I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Dr. Peem Lorvidhaya shares the expertise and knowledge of how POTS and dysautonomia impact patients in the book “Upright.”
The Synopsis
Your tests are normal. You are not imagining this.
Millions of people are told their racing heart, dizziness, brain fog, and bone-deep fatigue are “just anxiety.” They are not. They have dysautonomia, a disorder of the body’s automatic controls, and it can be understood, explained, and managed.
In Upright, cardiac electrophysiologist Dr. Peem Lorvidhaya hands you the exact framework he uses in clinic. No vague reassurance, no dismissive shrug. Just a clear explanation of what is happening inside your body and a practical plan to get your life back.
Inside, you’ll learn:
- What POTS, vasovagal syncope, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, and orthostatic hypotension actually are, and why they happen
- The small, practical levers that restore function: salt, fluids, compression, conditioning, and carefully matched medication
- How to recognize the conditions that often travel with dysautonomia, including hypermobility and hEDS, MCAS, and long COVID
- How to pace, recondition, and avoid the push-crash cycle
- How to navigate work, school, pregnancy, and finding a doctor who actually listens
Mechanism-first, deeply practical, and genuinely human, Upright turns “everything looks fine” into a plan you can actually follow.
For patients, caregivers, and the clinicians who care for them.
THE REVIEW
This was a thoughtful, compelling nonfiction read. The book does an excellent job exploring the medical profession, as well as the specifics of POTS and dysautonomia. The detailed analysis of the conditions associated with these two prevailing conditions, along with a simple breakdown of what these illnesses can be related to and what people should expect when dealing with them, was insightful and well done.
The other half of this book that really stands out is how the author strengthens a patient’s understanding of their body and the conditions they face. Far too often in the medical field, people’s conditions are written off as something simple, like anxiety, or a prevailing condition that already existed, often leading to misdiagnosis and a person’s health getting worse. The authors’ work in this book not only provides much-needed education on this topic, but also gives individual patients the reassurance and confidence to speak up on their own behalf and acknowledge that these conditions do exist.
THE VERDICT
Insightful, educational, and thoughtful, author Peem Lorvidhaya’s “Upright” is a must-read non-fiction medical book and guide. The knowledge and the empowerment that the author’s work provides, and the amount of detail put into terms every day readers will be able to understand while also giving those same readers the confidence and the reassurance that the struggles they are facing in their health journey are not being written off by everyone and help them to find ways of combining the conditions themselves and defining some much-needed relief in their daily lives. If you haven’t yet, please be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Peem Lorvidhaya, M.D., FACC, FHRS, is a board-certified cardiac electrophysiologist who cares for patients with dysautonomia and heart rhythm disorders. He wrote Upright: A Cardiologist’s Guide to Living with POTS and Other Dysautonomias to give patients, and the clinicians who treat them, the same plain-language framework he uses in the exam room: what is happening in the body, why it happens, and the practical levers that restore function. His approach is mechanism-first and deeply practical, grounded in the conviction that people manage their condition far better once they truly understand it. Too many people with POTS, vasovagal syncope, and related conditions are told their very real symptoms are “just anxiety”; Upright replaces that dismissal with a clear explanation and a usable plan. He continues to review new dysautonomia research so the book keeps pace with the science.
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