How lifestyle changes, nutrition, salt, electrolytes, mindset, and holistic care helped a teen improve the symptoms of POTS and Ehlers-Danlos — and regain her quality of life.

 

For years, Leigh Schoener had been chasing answers for her daughter Lauren’s string of symptoms: recurring infections, frequent chest pain, lightheadedness, foot pain, injuries, and breathing issues that led to an asthma diagnosis.

“Lauren would say, ‘I feel like I’m blacking out,’” Leigh recalls. “She has had moments, milliseconds, where she’s blacking out and she’s seeing spots.”

When a cardiologist tested further and diagnosed Lauren — then in eighth grade — with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and Ehlers-Danlos, something clicked for the Virginia mom of two.

“I just felt like so many different pieces of a puzzle came together, including the foot pain, the chest pain,” Leigh says. “What was diagnosed as asthma, I actually don’t think it really ever was.”

A Long Road to POTS and Ehlers-Danlos Diagnoses

Lauren’s family finally had answers to explain her mix of symptoms.

POTS is a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system that causes the heart rate to rise abnormally when moving from sitting or lying down to standing. Common symptoms include dizziness, lightheadedness, rapid heartbeat, fatigue, brain fog, nausea, and exercise intolerance.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a group of inherited connective tissue disorders that affect collagen, often causing hypermobile joints, stretchy or fragile skin, and a tendency toward joint pain or injury.

Over the years, Lauren had tried conventional approaches such as an inhaler to improve breathing. But that felt like a short-term fix that didn’t address underlying causes.

Listen to Leigh’s interview on the Rebuilding My Health Radio podcast:

When POTS Medications Didn’t Work

When she finally received a POTS diagnosis, Lauren started medications targeted at the condition.

“Pretty soon after she started it, she noticed other side effects that just did not feel right to her. He [the doctor] tried something else, but it actually made her feel even worse,” Leigh recalls.

When Leigh expressed interest in pursuing lifestyle and natural routes, their cardiologist supported them.

To that end, they found a functional nurse practitioner who encouraged lifestyle changes for POTS and Ehlers-Danlos. She also suggested there could be a connection between frequent ear infections and multiple rounds of antibiotics in shaping Lauren’s immune response and symptoms.

Lifestyle Changes to Manage POTS Symptoms

In POTS, the blood tends to pool in the lower body instead of circulating efficiently back to the heart and brain when a person stands up. Lauren began implementing daily tactics to improve blood flow and regulate her heartbeat:

  • Consistent sleep schedule — She went to bed and got up about the same time each day and would get up slowly to avoid heart rate spikes.
  • Movement — She walked each morning, starting slowly at just two minutes, and also added light stretches. Over time, she extended her morning walks — a habit that helped her get to school.

“It really was a struggle to get out of bed, which it is for many POTS kids,” Leigh says. “I suggested that we just take a short walk in the morning – very, very short, so that it would help her be able to get the blood flowing and pumping. It really just felt good for her, motivated her, and it really did help her get to school.”

  • Nutrition — Lauren had already removed dairy from her diet because of tolerance issues. When testing turned up gluten sensitivity, Lauren cut that out, too. Leigh had also found removing gluten eliminated some of her own longtime gut and pain issues.

They also embraced more whole foods over processed or sugary options.

For POTS, Lauren increased her salt intake and added electrolytes. Salt and electrolytes help by increasing blood volume and improving fluid balance, which can reduce dizziness, lightheadedness, rapid heartbeat, and fatigue.

The lifestyle changes weren’t always easy — especially as a teenager, when staying up late and junk food can be part of their social lives.

Her freshman year of high school, tough mornings made it hard to get to school. Sophomore year, she decided to homeschool in order to focus on her health.

Progress kept her motivated. In addition to fewer POTS symptoms, she noticed better gut health and less brain fog.

“With her gut feeling better and healthier and the microbiome being healthier by doing this, I think that just contributed to everything else,” Leigh says. “All of these things definitely helped her feel better, and it helped her feel empowered.”

One caveat, Leigh stresses, is making sure teens maintain a positive relationship with food despite diet changes.

“We want them to still have a healthy relationship with food, so making it all about eating for energy, eating the rainbow, eating to feel good, and really focusing on that,” she says.

  • Mindset — Leigh credits mindset as well for helping Lauren move past her symptoms. Intentional breathing and biofeedback at her doctor’s office calmed her nervous system.

Lauren also proactively listened to podcasts and began shifting to a more positive mindset.

“She had had heard that the brain — and what we tell it — is kind of what we know,” Leigh says, adding that pain coaching at their local children’s hospital had helped Lauren understand mindset and pain in her foot. “I think she always had that thought that she can change what’s happening in her brain so that it affects her physical health as well.”

  • Essential oils — Lauren used various essential oils to help with digestion, sleep, and emotional and heart rate regulation.

Once Lauren felt better and could join social activities more often, her mood and health seemed to improve even further.

Living With POTS as a Young Adult

With focused effort, Lauren’s symptoms improved. She graduated from high school and enrolled in a college eight hours from home.

When she experienced a setback with symptoms — which the family attributes to mold exposure in her dorm — it influenced her decision to transfer to another university closer to home, one that also felt like a better fit.

“She created the most amazing college life,” Leigh reflects.

Lauren went on to study abroad in Switzerland, travel throughout Europe, and spend a month teaching and helping build a house in Rwanda — experiences she wouldn’t have imagined pursuing just a few years earlier.

Her time abroad became a growth experience for both Lauren and Leigh.

“As excited as I was for her to go abroad and have this experience, it was really hard for me at first because I was so worried about her health after all those years of navigating her health together. This was a good transition for me to experience and ‘let go’ in a way, and allow Lauren to navigate her health on her own — which she did. She got some flares while abroad, but due to all the work we did, she managed it well on her own,” Leigh said.

Today, Lauren is a recent college graduate working as a marketing manager for a hospitality group. She continues to lean on the tools and tactics that support her health.

“She always has that foundational protocol to come back to,” Leigh says. “I’m deeply proud of how Lauren never gave up on herself or her life, and she continues to amaze me with her resilience and strength.”

As for Leigh, her daughter’s health journey proved transformative for her as well. She became certified as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. The former teacher combines her love of education, kids, and integrative health to help teens with nutrition and lifestyle approaches for conditions like POTS.

Her advice for other families contending with POTS or Ehlers-Danlos:

For parents, she encourages staying optimistic that it’s possible for your child to feel better.

“Sometimes it can become a lonely place… but just don’t give up hope,” she says.

She also wants others to be aware of the potential for misdiagnosis. In their case, she believes her daughter was misdiagnosed with asthma, when it was really POTS. However, she knows others diagnosed with anxiety.

“POTS often goes misdiagnosed as anxiety because all those symptoms are very symptomatic of anxiety too,” she says. “Girls or women kind of get pushed off that maybe it’s in your head or it’s anxiety.”

She also stresses the value of lifestyle changes — while not a cure — as essential pieces of managing conditions like POTS and Ehlers-Danlos long term.

“Always having a holistic lifestyle approach is going to be foundational for anyone to be able to take with them throughout life,” Leigh says. “It’s never too early to start these very healthy habits for life.”

Find and follow Leigh:

The Steps That Helped

  • Consistent sleep schedule — Regular bedtime and wake-up, slow rising, and morning routines with hydration and stretches.
  • Movement — Short morning walks that gradually lengthened, plus light stretching.
  • Nutrition — Removing gluten and dairy, emphasizing whole foods, and adding salt and electrolytes.
  • Mindset — Biofeedback, intentional breathing, and positive mental shifts.
  • Essential oils — Tools for digestion, sleep, emotional balance, and calming heart rate.

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