Taking a non-medical approach...

I've had LPAfib for around 10 years, on and off, and it was finally properly diagnosed three years ago. I'm 63, female, and live in the UK.

I have chosen not to take any medication or go for ablation therapy — though I did go some way down that route after diagnosis.

I'm pretty sure my afib is mostly stress-related, though (sadly!) chocolate (or the caffeine in it — I don't drink coffee) also seems to trigger some episodes. It comes and goes — good months, less good months, and I have found I can usually kick back into NSR by running or open water swimming. (I exercise six days a week and am a veggie so am considered low-risk CHAD-VASC-wise.) I also have regular energy healing sessions, meditate, and do yoga, all of which definitely helps a lot.

I accept that I'm likely to take my afib to the grave (later rather than sooner, I hope!) and (at the moment anyway) would rather live with it than embark on a medicated journey with an uncertain outcome.

I'd be really interested to hear from anyone else here who has also chosen not to go the allopathic route and what alternatives you've found to manage your afib. I'd also love to hear from anyone who has tried taking a non-interventionist route but reached a point where they found their afib so intrusive they decided to go for surgery and/or started taking medication.

Many thanks

I'm in the same boat as you, though my AFib is mostly vagal in nature. My occurrences are on average about twice a month, lasting no more than 8 or 10 hours and never debilitating. As with you my CHADS risk is low. I take an aspirin a day (325mg) but no other treatments or medications. I also have been taking magnesium and potassium supplements for some time.

As to your question about strategies for managing AFib, I have found that tyramine is a significant trigger for me. Before cutting out foods high in tyramine I was having occurrences up to 2 or 3 times a week -- now down to about twice a month or less. Chief tyramine culprits in my diet had been hard and aged cheeses, sourdough bread, cured meats and avocados. Other foods I avoid include dried fruits, pickled or fermented foods and sauces (including soy sauce, etc), smoked fish and red wine. My experience is that the tyramine is not an absolute trigger, but depends on the quantity ingested over the last few days. I also find that after an accumulation in my body of tyramine sometimes a single glass of alcohol can trigger an occurrence.

I keep a log of occurrences and note any potential triggers after each occurrence. It is hard to prove conclusively that tyramine is a trigger because occurrences don't always occur on the same day I've consumed high tyramine foods and I am also occasionally subject to other triggers such as stress and electrolyte depletion. But the log has helped me to convince myself that tyramine avoidance is helping me.

Here's a link (one of many) with info about tyramine -- Tyramine Foods. Also see the response from Jackie in this AFibbers forum topic -- Triggers: Tyramine and Alcohol. I have found though that measurement of tyramine in food is an inexact science and you will find different sources warning against different foods. Start with the lists but then see what works best for you. For me the biggest thing was cutting out hard and aged cheeses.

From what I have read tyramine is not a trigger for everyone. And it would be interesting to see any statistics as to whether it's more likely to be a trigger for vagal or adrenergic types of AFib. But if you decide to try avoiding tyramine I would be interested to know your experience with it over time. Good luck!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2017 01:18PM by lpoleshuck.

Hi Larry - I'm glad to see your sleuthing efforts are paying off for you. It takes diligence but the findings are very valuable for many reasons in that you can avoid other manifestations of the sensitivities which are often not easily targeted without your type of 'heroics' and discipline.

Sometimes there is a similar effect or connection when leaky gut syndrome or Intestinal Permeability is present and those factors that pass through the intestinal barrier (which is supposed to be closed) cause similar problems with a variety of symptoms as well.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Best to you,
Jackie

I'm in between. I'm vagal. After afib came into my life 13.5 years ago, my case quickly progressed to a 2.5 month episode within the first 4 months. I figured out the chronic fitness brought me to afib so I detrained on chronic cardio. Also I needed a lot of magnesium (I've taken up to 5.5 g/day, now take around 2g/day). Later I learned that calcium (in food) over ~600 mg/day was a trigger. So I don't do high calcium food (dairy).

Also determined to spend absolutely as little time in afib as possible, to avoid the remodeling. Hence I got a script for on-demand (PIP) flecainide to take when my other strategies fail. This has worked because it converts me in 1 to 2 hours typically. I've had 4 episodes in the last 4 years for a total of about 4 hours out of rhythm.

George

Quote
emv54
I've had LPAfib for around 10 years

What is LPAfib?

I sort of have done your strategy. It makes sense if your AFIB is not very Symptomatic, and you also can convert on your own in less than 48 hours to obviate the need for Anti-Coagulants). If you look carefully at the Guidlines put out by 2014 AHA/ACC/HRS it does not call for Ablation for Asymptomatic AFIB, only "Symptomatic AFIB".

Quote
Carey
What is LPAfib?

Maybe Lone Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation?

I'm also interested in the non pharma approach. Have been drinking a vege juice similar to what Dr Greger shows in this video. Got to be better fresh than the presumably pasteurized V8?
Only problem is that i can't take it every day because i don't find it that palatable and i try to stop myself from treading it.
[nutritionfacts.org]

Yes! LPA = lone paroxysmal afib.Thanks

And many thanks for all your input — much appreciated. Will definitely check out tyramines...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/2017 06:09PM by emv54.