Hi everyone,

I've really learned a lot reading everyone's posts and the papers on this site, and I'm very grateful for that, thank you.

As a newcomer, I've noticed two things here that I think might be worth mentioning in order to possibly be of help here. They come from my own research, which is obviously not professional grade.

First, as the researchers in Adelaide have discovered, lifestyle is a major component of the contributing factors to any kind of arrhythmia. While many of us run/bike/workout X number of minutes a week, have a BMI of ______ and don't or do eat certain things, what strikes me is how the lifestyle checkboxes here don't seem to be tested the same way serum electrolytes or physician's reputations are and the assumption is that if I have some positive lifestyle factors, it's necessarily good for me and my condition. Aside from a couple of posts I've read, the lifestyle choices seem much less examined than the supplementation or procedure choices (that's the best way I can put it.)

If it's too much, not enough, wrongly applied, or connected to something unhealthy, it's not good for us, no matter if it's magnesium or jogging. If having a certain weight is an emotional issue, losing weight over that amount could possibly overcome the lighter weight's benefit. Stopping smoking can produce so much internal short-term stress that the person could suffer consequences that make it very challenging or produce secondary, unanticipated problems that they need the bandwidth to survive. (As GeorgeN points out, his adoption of keto had some potentially triggering stress.) So like electrolytes, changing or having a certain lifestyle choice is complex, personal, and has a high degree of effect on our conditions.

Everyone here is so helpful, friendly, willing to share and educated. I wonder, could we share those stories, methods and results too?

Both related and secondly, it feels like to me (and apologies if I've missed it) that stress is at least as big a factor, and the methodology, resources and effects aren't a big part of the discussion here. Sincerely and with respect, I do not mean this as criticism, I mean that compared to what I have discovered on my own, through research and experimentation, leads me to believe that if a bad email, a loud but unharmful noise, or bad news can immediately change your heart beat or rhythm, then how we deal with the lifelong, difficult and personal issues of stress are at least as important as everything else.

I'm personally fascinated by the connection of stress and our physical condition - it relates to some of the work I do professionally - and I specifically note a lot of connection between my couple of bouts of a-fib and my own personal experience with stress. Maybe this is another thing to share and explore?

Thanks again to everyone for all the posts and information.

Not everyone’s AFIB journey is the same. For instance, When I went into AFIB I never came back out without electrical paddles. Many on this Forum pop in and out of AFIB.
As far as exercise, I am not sedentary but I do have a chronic Thoracic back injury which I deal with daily. I hurt big time which limits my exercise plus I live in the country 30 miles away from the nearest workout center and that’s by choice. I like country living; I am Country and I will die country.
Everyone has different scenarios in Life. I am now retired and I admit I could never do what some individuals do lifestyle. One example is George N but I respect the mans drive and choices.
Living in the South is different than living across the Mason Dixon line. To wrap it up, Everyone has to make choices in life. This website and Shannon have been such a great help to me since late 2011. I was very stressed out about my AFIB situation.After my1st post, So many came out to support me and guide me through this AFIB Journey. Shannon personally talk to me and led me to Austin. I cannot say enough of the positive energy I got from all at this site.

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smackman
I cannot say enough of the positive energy I got from all at this site.

I agree 100%.

Max - Thanks for your provocative post and questions. Those of us who have been participating for many years, can remember many discussions on lifestyle factors and dietary habits that could be considered contributors to AF. In the Conference Room Session #61, there are testimonials by individuals who had found their unique triggers and took steps to modify and then, with time, eliminated their Afib. We have heard from some that later on the Afib has returned but can be managed.

With so many factors being unique to one's specific biochemical/biophysical 'individuality'... the list could be very long and probably, would not work well as a general avoidance list.

One major emphasis continues to be the importance of intracellular magnesium not only for Afib but for overall health, in general. And, repeating the mantra: If the magnesium form is not able to access the cell's interior where it functions, then steps need to be taken to determine why. This can be related to the form itself, the transport through the intestinal lumen, healthy Mg cellular receptor sites and eliminating that which interferes with magnesium... such as calcium and alcohol.

The magnesium story can be accessed at Paul Mason's website... www.mgwater.com and the classic book by magnesium researcher, Mildred S. Seelig, MD, MPH, The Magnesium Factor, can be accessed there for reading online. Paul has done an outstanding job to bring magnesium awareness to the world.

And so, the story goes with other essential, core nutrients that help support heart function specific to maintaining NSR.

While optimal nutrients are significant, there is much more to the story and that's where lifestyle habits are important factors.. and again... there are generalities and some, very individually unique.

The stress factor is one that can be both individually unique and also common... emotional stress, job stress, physical stress, and environmental exposures that are stressors... to mention a few....and the connection to AF is that stress depletes magnesium. So foundationally, stress assessment becomes a very important component of the core list.

Jackie