Aging and calcifications don't necessarily mean you have to be "old".... some people are building arterial stiffness in their 30's. Aging can cause calcifications of important structures including the valves in the heart and including arterial stiffness. Valvular calcifications would obviously mean the stiffness prevents a good closure or 'seat' of the valve in itby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Gordon - I asked that very question of Dr. Natale when I went off coumadin after ablation and onto NK. He said no. If the burns are deep enough, the ablation destroys the cells of gap junctions so they can't perpetuate the actions into afib. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Garry Gordon, MD, DO, MD(H) offers his opinion on this article to his readers: Yes, we can prevent over 90% of all heart disease without surgery and Stents are nonsense and Bypass helps only 3% of patients! Despite these costs, a randomized controlled trial published in April 2007 in The New England Journal of Medicine found that angioplasties and stents do not prolong life or even prevent heaby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes - I'm the Supplement Queen and NK has not been a problem with any of my supplements including any that are tend to be identified as 'natural' blood thinners like ginkgo biloba. The PTT may be in the upper range or even slightly above that. It really isn't a true measure of what NK does. Have your fibrinogen level checked before you start as a baseline and then monitor tby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Susan - nothing prevents it... that's exactly what happens with water and other beverages; they sit in warehouses and overheat and then the plastic residues leach out into the contents. I don't drink bottled water per se. I just transfer my well water to a plastic bottle when I need something portable and want to get the stainless steel for the same purpose. I'm currently usinby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
I'll toast to that one as well!by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Suzi - were your magnesium tests either the Exatest or Red Blood Cell Magnesium for the intracellular measurement? Was your serum potassium at least mid range? Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Robin - have you kept up with your magnesium and potassium? Whenever I get lax, I get more ectopy. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Bill - remember that an ablation doesn't stop the potentials from starting, it just prevents them from continuing on to a formal AF event. Most of us can feel or sense some irregular activity from time to time. One thing many of us have noticed is that if we become low in the critical heart electrolytes, we get more of these ectopic beats. Hans has developed a formula (recipe) thatby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Mike - There are some products that combine both the Sp and NK. I have one in my collection right now from Designs for Health combining both. My reading indicates that the serrapeptase targets more on the fibrosis issue that would occur in organs or as in scar tissue and is called proteolytic and the NK is fibrinolytic and targets the fibrin in blood to reduce viscosity. In reality, though,by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
You can do glutathione 'pushes' but then finding a doctor who is knowledgeable in that area of expertise can be a challenge... therefore, the NAC is an easy option. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Paul - I have the book; I've heard her speak. If you don't have access to neurotransmitter testing where you live and want to try to figure out which you might be low in... then it's at least a good start. I don't know who on Amazon gave negative reviews, but based on her success, she says that over 100,000 people using the book as self-help have written to her describing thby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Oh yes - definitely. Classic sign. Go to this website and read what Dr. Graveline reports on his personal experiences with memory loss. He wrote the book... "Lipitor (statin) Thief of Memory". He's not the only one who has written about this...it's well known that statin drugs impair brain function. You have to remember that the brain is composed of something like 70% cby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Joan - it would be good to ask for the blood draw to know her baseline and then test every 2 -3 months for progress before you start having her take the supplements just to be safe. Sunshine is always a good idea... but elderly skin is fragile. A few minutes of exposure certainly won't hurt, but you want to avoid sunburn. Additonally, the older we are, the less our skin has the abilityby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Paul - depends on what neurotransmitters you need most. Some people get along with GABA, others do not. Try it and see if you feel better or worse. I strongly suggest you try to get that Mood Cure book by Julia Ross because it offers a self-help questionnaire that then links to whether you need more serotonin, GABA etc.... that way you can benefit a bit quicker than by guessing. Also from Naby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Joan - typically the very elderly are overmedicated and there can be some interactions between drugs. One thing I'd want to check on is getting her off the Zocor. It hasn't been proven that taking a statin in the elderly is beneficial - moreover, they often experience muscle weakness and fatigue because the statin interferes with energy production - one of the essential elements beingby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Confirming once again, it can be dangerous to rely on published study results - especially on the newer drugs and trials going on in the late 90's and forward. F.D.A. Is Lax on Oversight During Trials, Inquiry Finds By GARDINER HARRIS Published: January 11, 2009 The Food and Drug Administration does almost nothing to police the financial conflicts of doctors who conduct clinical trialsby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Paul - a good balance of the basic antioxidants... easy to remember they are called ACEs....for A, C, E and selenium, are important antioxidants. The Vitamin E form should be one of the high gamma E tocopherols... don't use anything that says dl-alpha tocopherol acetate as it is synthetic and useless. The 'dl' designation is the identifier. CoQ10 is a very good one; can be pricby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
I totally agree about fad diets. Cleansing or detoxing for a week a couple times a year isn't a fad diet, though, it's just a jump start so the liver can begin to function optimally because it gets bogged down with so many toxins that come in from the air, water, soil, foods, medications, etc. and that impact function of the Phase1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 detoxification pathways. Simplistic saby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Rick - we've had all sorts of reports on various methods of averting or converting AF events. I'm not surprised the potassium worked for you and you are lucky. Typically, it doesn't work that easily or with that low a dose but so glad it was magic for you. You can spend some time in CR #61 which discusses a large number of success stories on how people have managed to controby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Dick thanks for that reminder (and Mike just for your information): When taking the regular niacin B3 in high does as in for cholesterol lowering, one should have liver enzymes checked every few months to be sure they are not elevated. There are better nutrients for cholesterol lowering, though. And certainly better than taking a statin with all those dangerous side effects. Besides, choby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
There are many detoxing products offered these days. Home remedies may not be safe for anyone and especially afibbers. I've used detoxing protocols a couple times a year for quite a number of years with no adverse effects. These were physician directed and using products that support liver and other important nutritional areas that need support during a cleanse. During my first cleanse,by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sorry John - I misunderstood your focus. You are correct, of course, that everyone's body chemistry is different (biochemical individuality) and every one is in a different stage of health or un-health as well as nutritional adequacy. There are biological tests called Comprehensive Metabolic Profiles that help tremendously to aid in the optimization of areas that show up as deficient or ovby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thank you both. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Peggy - sure thing. I suspect it had nothing to do with the cardioversion but rather that I was low on K++ so had the breakthrough that required the CV. Had my levels been checked at the time, I'm willing to bet they were low. Can't say enough about the importance of both Mg++ and K++. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Mike - check out the lengthy but very detailed and helpful Conference Room Session titled: No More Heartburn Lots of good tips and info there based on several references of expertise. You definitely can benefit as the heartburn issue plays right into triggers for afib and especially at night when lying down. You can probably be helped greatly with digestive enzymes, DGL and probiotics. DGLby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
John - just one example of doing tests for biochemistry.... Tests can be done to determine intracellular magnesium and potassium levels... levels inside the cells where those electrolytes function to help maintain a normal rhythm. Since science tells us that various chemicals, drugs and foods compete or deplete either or both minerals, then it makes sense that, in time, if you become deficientby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
We always give advice for afibbers to be mindful of water intake and to hydrate well and optimally. Most of us, carry water with us for outings, sports, etc. My New Years resolution this year is to switch from plastic bottles that probably all have some quantity of the Bisphenol A to stainless steel. It wont be as convenient; but it will cut down on plastic trash and give me peace of mindby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Chris... if you mean after ablation.... yes... until the electrolytes are optimized, you can have ectopy... Additionally post-ablation, I still get Sinus Tachycardia on occasion. I was fine after the initial ablation. No ectopics at all. Then I had breakthrough arrhythmia that had to be cardioverted and that (for some unknown reason) left me with the ST. It is a spurt of quick beats verby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Ritze - I know what you mean. Recently in the grocery store, the bag packer was stewing over how to pack my purchases. I asked what the problem was and he said.... "there is nothing to put on the bottom... it's all fresh!" I'm fortunate to have access to a local family-owned grocery chain that contracts with local farmers for meat and seasonal produce. They augment withby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM