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.
To summarize how I control my afib naturally:
Avoid the triggers. For me triggers are stress (lack of sleep), caffeine, wheat gluten, sugar, MSG. I also avoid red meat and dairy as I find they aggravate arthritis. I also removed metal dental fillings and did a heavy metal detox. Noticeable improvement happened with this.
I don't see how you can heal something (the heart) by damaging it further (with ablation or other invasive means). Also see this posting: http://www.drrathresearch.org/arrhythmia.html
I liked the idea of micro nutrients proposed by Dr. Abram Hoffer and Dr. Rath which is why I chose this route.
I take a number of vitamins and minerals, non-flush niacin is especially important as is a good vitamin B complex and magnesium. I found that ReMag, a form of pico magnesium or Angstrom magnesium have prevented afib episodes for me when I might otherwise have been triggered into afib. The idea is that the magnesium is so tiny that it can be directly absorbed by cells bypassing the digestion process. Whatever actually happens, I'm just pointing out it really helps me.
I have a 150mg Rythmol "in my pocket". I might need one once in a while if I can't avoid being triggered, hidden MSG has done that and it takes about 3 hours to return to normal rhythm. Sometimes I don't need a Rythmol for 3 or 4 months in a row. The pico magnesium has shortened the time it took to return to normal rhythm.
I used to be so bad that even the slight stress of talking on the phone would send me into afib - that was in 2005. They put me on 150mg Rythmol every 8 hours. It took about 6 to 9 months to figure this out, get off the Rythmol and get under control, now I'm pleased with the control I have.
If anyone would like more details, message me here or my email: doug.lanz@shaw.ca
Avoid the triggers. For me triggers are stress (lack of sleep), caffeine, wheat gluten, sugar, MSG. I also avoid red meat and dairy as I find they aggravate arthritis. I also removed metal dental fillings and did a heavy metal detox. Noticeable improvement happened with this.
I don't see how you can heal something (the heart) by damaging it further (with ablation or other invasive means). Also see this posting: http://www.drrathresearch.org/arrhythmia.html
I liked the idea of micro nutrients proposed by Dr. Abram Hoffer and Dr. Rath which is why I chose this route.
I take a number of vitamins and minerals, non-flush niacin is especially important as is a good vitamin B complex and magnesium. I found that ReMag, a form of pico magnesium or Angstrom magnesium have prevented afib episodes for me when I might otherwise have been triggered into afib. The idea is that the magnesium is so tiny that it can be directly absorbed by cells bypassing the digestion process. Whatever actually happens, I'm just pointing out it really helps me.
I have a 150mg Rythmol "in my pocket". I might need one once in a while if I can't avoid being triggered, hidden MSG has done that and it takes about 3 hours to return to normal rhythm. Sometimes I don't need a Rythmol for 3 or 4 months in a row. The pico magnesium has shortened the time it took to return to normal rhythm.
I used to be so bad that even the slight stress of talking on the phone would send me into afib - that was in 2005. They put me on 150mg Rythmol every 8 hours. It took about 6 to 9 months to figure this out, get off the Rythmol and get under control, now I'm pleased with the control I have.
If anyone would like more details, message me here or my email: doug.lanz@shaw.ca
Dr. Matthias Rath http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Rath
Dr. Abram Hoffer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abram_Hoffer
petey
I am always outspoken. You can take me or leave me, but I don't believe in misleading people.
The 3 fillings I have I believe are actually alien implants that "the greys" put there to track human behavior. After 3 weeks of tracking my behavior, they never came back.
Actually, I only have 3 tiny fillings in the back. I mean tiny. I didn't change them. When I was younger, I wanted to have them replaced with white because I thought they looked like cavities. Funny how priorities change.
I do eat some red meat, but find it harder to digest. It's easier to eat chicken, turkey, salmon, and pork. But I'm not "red meat phobic".
I did a lot of research on the removal of amalgam fillings and the effect this alloy has on heart rhythm. Certainly minimizing our exposure to Mercury and all toxic heavy metals is very wise. We are exposed to Mercury in many ways in our lives including food sources, so awareness just makes good sense. I stopped eating canned tuna for that reason many years ago. I don't however think that removal of all amalgam fillings would have made any significant effect on my battle with AFIB. I did stop the addition of these fillings years ago and opted for non-metallic since. Removal of amalgam fillings actually exposes you to Mercury vapor and traces of Methylmercury and removes healthy tooth structure. Tests have been done that have determined that the levels of Mercury in those with amalgam fillings is below a level of danger but many people are sensitive to heavy metals so I don't think a broad stroke safe zone can be applied. As I mentioned, it makes good sense to try and eliminate or at least control the amount of toxins we're exposed to especially since there are many we're exposed to in our lifetime and we are completely unaware.
I don't know if I consider antiarrhythmic meds as toxic but they are powerful drugs that have an effect on a very vital organ. Some are said to have potential long term-negative impact on health so I wasn't inclined to go on a twice daily dose for the rest of my life or until they became ineffective.
Doug, I'm very happy that you found treatment that has controlled your condition well. Having a holistic approach to the health of your body is something everyone can benefit from. Some folks simply see sacrificing the things they enjoy as a reduction of their quality of life and accept the fact that their choices may have ramifications. I get the counter statement of "you can't live in fear" all the time and that's very true but regret can be a tough thing to live with as well, even for a short period. My philosophy is moderation and accepting the fact that we are not at the wheel of these lives, we are only caretakers waiting for our next assignment.
I chose ablation as a treatment because a window of opportunity was closing and another TIA loomed. While a TIA or stroke will always loom, the thought of imposing my every need on my wife for the rest of our lives was more regret than I could fathom dealing with. Men in my family tree rarely have lived past their early 60s so I wanted a better quality of life for the home stretch, so far I've achieved just that. If my heart was "damaged" by the procedure it definitely doesn't feel that way. I'm back to running and feeling like I did over 16 years ago and best of all I'm sleeping again. 2-3 hours of sleep for more than 10 years was taking a huge toll on my health and frame of mind. Surgery frightened me and then it gave me my life back.
Good luck to you, and may all you days be A-fib free.
Heather
Steve