Andrey Vladimirovich Kurpatov - Remedy for vegetative-vascular dystonia

Where does this disease come from?

The diagnosis of VSD is made by doctors very often:

In childhood - from 12 to 25%.
In adults - up to 70%.

Experts associate such high rates with the avalanche-like growth of psycho-emotional stress experienced by members of modern society, both during study, at work, and in the family circle. And the predisposing factors are:

A burdened hereditary history, which leads to the manifestation of VSD in young children.
Pathologies affecting the central and peripheral nervous system (brain stem, limbic system, hypothalamus).
A number of chronic diseases of organs included in the endocrine, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems.
Chronic stress, overstrain and overwork, both physical and emotional.

In most cases, vascular dystonia has the appearance of a somatomorphic disorder. This is a neurosis that manifests itself mainly or exclusively as a disruption of the functioning of one or more internal organs, imitating the symptoms of various chronic diseases.

The pathogenesis of somatomorphic disorder occurs in several stages:

A powerful experience, stress, combined in time with severe overstrain or even exhaustion of the patient’s psyche.
“Repression” by the psyche of a traumatic situation that it can no longer cope with.
The development against this background of a number of neurotic manifestations, from which various internal organs suffer.

Favorable factors for a somatomorphic disorder to affect a person are:

The original imperfect autonomic regulator.
A complex of surrounding cultural and social factors.
Features of the psychological structure (for example, the presence of alexithymia - the inability to verbally express one’s own internal experiences).

Factors that aggravate the situation include hysteria, depression, anxiety, emotional instability, tobacco smoking, excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, and hypochondria.

Symptoms of VSD

The complex of manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia can spread to almost any organs and systems of the human body, both together and separately. The most common syndromes encountered in medical practice are:

Cystalgia.
Cardiovascular.
Hyperventilation.
Sexual disorders.
Irritable bowel.
Thermoregulation disorders.
Increased sweating.

And now about each of them in more detail

Cardiovascular syndrome

Manifested by lesions of the cardiovascular system. The patient experiences various types of arrhythmias:

Extrasystole.
Bradycardia.
Tachycardia.

Blood pressure indicators may constantly change, vascular tone is also unstable, which is manifested by “hot flashes”, pallor, even “marbling” of the skin, as well as a feeling of chilliness in the hands and feet. Unpleasant sensations in the heart area manifest themselves:

Discomfort behind the sternum.
Stitching, aching or throbbing pain.

Pain during VSD is distinguished from angina by the lack of connection with physical activity, as well as the lack of effect from nitroglycerin.

Hyperventilation syndrome

The main manifestations of this syndrome:

Tachypnea.
Feeling of lack of air.
Feeling of difficulty in breathing or incompleteness.

All this leads to the loss of a large amount of carbon dioxide from the blood, with its further alkalization, which has a depressing effect on the respiratory center. The result is muscle spasms, sensitivity disorders in the feet, hands, area around the mouth, and dizziness.

Irritable bowel syndrome

Its manifestations:

Pain in the lower abdomen, aching and spastic in nature.
Flatulence.
Stool disorders.
Increased urge to defecate.
Appetite disorder.
Nausea to the point of vomiting.
Dysphagia (swallowing disorder).
Discomfort and pain in the epigastrium.

At the same time, there are no organic changes in the gastrointestinal tract.

Increased sweating

It manifests itself as excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), which is most often observed on the soles and palms.

Cystalgic syndrome

The patient urinates more frequently and is accompanied by painful sensations. In this case, there are no diseases of the genitourinary system and no changes in the composition of urine are detected.

Sexual disorders

Manifestations of the syndrome include problems with erection and ejaculation in the male part of patients, and, as for women, in them VSD leads to vaginismus coupled with anargasmia. But sexual desire may remain or decrease.

Violation of thermoregulation

Children most often suffer from this syndrome. It manifests itself with chills and low-grade fever. Patients tolerate hyperthermia quite easily; the temperature is higher at the beginning of the day. Sometimes thermometry of the left and right armpits shows different results.

Andrey Vladimirovich Kurpatov Remedy for vegetative-vascular dystonia

You can get rid of vegetative-vascular dystonia completely and forever. Palpitations, pain in the heart area, fluctuations in blood pressure, a feeling of shortness of breath, weakness and other symptoms of VSD can be dealt with using the internal resources of our body. You just need to know how to regain your lost health and peace of mind. Author's Preface After I wrote “Happy by My Own Desire,” a whole series of books, “Pocket Psychotherapist,” somehow appeared by itself. In them I tried to talk about those things that, in my opinion, it would be nice for every educated person to know. Now my readers, who realize that the quality of their life depends not so much on external factors, but on how they feel, have specific questions. Some were interested in the question of how to cope with sleep disorders, others discovered depression in themselves and wanted to get rid of it, others were bothered by some specific fears (for example, fear of flying on airplanes, speaking in front of a large audience, etc.), and others wanted improve their health, fifths don’t know how to overcome fatigue and overwork, sixths... In short, questions started pouring in, and I have no choice but to talk about ways to solve these problems. So these books appeared, these “express consultations” on various problems that we all face from time to time. To complete this preface, I would like to thank all my patients who took part in the creation of this book, as well as the staff of the Neurosis Clinic named after. Academician I.P. Pavlova, where I have the pleasure of working. Sincerely yours, Andrey Kurpatov Introduction All people can be divided into two groups - some (these are the lucky ones) do not even know about the existence of vegetative-vascular dystonia [Vegetative-vascular dystonia is often abbreviated to the abbreviation - VSD; however, when doctors talk about neurocirculatory dystonia, it’s still the same vegetative-vascular dystonia, although here the abbreviation sounds so different - NCD.], others, on the contrary, know about it from their own experience, and you won’t find happiness here in the daytime. The experience of a person suffering from vegetative-vascular dystonia, admittedly, is dramatic, and you wouldn’t wish it even on your enemy. It is made up of several components, each more beautiful than the other! On the one hand, every person diagnosed with vegetative-vascular dystonia is a person suffering from a whole set of very diverse symptoms. How does this terrible “infection” manifest itself? Everything is very simple: fluctuations in blood pressure, heartbeat, pain in the heart area (stabbing, aching, and God knows what else), interruptions in its work, difficulty breathing, dizziness, weakness, sweating, sleep disturbances, all together and separately . Of course, nothing pleasant. On the other hand, our long-suffering medicine. Although every fifth visitor to a district clinic is diagnosed with vegetative-vascular dystonia, it seems that nothing is known about the nature of this disease. At least the doctors don’t tell us anything definite. At some point, you generally get the impression that you have become a victim of some kind of monstrous conspiracy! Just in time... Doctors tell us the results of their “diagnostic search” with some monstrous uncertainty. But what to do with them - with these results? What do the detected “deviations” indicate? What do they even mean?! That's it, should we die already?.. Or should we wait a little longer?.. A feature of vegetative-vascular dystonia is considered by doctors to be one very remarkable circumstance: a person suffering from VSD really suffers, he really feels bad, attacks can be painful, the symptoms are very diverse, but with everything good doctors “find nothing”! “There is no organic nature,” they say. “All organs are normal.” Maybe, however, they will find something “insignificant” and shrug their shoulders: “You have vegetative-vascular dystonia, don’t worry, go with God.” Good deal, “don’t worry”! The heart is jumping out of the chest, the pressure is jumping, you can’t inhale or exhale, your legs don’t obey, it’s as if lead has been poured into your body, you can’t find a place for yourself, but they say: “Don’t worry”! Here, in fact, is the third component of the personal experience of the “VSD-schnik” - our state of mind. For someone suffering from vegetative-vascular dystonia, it is worse than the worst. He constantly experiences internal tension, concerned about his health, all the listed symptoms, all this uncertainty - the vagueness of medical formulations, the lack of effect from the treatment and, finally, the diagnosis itself - “vegetative-vascular dystonia”, which sounds truly threatening. Constantly expecting some kind of catastrophe - a heart attack or stroke, or simply endlessly suffering from a dozen or more symptoms - is an unpleasant thing, to put it mildly. You can go crazy! This is such a “personal experience”, it’s just some kind of torment! Generally speaking, it turns out to be a stupid picture. The person himself suffers from a huge number of different symptoms, unpleasant sensations; in episodes it may seem to him that he is somewhere on the border between life and death. But with all this, doctors who advise and treat a person with vegetative-vascular dystonia do not show any serious concern. Moreover, they constantly reassure him, offer some kind of therapeutic agents, which have no effect (or almost none, or if there is, then not for long). It turns out to be a vicious circle: I feel bad - I ask for help, express my concern - they listen to me, nod, pronounce mysterious words (untranslatable medical folklore), prescribe some kind of treatment - I take the pills and procedures prescribed to me - I don’t get better, or even as a result of this treatment I feel downright bad - I again ask for help, express my concern - they listen to me again, nod again, after which they say that, “everything is fine”, “that’s how it should be”, “don’t worry about what”, “you need to stop worrying and get used to it”! All this makes me even more anxious, even worse! Well, it’s clear that the symptoms don’t go away, therefore, the treatment doesn’t help, I was probably completely misdiagnosed or missed something, didn’t find it, didn’t notice it... What if it’s serious?! Unless, of course, I have some kind of terrible disease that doctors usually miss! After all, there have been so many cases when doctors did not notice a serious illness in a young man, relying on his youth, and he, on you, died in the prime of his life! And they constantly told him that he “invented all this for himself”, that his health was “like that of an astronaut”! In other words, there is news - our pretender died today. So, maybe it’s the same with me, maybe I’m the same now... Yes, the life of a person suffering from vegetative-vascular dystonia is simply a disaster: hard, painful, constantly under fear and in the unknown, and most importantly - there is no way out No! Symptoms that once appeared are constantly changing, some are added, some, on the contrary, go away, it becomes better, then worse, but why and why is not clear. There are additional diseases - osteochondrosis, arthritis, headaches, gastrointestinal disorders, allergic rhinitis, chronic tonsillitis, women's diseases and male sexual weakness. Doctors get down to business recklessly and at the same time do not finish anything. Relatives at first show concern, but then they wave their hands at you, or even start blaming: “You’re making it all up for yourself! You have nothing!” Things don’t go well because my health doesn’t allow it, I have to limit myself in many ways, and there’s no one to rely on. In short, a feeling of some kind of alienation gradually arises, it begins to seem that you are alone with your illness, and no one, no one in the whole world wants to understand or support you. And there is no end to your troubles, the disease cannot be cured, the symptoms do not go away, but your mental state is completely deteriorating and it seems that it is irreversible. Your only friends are calming mixtures, Corvalol with Valocardine, Validol, which is always at hand, or phenazepam, which is always in your pocket. Sometimes alcohol helps, and sometimes it is alcohol that makes everything worse. It happens, however, that nothing helps at all - live as you know, great success to you! Forgiving others for their mistakes is very easy; it takes much more gumption and character to forgive them for witnessing your own mistakes. Jessamine West This is the sad picture that appears to us when we look at ourselves and at the corresponding entry in our medical record: “DS.: vegetative-vascular dystonia.” And suddenly some kind doctor says: “Shouldn’t you go see a psychiatrist?” From surprise, your sick heart skips a beat and you think: “But I just needed a psychiatrist! Don't know how to get rid of me?! You don’t understand anything, should I go see a psychiatrist?! Aren’t you going to sneak around yourself?!” Reasonable... but wrong. And the fact that they were sent to a psychiatrist is wrong, and such a reaction is also wrong. In fact, vegetative-vascular dystonia is treated not by therapists, on whom patients with this disease usually rely, and not by psychiatrists, who deal with more complex and difficult matters, but by psychotherapists, and yes, psychotherapists. Why? Actually, this is the question we must answer now. And also, since there is a shortage of psychotherapists in Russia, it would be a good idea to find out what this treatment consists of from a psychotherapist, whether it is possible to carry it out on your own, and if so, how. Looking ahead, I’ll say that – “yes, it’s possible”, and “how” – we will discuss in detail. The main thing is not to lose patience, try to figure out everything we are going to talk about, and victory will be ours. In the end, our cause is just, because we need to live, and with VSD there is no life, so we will win. I declare this officially... Chapter 1. Autonomic nervous system

Before we move on to talking about vegetative-vascular dystonia, we should understand what these words mean - “vegetatives”, “vascular”, “dystonia”. 1

Diagnosis of vegetative-vascular dystonia and its treatment

The most important stage of the examination is the differential diagnosis between VSD and various organic pathologies of the relevant organs or their systems. It is carried out by specialized specialists. The next stage of the examination is performed by a psychoneurologist, whose task is to psychologically study the patient in order to find the causes of the development of autonomic disorders.

The main thing in these conversations is complete trust between the patient and the doctor, a comprehensive story about any unpleasant situations that could become an impetus for the development of pathology, the consequences of which must be gotten rid of.

Patients suffering from vegetative-vascular dystonia go to doctors for a number of years and receive a vague diagnosis of VSD along with assurances that everything is fine. For some, the psyche cannot stand it; they begin to doubt the sobriety of their own mind. Therefore, it is so important to have constant support for a patient with VSD from a neurologist who knows how to get rid of this painful disease, as well as self-education, thanks to which a person will better recognize the pathology that he has encountered and will treat it without unnecessary fear.

Chapter One Autonomic Nervous System

Before we move on to talking about vegetative-vascular dystonia, we should understand what these words mean - “vegetatives”, “vascular”, “dystonia”. Well, with vessels, it seems that everything is clear, but with vegetation, complete uncertainty really reigns in the minds of our fellow citizens. For example, we are used to thinking that stress is primarily adrenaline. Fine. How does this adrenaline understand that it needs to be released into the blood? Is someone whispering this in his ear?.. Hardly. In fact, the work of all our internal organs is ensured by the autonomic nervous system, and the release of adrenaline is only one of the elements of its much broader and multifaceted work.

Information weapons in the fight against VSD

Several years ago, a book appeared in the public domain, the author of which, Andrei Kurpatov, is a doctor who has been treating autonomic dysfunction for many years. He decided to present his invaluable experience on the pages of a small book. Its target audience is very wide: people who have been exhausted by long-term and unsuccessful treatment for VSD, patients who first discovered the symptoms of this disease and have just begun an endless visit to specialists in search of the cause of their illness, even those people who managed to achieve stable remission. After all, most of those who read this work by Dr. Kurpatov, for the first time in their lives, learn that you can get rid of VSD once and for all.

It contains information about the way to regain lost health and peace of mind, about means that can activate the hitherto hidden resources of the human body that can overcome most of the symptoms of VSD.

What is VSD from the point of view of Dr. Kurpatov

Vegetative neurosis, neurocirculatory dystonia and vegetative-vascular dystonia are diagnosed quite often. All these names are united by one thing - the incomprehensibility of the wording and the fear of the impossibility of being cured of this disease forever.

The book that Kurpatov wrote, “The Remedy for VSD,” will help everyone quickly and easily understand the variety of manifestations of the disease:

Changes in blood pressure.
Dizziness when riding in public transport.
Sweating when in a stressful situation.
The emergence of fear for no apparent reason.

The author slowly and methodically convinces readers that the main cause of all troubles lies in their own thoughts, in the self-programming of their own organisms for negativity.

Vegetative-vascular dystonia is most often based on three pillars:

Fear.
Stress.
Chronic lack of sleep.

The pathology occurs in the same way for everyone - there is an accumulation of negative factors, gradually leading to problems with well-being:

Changes in blood pressure.
Gradually increasing weakness.
Fatigue in response to even minor physical or mental activity.

The result of this is walking from one doctor's office to another in search of a solution to the problem. Standard examination schemes by therapists, and then by cardiologists and endocrinologists, do not reveal any deviations from the norm. Eventually, patients are diagnosed with VSD and referred to psychologists or psychiatrists. And the next stage begins - training or antidepressants, which bring relief only during the course of treatment, and after its completion all the sensations return again.

From the author

When the publishing house decided to release my books, giving them new – “understandable” – titles, they asked me a remarkable question of its kind: “What is this humanly called - vegetative...” - and then they hesitated, recalling the complex title of the book “A Remedy for Vegetovascular Disease.” dystonia."
Indeed, if doctors have not given a person such a diagnosis, it is difficult for him to understand what kind of beast this is - dystonia, and even vegetative-vascular. In addition, recently doctors have become smarter and, looking at the same symptoms, make different diagnoses - “panic attacks”, “vegetative syndrome”, “cardiac neurosis”, “angioneurosis”, “respiratory neurosis” and so on .

In fact, in all these cases we are talking about “somatoform disorder”. But this international term, denoting “vegetative-vascular dystonia” (and other listed diagnoses), has not yet taken root in Russia and is unlikely to take root soon - it is painfully tricky. Even though this diagnosis is the “underlying disease” of every fifth person seeking medical help! Just imagine - every fifth!

In general, you are holding in your hands a book that was once “A remedy for vegetative-vascular dystonia”, and now has become “4 terrible secrets of a panic attack and cardiac neurosis”. I hope this title is really more understandable, and many who vitally need such a benefit will find it at bookstores and will be able to get information about what is happening to them, and most importantly, they will understand what to do with it.

Probably the most common question I get asked is: “Is vegetative-vascular dystonia (panic attacks, cardiac neurosis) curable?” And I never tire of answering – 100%! And now you can see for yourself!

Yours sincerely,

Andrey Kurpatov