John - make no mistake....afib is always lurking - just waiting for all conditions to be right so it can slip back into your life. Every one of the people on The List who have conquered afib without ablation have relapsed at one time or another. You just have to be mindful and not become complacent. I wish you every success in keeping your afib 'arrrested.' Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Derek - one day at a time - but never lose sight of the goal. You can do it. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
John - that's a great regimen and I'm really happy for you. Overall, I think stress reduction plays an enormous part in putting afib on the back burner. It's too bad that so many afibbers are unable to make changes that significantly impact stress levels. Congratulations on your healthy protocol. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Reet - Sorry about your disappointment; the letdown must be difficult...but I'm glad you stuck to your guns about your preferences. Keep us posted. As for Shannon, he phoned me the next day and was doing well. I'm sure he'll be posting once he is settled in recovery mode. Think positive thoughts. I know I'll be sending some your way! Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Welcome Derek. Congratulations on your weight loss. Keep up the diligence in that area. Its very important since overweight contributes to the tendency toward afib along with many other factors including the potential triggers you mention overeating and alcohol. You probably have others as well. If you havent visited the Conference Room Session #61 then you definitely should begin rby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Michael - what does your EP say about your relapse?by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
I never had digestive disturbances and afib; but then, I had been taking digestive enzymes and probiotics quite some time prior to my first afib event. Suggest you read Conference Room Session #63 for information regarding stomach and GI issues and how it might relate to AF...including info on H.pylori. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Dear Brenda~ Thanks for sharing your story with us. Very sobering and I'm truly sorry that you have had so many problems that seem to be ongoing. You deserve a time-out cry. Quite possibly, you can benefit from using the essential electrolytes/ minerals, magnesium and potassium if you haven't gone that route. One thing I would mention is that unless a physician has instructed thatby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Earl - Sugar and flour (plus typically an unhealthy fat) are the main components of cake - these are called simple carbohydrates and they deplete essential minerals needed for heart function ( magnesium and potassium) as they are processed (metabolized) in the body. The fat issue is another topic. Too much sugar or starchy carbs that turn to sugar once eaten are often culprits in triggeringby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
William - while my text isn't the 1918 - slightly more modern - Gray's Anatomy is an excellent reference. The illustrations in the earlier publications are amazing works of art. Back then, there were medical illustrators/artists that did the drawings by hand.by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Mark - there continues to be controversy over the benefits of vitamins. It's very difficult to know the entire contents of a study these days as so many of the results are biased or skewed to favor the desired results (sorry to day) and are often ghost authored by someone who wasn't even involved in the study. They are told what to wrote for publication. The importance of B vitaminby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Cyndie - if the only thing new you have ingested is the diltiazem, then I'd be highly suspect that it is the culprit. It's not only the liver that can be involved but also the gastrointestinal (gut) tissue and some drugs in the presence of intestinal permeability will cause reactions that mimic a food sensitivity or intolerance. I hope by now you have had some input from the cardiolby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Check these two posts and then do a search here for PIP and flecainide... more discussions will show up. <; <; Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
William - you are correct, certainly, about the questionable quality of yogurt, but as a start or in a pinch it can work well. It did for me and that was long before I had my first afib event. I really don't like recommending dairy. Ideally, we don't consume dairy or at least pasteurized dairy, but that's a whole other issue and I realize it isn't a Paleo food, either... butby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Claire - Check this recent post by Hans... <> Digitalis side effects - digitalis does not improve mortality People with atrial fibrillation who are treated with digitalis are at increased risk of death. In the February issue of Heart, Dr. Knut Gjesdal of the University of Oslo, Norway and colleagues have found that digitalis increases exercise capacity and reduces morbidity in patients withby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Joyce - According to neurosurgeon, Russell Blaylock, MSG is neurotoxic. It would be difficult to imagine that Asians or anyone else who consume MSG or similar components of free gluamates would not have adverse neurogenic effects. It would be interesting to follow some research to determine if there is a connection or prevalence of Asians, MSG consumption and neurodegenerative conditions. Iby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Art - Yes - if you wake up and could tolerate eating something like plain, unflavored, unsweetened, no with artificially sweetened yogurt or just plain cottage cheese, it may serve you well. In a pinch butter milk might work just as well. Your symptoms of the apple and hypoglycemia confirmed my suspicions stated in my initial post to you as I am very familiar having conquered this myself. Noby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Prednisone does reduce inflammation and that property is thought to be useful in preventing atrial fibrillation. However, I recall seeing a negative comment in Dr. Sahelian's website for using corticosteroids..... it may be worth investigating. Jackie Steroid use could also cause atrial fribrillation. Treatment with high doses of corticosteroids, regardless of the indication, increases thby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
My best wishes to you Shannon for a safe and successful ablation. You're in the best of care with Dr. Natale and team. Special blessings, Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have his book. It's a very simplistic explanation of iodine needs and is a good introductory reference. He and his colleagues tend to promote high doses of Iodarol and the iodine challenge test which also introduces a high loading dose of Iodarol and in the case of people with afib, it worries me a bit to stimulate the thyroid that much. I decided not to do the iodine challenge dose.by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sue - I was told by my cardiologist whom I consulted for years before the Electrophysiologist that some cases of MVP are difficult to discern on the Echocardiogram. The more severe cases are obvious. It's also known that MVP can promote afib. These are two separate conditions. It may be time for you to consult with a highly experienced Electrophysiologist (EP) who is a specialist in rby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Reet - I wish you a safe and successful ablation on Friday. You share that day with another afibber, Shannon Dixon, who has a date with Dr. Natale in Texas. Sending you both good thoughts, positive energy and special blessings. Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Peggy - I hope you are knowledgeable about the importance of Coenzyme Q10 in patients with cardiomyopathy. If not, there are several past posts on CoQ10 facts that would be helpful for you to know. Follow here: <; If you become interested in pursuing this, you can google the name Peter Langsjoen, a cardiologist who deals with cardiomyopathy and has written numerous papers regarding the uby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sue - while you can probably get some iodine from salt, iodized salt is a processed version and isn't really healthy for any sizeable intake. Unprocessed salt that is evaporated such as sea salt and other versions of natural salt offer the best solution, but don't typically provide give adequate iodine, either. The other downside to trying to get enough iodine from salt is fact sby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Arthur - you mention you notice a possible connection to eating fruit and some heart activity. My experience was that if I tended to become hypoglycemic, I'd have an event. Eating anything sweet including fruit or starchy carbs that metabolize to sugar,without eating something like protein and healthy fat to slow down absorption can cause hypoglycemia in some individuals. Sugar - even fby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
I just hope someone in his coaching team is aware of the free radical damage prevalent in extreme athletes. When your burn that much fuel for energy, the oxidative stress has to be enormous. He he certainly is an amazing young man.by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Theresa - Glad you are able to make the Natale contact here in Ohio. I'm sure after that procedure, life will be good again in NSR. Best to you, Jackieby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Susan - I agree with George about using PIP rather than cardioversion for a couple of reasons the first being pure convenience. And logically, if you can get the heart back in NSR quickly, that makes much more sense to do so before the electrical remodeling begins to set in. You want your heart to be accustomed to NSR rather than the afib pattern. I dont know how it is where you live, but heby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
D - more likely it is something HE doesn't know about and doesn't want you to learn that supplements help. There is a saying, "what you aren't up on, your down on." And this seems to fit well when it comes to conventional medicine and nutritional supplements. We've found that it's probably best not to start a discussion about nutritional supplements with pby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Oh, I know. Why it has taken so long for this illumination is beyond comprehension. Its been that way about magnesium and potassium, too. Back as long ago as 1935, magnesium was known as beneficial for treatment in cardiac arrhythmias but how often do we find our cardiologists concerned over magnesium levels? Or potassium? Back in 1928, potassium was known to help lower blood pressure.by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM