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A few years ago, I was diagnosed with a condition called vasovagal syncope. To describe this condition as simply as I can (since most people have never heard of it), this condition causes episodes where you will pass out if not handled properly. Bascially, your body reacts to some kind of trigger which is unique to each person. Some have specific things such as needles, blood or other visual stimuli, others can be caused by stress, a rapid change in position/elevation, other stimuli, or (what I am "lucky" to have) no actual known trigger, so thus it happens pretty much whenever it wants. I noticed that this site doesn't have anything listed for this particular condition despite it being a surprisingly common condition. So I figured I would submit a few remedies I have found thanks to my doctor.
Sports Drinks
How "natural" this particular remedy is can be debatable, but it certainly helps. From what my doctor tried to explain, the ingredients in sports drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, or other sports drinks (organic products included), particularly high amounts of electrolytes, can help to try and prevent an episode from taking place. His recommendation was to drink at least 1 bottle (or 8 oz glass if you use a mix) a day and it does seem to help hold them off. Of course, it isn't fail-proof as there is no real way to completely prevent episodes from happening, but it will at least lower the chances of one happening.
Laying Down with Feet Elevated
This one isn't preventative, but more of "I'm having an episode and I would like to not pass out" and is the best possible treatment to do so. To understand how this particular remedy works, you need to have a better understanding of what this condition does to your body. After the event has been triggered, your heart slows down and your blood pressure drops. Because of this, blood stops being able to reach the brain. In order to get blood back to the brain, your head needs to be in a position in which blood can flow back to it. So, the only way your body knows how to make this happen is to make you pass out and fall to the ground, making your head level with your heart. As I'm sure you have already figured out, this isn't exactly safe and can lead to further problems (I've gotten a concussion or two from fainting during an episode - it's not fun in the least). In order to stop your body from getting to the point of fainting, the single best thing you can do is lie down and elevate your feet on some cushions, a chair, or anything else you can get to. This will naturally allow the blood to flow back into the brain and keep you conscious. At absolute minimum, this will ensure that if you do happen to black out, you're already on the ground and thus won't fall and hurt yourself.
I hope that both of these remedies may help someone else who suffers from vasovagal syncope to find some relief and potentially make episodes much less frequent and much safer.
