Tibbar - yes gel caps are made of animal protein which when formed into the capsule form, produce free glutamate which is like an MSG byproduct. You can use the bulk powder or crystal form or look for a vegetarian capsule. Actually, the bulk form is easy to take but it doesn't dissolve particularly well. I just put it in my mouth..chew a bit along with water and swallow. It's virtualby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Kevin - I agree with Hans. I've read some, but not much about maze patients going on to have successful ablations when they were left with afib. I checked with Shannon who had a particularly difficult case for catheter ablation and had done a huge amount of research before deciding to go with Dr. Natale. Shannon indicates he's read of success with ablating by catheter remnant afib oby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
George - does increasing the heart rate via PM also increase the ejection fraction or pumping ability? It seems that when the EF is low, that's where the energy factor comes in...or can it be both? I thought endurance athletes typically enjoy low HR and certainly don't have energy, fainting or performance issues. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Kate - From the recent post on this topic and also check the posts on Zyflamend. I particularly like the strong version of Curcumin called C3... and I believe PeggyM has posted on the brand she uses. See the post, Curcumin, the Spice of Life. I've used it with great success for inflammation and my CRP levels are also low. Jackie <> <> This is the recent link to the post on elevated CRP.by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Steve - check this and do a google for cipro arrhythmia. Several hits. Some people who have been damaged by fluoroquinolones - they often call themselves "floxed" - have extensive disability, with problems like fatigue, muscle weakness, cognitive problems, neurological symptoms, cardiac arrhythmia, hearing loss, rashes, headaches, anxiety, tremor, and extensive pain. The resulting illnby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
This information confirms what has been suggested for quite some time Dark chocolate has health benefits and remember it has to be dark chocolate and not much of it. Theres always a caveat, it seems though. This time, if you arent aware of the news that some chocolates made in China have been found to also be tainted with the same melamine found in pet food and infant formula that has causedby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks Tish - also one doesn't have to have Addison's disease to have the symptoms of poor functioning adrenals... exhausted or burnout. This is typical of those who are under high stress situations for prolonged periods...like years on end plus eating the wrong foods that help propel the complication. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Gordon - about the thyroid depending on drugs permanently.... I'm not so sure that's always the case, especially when you use the natural hormone as in Armour Thyroid which just replaces that in which the body is deficient and would normally be producing. Right now, I'm experimenting with not taking much Armour at all and will be tested to see what happens to the TSH level. Theby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Brian - well, good that you followed through on that. Both hypo and hyper thyroidism is known to cause arrhythmia and it will take some experimenting with the endocrinologist on dosing that works for you. I used synthroid for over 10 years and was still over the 5.0 level (back then when that was thought to be fine) but later learned that synthroid may not work for everyone... I ended up withby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
It's often pointed out that the aspartate or aspartic acid form of many nutrients should be avoided as that tends to be excitatory. That's why we settled on the glycinate form... it's a beneficial ligand where as the aspartate may not be for afibbers. Perhaps your doctor hadn't thought about the excitatory feature when he recommended it. The potassium you take is very low.by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
John - many times you can't avoid....so just squeeze out the contents and discard the shell.... but... often you simply can't stand the taste of the contents so it's trial and error. I buy bulk or use bottled liquid (like Omega 3) when available. Then on some things, I simply 'risk' taking the gel cap when there is no other option. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Brendan - I'm so glad you had the 'ah ha!' moment. Here's the thing about blood glucose testing... if it wasn't fasting for 12 hours prior, then it could be generally high anyway just because of what your last intake was. However, if it's high on a fasting glucose, then that's another problem. You also need a fasting insulin at the same time because that tby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Clare - typically taurine does not have side effects, although we've had some people post that they found it made them have more heart activity. I think stopping is the best approach. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Brendan~ very often, panic attacks are driven by low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Typically, the doctors don't address the cause of panic attacks but give patients some anti-anxiety drug - such as you were given - and as you have found, they don't eliminate all of the symptoms. My son was a bit older than you are now when he began having panic attacks... same scenario... Xanax. We laby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
MJayne - It probably doesn't really matter now what did or didn't occur during the procedure, but the main issue now is what can you do to eliminate the symptoms. I do think you need to get back to your EP and insist he help you work it out. Only he knows what went on during the procedure. Even if it was not related to the procedure, then he still should be able to guide you regadiby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Helen - could be something you eat regularly with the evening meal or it could be something you've eaten early in the day but it takes that long to show up. Are you on a gluten free diet? Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Happy Birthday, Sue and congratulations. It's great to see you doing so well. Best wishes on your special day. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Clare - are you taking any other electrolytes besides the taurine? You may need to take magnesium and potassium supplements along with the taurine to get the balancing effect of taurine...especially if you are low in either. Assuming you have healthy kidney function, you may want to consider reading more here about these electrolytes/minerals and start supplementing with those as well. If noby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Jean - Because I had other health issues before the afib came up, I became a student of functional medicine. So many of my friends saw my improvements and they would ask me for opinions so I'd do research to steer them in the right direction for their own research. Over the past 15 years, I've accumulated a good deal of info on various topics as a result of that research helping otheby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
George - that's great news for both your cousin and another good testimonial for Dr. P. For those in that area, he's the one to see, for sure. Shannon... glad to see your report and that you are doing so well. I can't believe it's 6 weeks already! Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Frankie - So glad you are doing well after your ablation and sorry to learn about your PMR. From Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, (website).... he offer this advice to a question on PMR. Jackie " This inflammatory illness of the muscles and blood vessels (Giant Cell Arteritis or Polymyalgia RheumaticaPMR) will very often trigger a secondary fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)which then may cauby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Dick -- re: Would not a burn too deep or even a brush with tamponade cause scarring of the pericardium? I know of two people who had severe pericarditis after ablation with a large amount of fluid retention as well as significant pain.. there was rub in addition to the perforation. You've heard more of the presentations on ablation technique and outcomes than I have... any opinions?by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Pam - there is a marker specific for cardiac inflammation called High Sensitivity or Cardiac C-reactive protein or HS-CRP. You can have your physician order this test for you. Following is a clip from the post called Red Flags to Beat the Odds. C-REACTIVE PROTEIN - is an antibody-like substance and a marker of a future risk of symptomatic peripheral vascular disease and heart disease. It isby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sharon - Weight bearing exercise is good as is previously mentioned, resistance training that pulls on the tendons at the insertion points along bones and that pulling or tugging stimulates new bone turnover called remodeling. New bone cell formation is stimulated and old bone cells are allowed to die to make room for the turnover. Running can be very hard on joints and vertabrae especiallyby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Katy - stress is certainly a trigger as is any surge or consistently elevated level of adrenaline (aka norepinephrine and nor- adrenaline). Here's an interesting clip posted 2/ 18/08 about Stress and the Heart. <; Note the comment about magnesium and taurine. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
It would be interesting to look at the 'inner sanctum' studies to see how long ago arrhythmias were indicated as a side effect of the bisphosphonates. It's long been known that they only create a false-bone appearance or hard covering of the outer layer on diagnostic evalutions, but the admission or link relative to arrhythmia is a fairly recent 'discovery'...I checkedby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
James - Pain? I never had chest pain. This announcement would seem to indicate another condition besides LAF. ? Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Studies indicate melatonin along with vitamin B6 and other nutrients appear to be an effective treatment for GERD. "Melatonin for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease" Werbach MR. The enterochromaffin cells of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract secrete 400 times as much melatonin as the pineal gland; therefore, it is not surprising that research is finding that this indole plby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Kate - one of our contributors, George Eby, has mentioned afib in horses. He raises them and has written some interesting info based on his research projects. Check this link - it's long but towards the end he gets into nutritional discussions on horse needs. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Barbara ~ Dr. Wharton is another excellent EP. Several afibbers here have reported on their successful experience with Dr. Wharton. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM