David - one thing I didn't answer in your email was the comment on the Cratageus....that's Hawthorne - it's always appearing in herbal remedies for the heart and atrial fibrillation. Many of us who tried it found it to be too stimulating and made afib worse so beware if you decide to try it. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Bob - when I heard Dr. Murray speak at a seminar a few years ago, he discussed pharmaceutical grade and said there were only a few companies actually meeting those standards - especially in fish oil. At his website, he has an article on Omega 3 oils and here clip: (Dr. Murray said that a company designated to manufacture pharmateutically pure products would also be able to manufacture prescriptby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
For those who are sensitive to chemicals, we already know about this info in this article, but for the unsuspecting, it could be very valuable especially since chemical exposure can and does trigger afib.by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Bob - you ought to write him and ask your questions. He's an interesting man. His mission isn't about getting money from writing a book....or maybe it is - to get enough money to do such studies. I have no idea but since he experienced himself, severe side effects of Lipitor, and since he is a doctor, he's on a crusade to inform others about the dangers of statins and he isnby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Kagey - Thanks - Somehow when I say herbal tea, I don't consider green tea to be herbal as it contains caffeine unless it is specifically decafeinated....when I say herbal, I mean peppermint, cinnamon, lemon, orange spice, etc....it has nothing really to do with 'tea' as we know it. Green tea has many benefits but it is also very high in fluoride and many nutritional doctors feby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
LIPITOR NEUROLOGICAL SIDE EFFECT: AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS, ALZHEIMER'S The use of statin drugs is associated with serious side effects, most prominent is a degeneration of the muscular tissue and debilitating pain that comes with it. What is less well known is that the progression of the muscle wasting side effect may lead to a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also cby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Susan - that's quite a familial history of stroke tendency and I don't blame you for being concerned. I don't know of anything that will blunt the affects of caffeine, but I do know that you can't go wrong with drinking purified water or herbal tea. That's about it. Don't be tempted to go for something else even if it's boring to stick with water. Thick bloby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Peggy - you are only second to me when it comes to statins and what is said about them being healthy for the public. We will be seeing more of this type study as they really need to boost their sales now that the COX2 inhibitors have failed so miserably. There is talk they will even be suggesting statins for use in young people. Tragic. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Robin - what brand of Omega 3's are you purchasing? Pharmaceutical grade - pure? It can be the capsles as some people are highly sensitive to the free glutamate contained in the gelatin - especially if you are taking about six a day to reach the 3 grams minimum. The again, if it is not a pure product, there could be residual toxins or you could just be one of the few people that donby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Carol - It's been a while since I've thought about this and I hope I remember correctly.... holding your breath or even shallow breathing will allow carbon dioxide to buildup in the blood. This is alkalizing. An alkaline pH reduces irritation and inflammation and is far more healthy than an acidic condition. Sam can probably explain better than I but Buteyko breathing is a timed sby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Walter - David Callans at the U of Pa is also excellent as is Dr. Chinitz. I'm sure your waiting time will be much shorter than the CCF although Dr. Saliba is another excellent EP at the Clinic. Good luck on this round. The third time should be the charm! Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Jim - catch 22 with those antacids.... calcium buffers the acid; acid probably helps drive your afib from the irritation so you need acid reduction. Magnesum and potassium both buffer nicely. If you use alot of Tums etc. it could be the calcium is too much compared to your magnesium intake. Consider adding at least 400 - 600 mg magnesium glycinate to offset the calcium. Start with only 200by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sharon - I totally agree - we are all different. Biochemical individuality. I see nothing wrong with people posting to The List about their successes as long as they have seen a doctor first and have a firm diagnosis of afib as documented by diagnostic tests. We are talking about lone atrial fibrillation here and often people are posting who do not fall into this category. It would be dangerby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Good for you, Sam - I love the Buteyko aspect. I have long felt that if one could be disciplined enough, it would help with afib. Keep up the good work. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Faith - I forget to mention your peptic ulcer. Have you been tested for H.pylori? There are indications peptic ulcers are caused by this bug. It's a concern to take aspirin with an ulcer so it would be worth finding out if you are positive and then take steps to get rid of the H.pylori. The inflammation that H.pylori causes could be triggering your afib as well. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Darla - nattokinase is a purified extract from fermented soybeans and the appropriate choice of brands will be totally free from any traces of soy as the enzyme is the only portion used. Nattokinase will not interfere with thyroid function. I have a thyroid issue and I am taking it with my doctor's approval. If you want to become informed, please read CR 39 and 40. Your information isby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Faith - I no longer have afib since I opted for ablation, but I refused Coumadin right up until I had to take it for the procedure. I used nattokinase before and once again after I got off the coumadin, post-procedure and still continue with it just because I want to be protected from clots forming for any reason. I know of several people who have only occasional afib and who take Dr. Holswortby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sharon - Absolutely. Fixing afib with ablation and then resuming all of the unhealthy foods from previous habits and not improving lifestyle will not accomplish much if the goal was to live a longer and healthy life. Typically what drives people to ablation is the fear of being impaired for life or even death so resuming all of the detrimental habits just unravels the good intention. Howeveby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Lots of natural products for reduction of inflammation - Omega 3 fish oils - pharmaceutical grade, of course, and take at least 4 - 6 grams daily. Curcumin - highly effective in reducing inflammation; boswellia, ginger, quercetain, and any of the proteolytic enzymes like serrapeptase, nattokinase, etc. Aspirin is also effective but you have to watch for the side effects of that whereas the natby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Try avoiding calcium supplements. Calcium is known to be excitatory and it will displace magnesium in cells as well. You need the magnesium in and the calcium out of heart cells. See if tha makes any difference. Also check your multi for the calcium content. You could be adding far too much calcium and not enough magnesium and potassium. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Peggy - no problem here for meby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi David - From what I recall reading about PV irritation is that it comes from oxidative stress.... as in free radical damage .... natural processes of metabolism and in the case of blood coming from the lungs, normal blood exchange and from aerobic exercise. In Hans book, he has a section on Oxidative Stress.... In part he says....." It is thought that agglomerations (of individual heaby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Steve - what did he say about the high potassium? Too high potassium can be pro-arrhythmic. Maybe you should consider adding a small amount of sodium to your diet to lower the potassium and see what happens. I don't like giving this advice to self-medicate or tinker but your potassium should be about 4.5.... too much more than that, my doctor doesn't like. You definitely should tryby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Faith - Forgive me but I've forgotten both your age and history of duration with afib. Are your events very frequent? Occasional? How long do they last? This sounds discouraging, but it probably will be difficult for you to find a doctor who will work with you and nattokinase dosing. It certainly is safer than the aspirin when dealing with an ulcer and I'd be very concerned thaby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Mike - I can certainly understand your reasoning on this topic. My history is that I never, ever wanted an ablation. I was concerned that it might cause some unknown damage to the heart that, down the road, might come back to haunt me -- where I might need some other heart procedure and they would say to me, well, Jackie, we could do this or that, but since you have had an ablation willby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Laura - this is a superb source. Thanks for posting. I spoke with the founder of Vital Choices when I attended a health convention two years ago. I was impressed with their attention to purity and a quality product; sampled their wild salmon - excellent - and had samples of their salmon oil in the special capsules. Definitely a quality product. www.vitalchoice.comby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Oh Geez - don't call me 'Dr." or I'll have the wrath of all the real doctors reading. I just research and pass along what's relevant to our situation and try to share my own experiences and how I corrected them with natural healing alternatives to drugs. Glad this was helpful to you. Be well, Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
jb - your doctor can order a red blood cell magnesium test for cellular magnesium and it is different from the standard serum magnesium. Serum magnesium may not reflect intracellular stores and that's what we're interested in. The best test is ordered from Exatest.com and it measures intracellular magnesium along with potassium, chloride, sodium etc. and is a tissue scraping from uby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Jim - this is true but that formula of statin has never been released to the public nor is it common for a patient on statins to also be told to supplement with Q. I've read that many think that to do that now would represent a liability for litigation since they knew of the depletion danger and didn't do anything about it. Shame on them. I was hurt by a statin long ago when theyby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Robin - special thoughts and prayers to you and your mother. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM