We talk so much about preventing COVID-19 or how to tell if you have it. But what happens once you recover if you do get it? How does your life and body change after this unprecedented illness?
Well for some, those post COVID conditions include Dysautonomia. Now, what is THAT?!
Lauren Stiles founded Dysautonomia International in 2012, after her own battle with the condition. She sustained a severe head injury at the age of 31, which left her bedridden for two years with no clear diagnosis and no effective treatment. She was eventually diagnosed with an autonomic nervous system disorder.
She joins Dr. Pam to tell us more about what these disorders are, a similar condition called POTS, and raising awareness for these relatively unknown conditions.
Featuring:
Lauren Stiles
Lauren Elizabeth Stiles holds a BA in Earth & Space Science, with a Minor in Marine Science, from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. After graduating with honors from Pace University School of Law, she joined a private practice firm, where she focused on environmental law and land use planning. Lauren served in leadership positions on several government councils, non-profit boards, and professional associations.
She sustained a severe head injury at the age of 31, which left her bedridden for two years with no clear diagnosis and no effective treatment. She was eventually diagnosed with an autonomic nervous system disorder. Hoping to reduce diagnostic delays, improve access to care, and deliver more effective treatments to over 70 million people around the world living with autonomic disorders, Lauren founded Dysautonomia International in 2012.
She has been an outspoken advocate for individuals living with autonomic disorders ever since, lecturing at the National Institutes of Health, Congressional Briefings, Harvard Medical School, Duke University, and other medical schools around the country. Her advocacy work has been featured by CNN, Fox News, Newsday, and other media outlets. After publishing research with leading experts in the field for several years, in 2018 Lauren was invited to join the faculty at Stony Brook University School of Medicine as a Research Assistant Professor of Neurology, where she focuses on autonomic disorders research. She is particularly interested in the interaction between the immune system and the autonomic nervous system, and the role of immune dysfunction in co-morbidities frequently observed in postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. When she isn’t leading the fight against autonomic disorders, she’s spending time with her husband and six amusing chickens on eastern Long Island.
Instagram
