October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month! What are you doing to raise awareness?

This October marks another great annual Dysautonomia Awareness Month. It is always so awesome to see the patient community rally together and do amazing things to help raise funds to support research and help raise awareness in their communities. It's inspiring to see young kids participating alongside their parents, making noise for turquoise! Thankfully, turquoise is one of my favorite colors! I love to wear it and also have plenty of bright turquoise throughout my house. I even painted a pumpkin turquoise for Halloween this year. If you can, get out there and raise some awareness in your community. Tell someone about dysautonomia. Help educate a new medical practitioner who may not know what it is. Find a fundraising idea and donate the funds to research. Or purchase something on Amazon.com through this page and part of every sale automatically gets donated back to dysautonomia research (it doesn't cost you a penny extra, Amazon donates their share of the sale!)

There is lots happening online as well. Check out Facebook.com/DysautonomiaInternational for a daily dysautonomia factoid. I have learned SO many things I didn't know. There's also a live Tweet-A-Thon happening on October 23rd.

October was Dysautonomia Awareness Month! How Did You Celebrate?

It's the last day of Dysautonomia Awareness Month! How did you commemorate the occasion? Many people spread awareness online, through successful social media campaigns like "Thumbs Up for Dysautonomia Awareness" where people proudly sported blue nail polish on their thumbs to show solidarity and support for dysautonomia patients. Many others also took the opportunity to raise awareness in their communities by hosting fundraisers, educating physicians, or friends and family. It's important to realize that raising dysautonomia awareness doesn't end in October. It's a 24/7 pursuit. Individuals around the world are working tirelessly to spread awareness 365 days a year. For more ideas and information on how to keep spreading awareness or to host a fundraiser to benefit new and ongoing research, please visit DysautonomiaInternational.org.

Dysautonomia International's First Annual Patient Conference & Lobby Day Recap!!!

Here is a highlight video of the 2013 Dysautonomia Patient Conference & Lobby Day held in Washington DC earlier this month! It was a tremendous success for dysautonomia patients and physicians alike!

Dysautonomia Awareness Week 2011, Sept. 12-19, Pass it on!!!

Thanks to talented graphic designer Rachael Rodriguez for creating this awesome poster for Dysautonomia Awareness Week!

Remember to Email Dr. Oz About POTS on Thursday, September 1st!!!

Please help us raise awareness about Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome ("POTS"). On September 1, 2011, we want 1000 people to e-mail the Dr. Oz Show about Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and ask them to do an episode about it. We want everyone to send the e-mail on the same day to have a big impact.

On September 1, 2011, please visit Dr. Oz's website and ask them to do a show on POTS: http://www.doctoroz.com/contact

We have included sample e-mails below if you don't want to write your own. Please RSVP to this 'event' to let us know if you will participate in this e-mail campaign. Please invite others to join us. We need as many e-mails as we can get!

SAMPLE LETTER FROM POTS PATIENT:
Dear Dr. Oz,
I am a (age) year old (gender) from (location). I am a fan of your show and I have diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome ("POTS"). It took a really long time to get diagnosed because not many people, even doctors, know about POTS. The experts at Mayo Clinic say there are at least 500,000 people in the U.S. currently diagnosed with POTS, and that there are probably another 500,000 people in the US who have it, but have been misdiagnosed. Your show would help raise awareness about POTS amongst the general public, and even within the medical profession. Please do a segment or a whole show on POTS.
Thank you,
(your name)

SAMPLE LETTER FROM FAMILY/FRIENDS OF POTS PATIENTS:
Dear Dr. Oz,
I am writing to you because I would like you to do an episode on Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). My (friend/sister/spouse, etc.) has been diagnosed with POTS and it has really impacted (his/her) life. Mayo Clinic estimates that there are 500,000 patients in the U.S. currently diagnosed with POTS, and that there are probably another 500,000 patients suffering from POTS who have been misdiagnosed because there is a lack of awareness about POTS amongst the general public and in the medical community. Highlighting POTS on your show could go along way to increasing public awareness of this syndrome. Please do an episode on POTS on one of your upcoming shows.
Thank you,
(your name)