Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Support Group
Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is an abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia) which involves the two small, upper heart chambers (the atria). Heart beats in a normal heart begin after electricity generated in the atria by the sinoatrial node spread through the heart and cause contraction of the heart muscle and pumping of blood.
I've done a lot of reading about afib, and here is what I've gathered. I'll save the good for last. Please feel free to add to my list with your own research, or dispute any points. I'm summarizing what I read.. This is not opinion but from studies. I can provide links, but it's difficult to do it right now as I'm on a ipad..
The Bad and Ugly
Afib doesn't just cause strokes, it doubles your chance of heart attack
If you're black or female, the chances of having a heart attack if you have afib are even greater. I was shocked at this, because I thought that other than stroke, afib was fairly benign. It's not. It's important to know this so you can start taking steps to prevent a heart attack. For years, women were told to take calcium supplements.. Now there is research which says it may not be good for your heart.
"Successful" ablation usually takes two or more tries, and generally only lasts for five years. Your mileage may vary.
Anti coagulation can be important to prevent strokes, but it's not without it's own risks such as brain bleeds. You need to weigh the pluses and minuses with your doctor. If you have a high chad score, then yes, it's very important.
Moderate exercise is good for your heart, but some endurance sports such as rowing, marathon running, and basketball seem to develop afib in some athletes.
Now the good:
If you're overweight, recent studies show that losing just 10-percent of your body weight can significantly lessen your afib attacks. If you are obese and get down to normal weight and stay there, afib disappears in the majority of patients. If you're already of normal weight and have afib.. Sorry, this study doesn't apply to you. Afib also affects slim, in shape people.
400 milligrams of chelated magnesium a day can not only lessen or prevent pacs and PVCs, but also can cut down on your afib attacks. Start slowly.. because it can give you the runs. start with 100mg and work up gradually. Eating nuts, particularly almonds and walnuts can help. Most of us are deficient in magnesium. Take it with meals, but not with your other medications. I take one 200mg in the afternoon and one an hour before bedtime. It can also aid sleep.
Co q 10 daily is also very helpful for your heart. Particularly in preventing heart failure.
Afib is often triggered by stress.. Lack of sleep, work pressures, high blood pressure, etc. Yoga and meditation have been shown to help lessen attacks.
There is a LOT of research being done on afib because it is becoming more common.
The Bad and Ugly
Afib doesn't just cause strokes, it doubles your chance of heart attack
If you're black or female, the chances of having a heart attack if you have afib are even greater. I was shocked at this, because I thought that other than stroke, afib was fairly benign. It's not. It's important to know this so you can start taking steps to prevent a heart attack. For years, women were told to take calcium supplements.. Now there is research which says it may not be good for your heart.
"Successful" ablation usually takes two or more tries, and generally only lasts for five years. Your mileage may vary.
Anti coagulation can be important to prevent strokes, but it's not without it's own risks such as brain bleeds. You need to weigh the pluses and minuses with your doctor. If you have a high chad score, then yes, it's very important.
Moderate exercise is good for your heart, but some endurance sports such as rowing, marathon running, and basketball seem to develop afib in some athletes.
Now the good:
If you're overweight, recent studies show that losing just 10-percent of your body weight can significantly lessen your afib attacks. If you are obese and get down to normal weight and stay there, afib disappears in the majority of patients. If you're already of normal weight and have afib.. Sorry, this study doesn't apply to you. Afib also affects slim, in shape people.
400 milligrams of chelated magnesium a day can not only lessen or prevent pacs and PVCs, but also can cut down on your afib attacks. Start slowly.. because it can give you the runs. start with 100mg and work up gradually. Eating nuts, particularly almonds and walnuts can help. Most of us are deficient in magnesium. Take it with meals, but not with your other medications. I take one 200mg in the afternoon and one an hour before bedtime. It can also aid sleep.
Co q 10 daily is also very helpful for your heart. Particularly in preventing heart failure.
Afib is often triggered by stress.. Lack of sleep, work pressures, high blood pressure, etc. Yoga and meditation have been shown to help lessen attacks.
There is a LOT of research being done on afib because it is becoming more common.
Thanks for putting this up.
Junie I too, had trouble sometimes taking horse-sized tablets. I found the best way to swallow them is to gulp them down. Remember when you were young, in the summer and it was SO hot and you were SO thirsty youd put that cold Coke bottle to your mouth (this was before we knew how bad Coke is for you) take a big gulp and before putting the bottle down take another big gulp or two or three. Try doing that gulp-thing, it works almost all the time for me. (Just dont forget to put the tablet in your mouth before you take the swig and dont use Cola ;-))
Carpe diem,
atp
Thanks for the tip, will try!
Yes, there are two very great choices of magnesium which you can mix with water and drink it. Here they are:
- Calm (Natural Calm), which is Magnesium Citrate. It is a powder that you put in warm water. You should wait until all the bubbles are gone before drinking it. It comes in different flavors. But, I like only the plain one which is sort of sour to the taste. Please start with 1/2 tsp to see how you do as far as getting the runs. You should build up to around 1 tsp. This is a great magnesium. Here is a link it:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dhpc&field-keywords=Natural%20Calm
In my opinion, the flavored Calms do NOT taste good, I use the plain one.
- Magnesium Chloride which is a colorless liquid. You pour 1/2 to 1 tsp of it in water and drink it. Well, it does NOT taste very good, but it is a fantastic magnesium as far as absorption, even better than the magnesium citrate. I pour 1 tsp of it in 1/2 cup of water. The taste is not too bad, a little bitter. Here is a link to Nutricology brand (very good brand):
http://www.amazon.com/Nutricology-Magnesium-Chloride-Liquid-8-Ounce/dp/B00015545K
Also, according to some latest research, taking magnesium helps strength and performance in older adults. Please note that this is the 1st time that taking MGNESIUM is associated to more muscle strength.
In general, you should avoid taking capsules since they all have fillers which might not be healthy.
Island - Great job summarizing the stuff about afib. I just want to clear one thing about the calcium research and the warning associated with it. Here it is:
If you take calcium supplements, it is very important that you take vitamin K2 (different from K1), which pushes the calcium in the blood into the bones and prevent the calcium from getting deposited in the arteries and joints. Vitamin K2 is in fermented veggies, certain cheeses, Japanese Natto, and egg yolk. Vitamin K1 is for clotting the blood, very different function from K2.
Please note that vitamin D3 is for more calcium absorption from the intestines into the blood. But, if you do NOT have vitamin K2 in your blood, then the calcium might go to the linning of the arteries and your joints. Yes, that simple. So, to clean your arteries, you basically need to take vitamin K2 which the research did NOT considered or mentioned. It just said don't take calcium supplements :-)
Of course, the best way to get calcium is from foods (specially greens), but still you need the K2 to carry it into your bones.
Important - I have noticed that I get bad headaches the next day if I take vitamin D3 and K2 every day. They are both fat soluble and must be taken with meals which has some fat. They get built up in the body after a while.
Scott
I'm anxious to start the magnesium so here goes Will let you know how it works.
the nurse brought me applesauce. I buried the pill in a heaping
teaspoon of it and down it went !!!!!
Petey - I thought you once said you were taking K2 every day. Do I remember it correctly? Thanks.
I do NOT believe most doctors are up on vitamins and their effects specially something like K2 research (as a carrier for calcium to bones) which is pretty recent. They probably do NOT differentiate between K2 and K1. If you ask them, they think you are talking about the bad boy vitamin K1. That is what my EP did. I had to educate him about K2 and its effect on cleaning up the arteries. He was pleasantly surprised and very receptive. He is a nice guy, that is why, not a Hitler type of a doctor :-)
Scott