targeted. | Uses CO₂ therapeutically (CarboHaler inhalation pre-cardio, CO₂ suit recovery) to improve oxygen delivery and vasodilation. | |
| Role of Medication | Central—used to manage HR, BP, and volume (beta blockers, fludrocortisone, midodrine, etc.). | Secondary—may supplement care but not required; goal is self-regulation without lifelong medication dependence. | |
| Program Goal | Manage symptoms and maintain functionality. | Retrain autonomic control and improve long-term quality of life. | |
| Duration of Program | Ongoing home program; indefinite. | 4-day intensive (evaluation + 3 treatment days) plus structured home continuation plan. | |
| Outcome Focus | POTS symptom stabilization. | System regulation and sustainable improvement in exercise tolerance and daily function. |
Most Healthcare
Providers
Cardiovascular deconditioning — aims to gradually rebuild exercise tolerance through low-to-moderate steady-state cardio.
Neurological retraining — targets the autonomic nervous system (ANS) to restore proper regulation of heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing.
Most Healthcare
Providers
POTS is a heart and blood vessel issue.
POTS is a form of dysautonomia — an ANS and regulation issue that manifests as cardiovascular symptoms.
Most Healthcare
Providers
Salt tablets, high water intake, compression garments, medications, and gradual recumbent-to-upright cardio.
Multi-modal neurological retraining: Neuro Cardio Training, vestibular recalibration, cranial nerve activation, breathing mechanics, and carbon dioxide therapy.
Most Healthcare
Providers
Long-duration, low-intensity cardio focused on conditioning.
Proprietary Neuro-Cardio Training method that recalibrates and teaches the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems to work together again and respond appropriately to exercise.
Most Healthcare
Providers
Rarely included or generalized balance work.
Targeted vestibular recalibration (especially saccule/vertical orientation) to reduce orthostatic overreaction.
Most Healthcare
Providers
Basic relaxation or endurance breathing.
Retrains nasal/diaphragmatic mechanics and CO₂/O₂ balance to directly influence ANS function and blood flow.
Most Healthcare
Providers
Not addressed.
Activates smell/taste/trigeminal inputs to influence brainstem centers that regulate HR and breathing.
Most Healthcare
Providers
Viewed as waste vs. intake gas; not targeted.
Uses CO₂ therapeutically (CarboHaler inhalation pre-cardio, CO₂ suit recovery) to improve oxygen delivery and vasodilation.
Most Healthcare
Providers
Central—used to manage HR, BP, and volume (beta blockers, fludrocortisone, midodrine, etc.).
Secondary—may supplement care but not required; goal is self-regulation without lifelong medication dependence.
Most Healthcare
Providers
Manage symptoms and maintain functionality.
Retrain autonomic control and improve long-term quality of life.
Most Healthcare
Providers
Ongoing home program; indefinite.
4-day intensive (evaluation + 3 treatment days) plus structured home continuation plan.
Most Healthcare
Providers
POTS symptom stabilization.
System regulation and sustainable improvement in exercise tolerance and daily function.
How Our POTS Evaluation & Treatment Works
Comprehensive POTS Evaluation
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Functional testing of orthostatic response, vestibular function, cranial‑nerve inputs, and breathing mechanics.
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Education about POTS, how neuro training helps, and how we’ll customize your treatment plan.
Multi-Modal Treatment (4–6 hours/day)
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Neuro-Cardio training to teach the ANS to switch gears.
-
Vestibular recalibration exercises that improve vertical‑change sensing and reduce orthostatic overreactions.
-
Breathing mechanics work to influence ANS function and blood flow.
-
Cranial-nerve stacking to steer autonomic tone.
-
End‑of‑day CO₂-based recovery suit for relaxation and tissue perfusion.
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Planned rest blocks to protect tolerance.
Home program: You leave with daily drills and a repeatable interval‑recovery framework.
1. How do I know if Cognitive FX is right for me?
If you are dealing with symptoms of POTS and standard treatments haven't worked or you haven’t made the progress you’ve hoped for, our neurologic-focused treatment program could be a good next step for you.
2. How confident should I be that I will get better if I come for treatment?
This program was developed based on the success we've had treating our concussion patients who are also experiencing POTS symptoms. We've developed our program based on the latest research, and we treat multiple patients with POTS per week. Our protocol has a consistently high success rate.
3. How long with the effects of treatment last? Will I need to come back for follow-up sessions?
4. Will I be able to do treatment with my symptoms?
We understand that POTS patients deal with many symptoms and challenges: brain fog, migraines, lightheadedness, orthostatic intolerance, shortness of breath, chest pain, heart palpitations, fast heart rate increases, and more. We have extensive experience treating patients with all of these symptoms. Our team of trained professionals will help you find the level that is right for you, which will also give you the benefit you need to retrain your system. We also schedule built-in recovery sessions so you can rest and prepare for the next activation window.