A chiropractic neurologist has shined a light on a surprising symptom of anxiety and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), including how to manage it.
Tommy Pang, a chiropractor specializing in functional neurology, has more than 200,000 followers on TikTok, where he shares brain exercises to regulate the nervous system.
The content creator, who is known as ‘Dr. TPang,’ went viral after opening up about ‘air hunger,’ a feeling of not being able to breathe in sufficient air.
‘Air hunger is one of the worst anxiety and POTS symptoms,’ he explained in the video’s on-screen text.
Chiropractic neurologist Tommy Pang went viral on TikTok after shining a light on ‘air hunger,’ a feeling of not being able to breathe in sufficient air
POTS is a condition that causes the heart to beat faster than normal when a person transitions from sitting or lying down to standing up, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Other symptoms include shortness of breath, dizziness, heart palpitations, fatigue, and fainting.
‘You try to breathe, but your breath doesn’t feel like it’s enough,’ Pang said of what it feels like to experience air hunger.
‘You force a yawn but still can’t get the air to fill your lungs. It’s like there’s no oxygen in the air or like your lungs are too weak.’
Pang’s six-second clip has been viewed 18.2 million times and has received more than 7,700 comments.
Many people shared that they suffer from air hunger but didn’t know there was a term to describe the sensation.
‘WAIT I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE???’ one person asked.
‘I’ve been trying to explain this feeling for so long,’ someone else responded. ‘Thank you for this.’
Pang’s six-second clip has been viewed 18.2 million times and has received more than 7,700 comments. Many people shared that they suffer from air hunger but didn’t know there was a term to describe the sensation
‘This happens to me a lot,’ another added. ‘It makes me start to panic when I can’t get my lungs to feel satisfied.’
In a follow-up video, Pang demonstrated a brain exercise that helps stabilize the nervous system and alleviate air hunger.
He began by sitting down and focusing on a circle on the wall, but he noted that you can look at any object as long as it’s at your eye level.
Pang then slowly turned his head from left to right before standing up, keeping his focus on the circle at all times.
‘You will notice your heart rate stabilize and feel more [at] ease,’ he wrote in the on-screen text.
Pang later demonstrated a brain exercise to alleviate air hunger. He began by sitting down and focusing on a circle on the wall. He slowly turned his head from left to right before standing up
‘Repeat the process. Keep your focus on the circle at all times. This exercises the brainstem, which controls your heart rate and breathing.’
The chiropractic neurologist recommended doing this two times a day, but he warned you should ‘never overdo it’ and ‘stop if you feel dizzy.’
‘Need to try this. I just get so heavy and it feels like I’m carrying 500 pounds,’ one viewer commented.
‘Thank you, I will have to try this. Always thought I was just weird,’ someone else admitted.
‘Honestly thank you for talking about POTS so much on your platform and raising awareness,’ another added. ‘It honestly makes me happy to see doctors taking it more.’
