Hi Jim - All's good here, thanks. The late, world-famous magnesium researcher, Mildred Seelig, MD, MPH, says in her writings that magnesium repletion may take weeks, months or never.... it all depends on that particular person's ability to assimilate the magnesium and hold on to it. In the case of magnesium wasters, it's a constant struggle. Envision trying to fill a sinkby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Erling - thanks for this important post. Carnitine is an important heart nutrient. I'd just like to comment before everyone rushes out to stoke up on carnitine that it can be too stimulatory for some afibbers. I was one; Hans was another. I was unable to take any form of carnitine until after my ablation. Now I can consume 3,000 mg easily with no problems; in fact, I find it beneficby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Julia - starchy carbs are not considered either necessary foods or healthy foods. It would be a good start to rethink that you need to use them...especially those that contain gluten/gliaden proteins or those apt to be genetically modified - most are unless organic derived. Starchy carbs convert quickly to sugar and cause afibbers problems because of the metabolism of them helps deplete botby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Rick - many people take with food just as a matter of convenience and remembering. There are some nutrients that do better when not in competition with food such as amino acids but the typical minerals/electrolytes we recommend here can be taken most any time. Magnesium and potassium may be especially helpful at bedtime. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Philippe - it's probably something more physiological/neurologial then if you have a virtually instant response with the first bite of food....any sensitivity to food should take a bit longer, although I do recall Hans saying he was so sensitive to alcohol that a whiff of a wine cork would set him off... I'd be making a log of each experience and the food at that time to see if by cby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Tish - if you don't conquer the yeast, consider the Candex. It works differently. The Caprylic acid is great for maintenance but I never found it strong enough to kill the yeast. I used berberine and othe herbs but the Candex seemed to really work well because it's an enzyme that breaks down the cell walls so they are non-functional and the yeast doesn't replicate. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Dennis - I like that you are listening to your body and experimenting with your particular biochemistry and lifestyle. I would like to comment, though, that having an ablation doesn't always stop the ectopics ....especially if the ablatee is low in magnesium and potassium... and possible some of the other nutrients - like B's which are involved in stress reduction etc. I really liby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Claudia - I'm so happy for you. It does my heart good to see such a good report about your heart. Long may you enjoy the blessed state of NSR! Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Liz Ive found a few comments on elevated B12. Most indicated a mild elevation was not as much a concern as for a B12 deficiency. I'm sure your doctor is on top of this... Jackie Here's what I found in a quick search: It seems that when B12 levels are too high, this may indicate a methylation defect and the result would be hanging on to B12 .or in otherwords, the ability to efficientlyby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Philippe - When activity starts fairly soon after eating, I consider several casual options... see my post to Becky today.... In your case, if you didn't prepare the chicken yourself without seasonings or salt, then it probably was the chicken or the salad dressing. Typically, commercially prepared foods are enhanced with flavoring agents that can be excitotoxic and/or heavy in salt thatby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hawk - See my post to Becky just above this one. Consider that what you eat may help produce the flutter. Might it be that you eat the same thing... or carbs or sodium that deplete potassium? Commercially prepared food may introduce some chemical that drives it. I'm working with a post-ablation person who had significant activity until he started taking magnesium and potassium regularlyby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Becky - one thing to consider is the type of food you eat continually and that you may have a food sensitivity which is known to result in fast pulse after eating. If you eat starchy carb foods that convert quickly to glucose (sugar) then that can be another issue in that it sets you up for a hypoglycemic response. Another consideration would be if the food you eat is whole food prepared frby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Rick - our resident MD (here) and former afibber before a successful Bordeaux ablation sanctioned the use of the Red Blood Cell magnesium test. It's different than serum magnesium. Several Canadians were able to get that ordered but I'm not sure how they did it. Erling and others argue that the RBC magnesium levels is not an accurate comparison, but my functional medicine MD uses itby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Philippe - Sorry about your dilemma. What was it that you ate at 1 pm that triggered the AF again? You probably are low in magnesium and also possibly potassium. I just listened to a teleconference on drug depletion of nutrients. My ears perked up when the doctor mentioned that aspirin depletes magnesium... even the baby aspirin. If you aren't getting at least 600- 800 mg elemenby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Lance - I had a Natale ablation in '03. I was instructed at that time to be sure to stay in NSR as much as possible to help insure the success of the ablation procedure. Familiarize yourself with 'electrical remodelling'. The idea is to get the heart accustomed to being in the normal rhythm rather than thinking AF is the normal rhythm. The cardioversion is no big deal - a biby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Tom - when you have an experience like that or anything else that is highly emotional.... that's the time to take 200 mg theanine... and continue on the rest of the day and evening. Chances are it will calm you enough to circumvent the onset of afib. That's a shame, but at least you managed to control it quickly. Enjoy Italy. I'm looking forward to your return report. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sheila - not contagious as far as I know. Yeast overgrowth is a sign of dysbiosis or imbalance of the good bacteria or flora that naturally inhabit the entire length of the GI tract which extends from mouth to anus. Probiotics help keep the balance or order there. After using the Candex, start with a quality probiotic - one that needs refrigeration. It may take several months to control the Cby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Steve - I should have mentioned that beta blockers deplete magnesium so even though your dose is relatively small, it could be a large influence in your ongoing anxiety esp. if you are already low in magnesium. Additionally, everyone should take a good B complex. This same teleconference emphasized the fact that they are noting severe deficiencies of all the B's because so much stress isby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Liz - I'll check some references. I don't recall seeing a caveat about high B12. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Steve - I'm sorry to hear the anxiety is still with you. I recently heard a teleconference on the topic of nutrients that are depleted by drugs. During the discussion on drugs that deplete magnesium, it was stated that people who have anxiety, fear, depression are all found to typically be deficient in magnesium. Consider that you may be low in magnesium, possibly very low, because stby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Isabelle - congrats on raising your D level and your exercise program.. you need to keep working to get it at least up to 50 and most of the experts say even more. It may take time, but at least you are making great progress. I think the B12 injections are a good method of repletion for those of us who are likely not to be producing adequate amounts on our own. Jonathan Wright, MD, reminds usby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Mike - The Doctor's Best Ribose looks fine. It has the 5 grams /teaspoon requirement. I like the gplc formula as it has a higher CoQ10 by comparison and at the minimum, 100 for the Q is good. B vitamins are always essential so the last choice you listed would be a nice addition. Afibbers, especially need the B complex vitamins. The trimethylglycine is great because it will help keep hoby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Mike - I've recently been working with a couple of post-ablation afibbers who 'thought' they were getting enough magnesium/potassium from diet but were still having either AF or ectopy. Upon testing, both were low in potassium even though both swore they 'consumed' a high potassium diet. I understand that formal testing can be nearly impossible for some, so mythoughtby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Doug - There is little time involved. Exatest is said to be the ultimate test. It is expensive if you're not covered by Medicare. You could call Exatest and inquire about the cost. While some debate that the Red Blood Magnesium blood test is a relatively accurate substitute, many doctors do use it but it, too, is not just a standard test so it may not be fully covered by some insurance plby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Barbara - side effects of low vitamin K from long-term warfarin use include osteoporosis and calcification of blood vessels including the aorta. You can use the search engine here and go back into the past couple of BB sessions for some of the discussions on these topics. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Doug - Typically the instructions are to consume a normal, healthy intake of green leafies and adjust the coumadin accordingly. That's what the coumadin clinic here instructs. Take this to your pharmacist or whomever you consult in the coumadin clinic.... while it seems 'odd' to add the K2, studies do show that adding the MK7 form of vitamin K2 helps regulate the INR. When I was workingby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sharon - act quickly. When the new HC reform takes place a good deal of testing will probably be eliminated. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Mike - I'd like to respond as well. I've taken ribose for several years. I find it helps significantly with the muscle pain and weakness I experience from fibromyalgia and probably mitochondrial dysfunction as well. The dose needed for me is 15 grams a day (3 teaspoons) in divided doses. The classic regimen is 6 weeks of 15 grams and then dropping to 10 grams. I find that when I go to thby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Kelly- birth control pills deplete magnesium and certainly that, alone, could have contributed to your afib problem. The bioidentical hormone replacement therapy Liz mentions has not been found to deplete magnesium. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Louise - Airlines stopped serving peanuts because of the tendency for those highly allergic people sharing the cabin. Apparently even the 'vapors' released from opening a package or people eating/chewing can drift through the air system and cause anaphylactic reactions. So, I sure wouldn't want to be responsible for causing a problem. Peanuts aren't nuts but rather, legumby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM