

The POTScast
Standing Up to POTS, Inc.
Learn about Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and more by joining us each week for a new episode. If you are living with POTS, MCAS or other chronic illnesses, you are not alone! Our goal is to raise awareness, nurture community, and empower patients with information and practical skills for living better with this chronic invisible illness.
Each month, we feature episodes with top POTS physicians as well as POTS patients. Because many POTS patients are eventually diagnosed with MCAS, the first Tuesday of every month we feature a new series called Mast Cell Matters, in which top MCAS practitioners share their experiences in better treating patients. You can learn more by listening to our groundbreaking POTScast anywhere, anytime. Visit our website at www.standinguptopots.org and follow our social media accounts @standinguptopots.
Each month, we feature episodes with top POTS physicians as well as POTS patients. Because many POTS patients are eventually diagnosed with MCAS, the first Tuesday of every month we feature a new series called Mast Cell Matters, in which top MCAS practitioners share their experiences in better treating patients. You can learn more by listening to our groundbreaking POTScast anywhere, anytime. Visit our website at www.standinguptopots.org and follow our social media accounts @standinguptopots.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 22, 2025 • 38min
POTS Diaries with Megan - finding the right doctor made all the difference
Megan is a literacy advocate in Georgia and is very passionate about her work. When POTS and comorbid conditions struck, she had difficulty making it through the work day, and didn't get any relief or answers from the first 20 doctors she saw. Luckily she persisted and eventually found the one that made ALL the difference.
If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production costs https://www.standinguptopots.org/donate
Tell us what you think of The POTScast or send us your idea at info@standinguptopots.org!
Find out more about Standing Up to POTS! Check us out on our Website: www.standinguptopots.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standinguptopots/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standinguptopots/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/POTSActivist Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheStandingUpToPOTS/
Medical Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended to serve as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have health related issues, please contact a qualified health professional to get the personalized assessment, advice, and treatment that you need. Standing Up to POTS will not be liable for any direct, indirect, or other damages arising from the use of this podcast.

Apr 15, 2025 • 50min
MCAS in developmental & behavioral pediatrics with Donna Kirchoff, MD, FAAP: Mast Cell Matters with Dr. Tania Dempsey
Dr. Donna Kirchoff is an integrative developmental and behavioral pediatrician who works with children who have complex conditions, often involving MCAS, autism and other neuroinflammatory conditions like PANS and PANDAS. In this episode she and Dr. Dempsey discuss the role of mast cells in these conditions and what can be done to help these young patients.
Dr. Kirchoff's website is here.
Dr. Dempsey's website is here.
If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production costs https://www.standinguptopots.org/donate
Tell us what you think of The POTScast or send us your idea at info@standinguptopots.org!
Find out more about Standing Up to POTS! Check us out on our Website: www.standinguptopots.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standinguptopots/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standinguptopots/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/POTSActivist Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheStandingUpToPOTS/
Medical Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended to serve as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have health related issues, please contact a qualified health professional to get the personalized assessment, advice, and treatment that you need. Standing Up to POTS will not be liable for any direct, indirect, or other damages arising from the use of this podcast.

Apr 7, 2025 • 37min
Karen from rural Canada, both patient and healthcare practitioner
Karen is a healthcare professional in rural Canadian who had onset of confusing and scary symptoms six days after her third COVID shot. It took a year to figure out symptoms like "feeling drugged when upright, yet feeling able to solve world problems when lying down." Karen shares how she found answers and the ability to be back at work, now able to recognize POTS in her patients.
If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production costs https://www.standinguptopots.org/donate
Tell us what you think of The POTScast or send us your idea at info@standinguptopots.org!
Find out more about Standing Up to POTS! Check us out on our Website: www.standinguptopots.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standinguptopots/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standinguptopots/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/POTSActivist Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheStandingUpToPOTS/
Medical Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended to serve as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have health related issues, please contact a qualified health professional to get the personalized assessment, advice, and treatment that you need. Standing Up to POTS will not be liable for any direct, indirect, or other damages arising from the use of this podcast.

Mar 30, 2025 • 48min
Cerebral Blood Flow Findings with Marie-Claire Seeley, RN, PhD
POTS patients with cognitive dysfunction had SPECT imaging done to measure the blood flow to their brains and lead author, Marie-Claire Seeley, RN, PhD, discusses the dramatic findings. You can read the published article here and learn more about the Australian POTS Foundation here.
If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production costs https://www.standinguptopots.org/donate
Tell us what you think of The POTScast or send us your idea at info@standinguptopots.org!
Find out more about Standing Up to POTS! Check us out on our Website: www.standinguptopots.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standinguptopots/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standinguptopots/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/POTSActivist Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheStandingUpToPOTS/

Mar 25, 2025 • 36min
Four nutrition findings with Jill Brook, MA
Jill shares four nutrition findings from general nutrition (not done on POTS patients) that might still be of interest to POTS patients, as they have been shown to affect cognitive function, mood, pain and exercise tolerance. As always, this is not medical or dietary advice. Check with your own medical team about what is right for you.
If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production costs https://www.standinguptopots.org/donate
Tell us what you think of The POTScast or send us your idea at info@standinguptopots.org!
Find out more about Standing Up to POTS! Check us out on our Website: www.standinguptopots.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standinguptopots/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standinguptopots/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/POTSActivist Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheStandingUpToPOTS/
Medical Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended to serve as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have health related issues, please contact a qualified health professional to get the personalized assessment, advice, and treatment that you need. Standing Up to POTS will not be liable for any direct, indirect, or other damages arising from the use of this podcast.

Mar 15, 2025 • 40min
Lily’s transition to career and adulting
Lily was our first POTS Diaries guest (Episode #2) as a college student with severe POTS. She's back to discuss how she navigated planning a POTS-friendly career, the job hunt, cross-country move, 2 hurricanes, and maintaining her relationship with her partner -- all while managing fairly severe POTS and related conditions. Lily's smart strategies, insights and sense of humor make this episode extra valuable and fun.
If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production costs https://www.standinguptopots.org/donate
Tell us what you think of The POTScast or send us your idea at info@standinguptopots.org!
Find out more about Standing Up to POTS! Check us out on our Website: www.standinguptopots.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standinguptopots/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standinguptopots/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/POTSActivist Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheStandingUpToPOTS/
Medical Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended to serve as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have health related issues, please contact a qualified health professional to get the personalized assessment, advice, and treatment that you need. Standing Up to POTS will not be liable for any direct, indirect, or other damages arising from the use of this podcast.

Mar 11, 2025 • 55min
Ayurvedic approach with Gillian Ehrlich, DNP, ARNP: Mast Cell Matters with Dr. Tania Dempsey
Gillian Ehrlich's NeuroVeda Clinic in Seattle treats complex patients with a wide variety of treatments including peptides, Ayurvedic medicine, diet and nutrition, imaging, mind-shifting therapeutics, plasmapheresis, and more. In this episode, Dr. Tania Dempsey interviews Gillian about her Ayurvedic approach and also her experiences with plasmapheresis. More information about Gillian and her clinic is available here.
Dr. Dempsey's website can be found here.
If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production costs https://www.standinguptopots.org/donate
Tell us what you think of The POTScast or send us your idea at info@standinguptopots.org!
Find out more about Standing Up to POTS! Check us out on our Website: www.standinguptopots.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standinguptopots/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standinguptopots/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/POTSActivist Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheStandingUpToPOTS/
Medical Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended to serve as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have health related issues, please contact a qualified health professional to get the personalized assessment, advice, and treatment that you need. Standing Up to POTS will not be liable for any direct, indirect, or other damages arising from the use of this podcast.

Mar 4, 2025 • 36min
Drug excipients and label inconsistencies with Data Scientist Mike Brook
Patients with sensitivities to medications or their inactive ingredients ('excipients') often use NIH's DailyMed website to look up excipients or alternative drug formulations that might work better for them. This is important as 38 "inactive" ingredients have been reported to cause allergic reactions at the doses found in medications. Data Scientist Mike Brook explains the research project that found excipient list inconsistencies in ~40% of DailyMed drug product labels, and what sensitive patients can do about it.
The articles discussed are here and here.
If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production costs https://www.standinguptopots.org/donate
Tell us what you think of The POTScast or send us your idea at info@standinguptopots.org!
Find out more about Standing Up to POTS! Check us out on our Website: www.standinguptopots.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standinguptopots/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standinguptopots/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/POTSActivist Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheStandingUpToPOTS/
Medical Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended to serve as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have health related issues, please contact a qualified health professional to get the personalized assessment, advice, and treatment that you need. Standing Up to POTS will not be liable for any direct, indirect, or other damages arising from the use of this podcast.

Feb 25, 2025 • 56min
Mechanisms and treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms with Tena McLarty PMHNP-C, FNP-C
POTS and related conditions are not psychiatric conditions, but can have neuropsychiatric symptoms. Nurse Practitioner Tena McLarty PMHNP-C, FNP-C specializes in POTS and comorbid conditions, with a particular interest in neuropsychiatric symptoms both from the conditions themselves and as possible side effects from drugs commonly used in these conditions. In this episode she shares the research findings - plus her personal experiences - relating to common symptoms, underlying mechanisms, potential psychiatric side effects of common drugs used for POTS, her advice for patients, and much more.
You can follow Tena here on Instagram.
You can see her professional profile here.
You can find her website here.
If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production costs https://www.standinguptopots.org/donate
Tell us what you think of The POTScast or send us your idea at info@standinguptopots.org!
Find out more about Standing Up to POTS! Check us out on our Website: www.standinguptopots.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standinguptopots/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standinguptopots/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/POTSActivist Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheStandingUpToPOTS/
Medical Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended to serve as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have health related issues, please contact a qualified health professional to get the personalized assessment, advice, and treatment that you need. Standing Up to POTS will not be liable for any direct, indirect, or other damages arising from the use of this podcast.

Feb 17, 2025 • 33min
Erica on her surgeries, search, stent, and solution that finally worked…DNRS
Erica was busy, active and career-focused when her health challenges began. She survived a thrice-collapsed lung, two lung surgeries (one with complications) and COVID, but was left with debilitating POTS with blood pressure spikes and chest pain. She spent thousands of dollars consulting concierge doctors, long COVID clinics, and even having a stent placed, but the thing that made the biggest difference for her POTS was neural retraining to calm her nervous system. In this episode Erica explains DNRS and how she credits it with helping her get most of her life back.
If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production costs https://www.standinguptopots.org/donate
Tell us what you think of The POTScast or send us your idea at info@standinguptopots.org!
Find out more about Standing Up to POTS! Check us out on our Website: www.standinguptopots.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standinguptopots/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standinguptopots/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/POTSActivist Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheStandingUpToPOTS/
Medical Disclaimer: The information provided here is not intended to serve as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have health related issues, please contact a qualified health professional to get the personalized assessment, advice, and treatment that you need. Standing Up to POTS will not be liable for any direct, indirect, or other damages arising from the use of this podcast.


