Acid Reflux related to Afib?

I just had a close friend who’s only 40 diagnosed with Afib after a huge meal in a vegas buffet. He said he woke up sweaty and felt his heart beating fast so he went to ER. They ruled it out as nothing dangerous and sent him home with a blood thinner. He’s in athletic condition, has no blood pressure issues but has a lifelong battle with PPI’s. While trying to advise him I got into an argument about his habit of abusing PPI’s daily while he completely ignored the bloodwork results which showed low potassium and magnesium. His argument was simply that nothing can be done to address his acid reflux otherwise the doctor would have fixed it by now. No one in his family has Afib. So far he’s only had one episode of Afib and decided not to do anything until it progresses. I gave him a link to this website and contact to Natale’s office in case he decides to go the ablation route.

Do any of you have an argument here I can present to him about his low stomach acid? Or is it too much acid? Some of us have more acid than others I get that but in his case I thinks it’s related to PPI’s causing malabsorption and possibly other issues. Im thinking also that because of PPI’s and the length of time he’s been on them, his stomach isn’t producing enough acid to breakdown the food. If there isn’t enough acid then the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) isn’t contracting while the gallbladder and pancreas continue to produce the enzymes which then reflux into the esophagus causing the heartburn and also possibly the Afib.

I apologize for the typos I’m writing this from my phone while visiting family.

Thank you,

Johnny

Oh geez. Yeah, chronic use of PPIs is a fast track to an effed up GI tract, B12 deficiency, calcium deficiency, osteoporosis, and a few other things I can't recall offhand. Hell, it can even cause or increase GERD. Could it cause afib? Sure, since it screws with electrolyte levels.

PPIs aren't meant for long-term use and do more harm than good when used long-term.

If you could get your friend to search the web and only read credible sites, he'd see pretty quickly that what he's doing does more harm than good and there are real solutions to his problem other than PPIs.

Amen.

I used them for 2 years following an esophageal ulcer and I’m convinced it was a contributing factor in my AF. I’ve been taking B12 and zinc supplements for two years now and I get zero reflux. Seriously. I’d have to eat an entire extra large pizza slathered in hot peppers to get reflux. It just doesn’t happen anymore. Thank God I stopped listening to conventional wisdom on GERD!

Wolfpack,

Are you saying that b-12 and zinc relieved or fixed your GERD?

Hmm. I just told my GP about my GERD is getting worst from Multaq and how my PPI is failing and he took a zinc and b12 lab. Both within range. I wouldn’t mind taking zinc (already on b12) but if I am within range for the serum test, what would happen if I take zinc and I have too much zinc in my body?

Is 50 mg of zinc a day too much?
Yes, if you get too much. Signs of too much zinc include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and headaches. When people take too much zinc for a long time, they sometimes have problems such as low copper levels, lower immunity, and low levels of HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol).Jul 12, 2019
[ods.od.nih.gov] › factsheets
Zinc — Consumer - Office of Dietary Supplements - NIH

A safe amount of zinc for long-term use is 20 to 40 mg per day along with 1 to 2 mg of copper. Higher amounts should be taken only under the supervision of a doctor. ... If you are taking 30 mg or more of zinc per day, most doctors recommend adding 2 to 3 mg of copper to avoid deficiency.
[www.peacehealth.org] › medi...

Does your drinking water come through copper pipes? If yes, i'm not so sure a copper deficiency would occur. However, copper/zinc ratio might be a problem?

Quote
johnnyS
Wolfpack,

Are you saying that b-12 and zinc relieved or fixed your GERD?

I’m saying that they are both related to stomach acid production, and that it is a lack of stomach acid that precipitates GERD in many cases. If you don’t digest your food quickly in your stomach, then every time you sit down or lie down all that undigested mess pushes up against the upper esophageal sphincter and winds up in the esophagus where any amount of acid wreaks havoc. Your stomach needs to be very acidic (pH around 2). Food needs to be shredded down to amino acids which are what your small intestine is evolved to absorb. If that timely breakdown doesn’t happen you get problems on both ends. GERD on the top and IBS on the bottom. GERD from the mass pushing upwards and IBS from undigested proteins making their way into the small intestine and your own immune system freaking out at that and attacking the tissue.

Burps and cramps, all brought to you courtesy of big Pharma. Oh, and AF too for the really lucky among us.

Wolfpack,

So is this an electrolyte imbalance or some vagal nerve issue which activates Afib.

The PPIs cause electrolyte problems and the GERD inflames the esophagus, which abuts your left atrium. In my book, that can’t be good for AF.

Just FYI:

The dosing of zinc may be highly individualized, but the retinal specialist I've seen for years because of signs of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) gave me a list of nutrients that he wanted to be sure were included in my daily eye health regimen... among those nutrients is 80 mg of zinc. I've taken zinc bisglycinate chelate for years without side effects.

Jackie

Jackie,

Are you also taking copper? I know that zinc can deplete copper and I remember Hans writing about the overall importance of copper

Quote
johnnyS
Jackie,

Are you also taking copper? I know that zinc can deplete copper and I remember Hans writing about the overall importance of copper

I know that Dr. Bredesen, with his AlzD/dementia prevention/regression protocol wants to see a Zn/Cu ratio of around 1 in serum. For me, Cu is always fine, but getting Zn up is the issue. I do live in a house with Cu water pipes.

Quote
wolfpack
The PPIs cause electrolyte problems and the GERD inflames the esophagus, which abuts your left atrium. In my book, that can’t be good for AF.

My doc, Steve Gundry, is in your camp on the PPI's causing all sorts of havoc.

Quote
GeorgeN
My doc, Steve Gundry, is in your camp on the PPI's causing all sorts of havoc.

Is there an informed doctor anywhere who isn't?

PPIs have their use, but short-term is almost always a part of that.

Quote
johnnyS
Jackie,

Are you also taking copper? I know that zinc can deplete copper and I remember Hans writing about the overall importance of copper

Yes... copper is also on the list.

Jackie

Quote
Carey

My doc, Steve Gundry, is in your camp on the PPI's causing all sorts of havoc.

Is there an informed doctor anywhere who isn't?

PPIs have their use, but short-term is almost always a part of that.

I guess my Gasterologists are not well informed because many are on PPI’s 24/7. I do what I have to do to get relief. My Family is a Gerd family. It seems to be in our Genes. Lol
I am on 30 mg Prevacid daily and have been for over 5 years. I take 20 mg of Pepcid as needed but not over 1X a day.
GERD sucks and all these Holistic approaches do zero for me with the exception of Baking soda and water.

I also benefit from using an asthma steroid inhaler, squirting in my mouth, gargling with a small amount of water to make a solution in my mouth, then swallowing. I will not use a PPI but every once in awhile used to use Zantac, before recall.

I am curious what JohnnyS meant when he wrote his friend went home on a blood thinner, after one episode. I have never been given a blood thinner, and have had 4 episodes now. Did he have a short-term blood thinner or did they put him on a daily long term regimen after that one ER visit?

I think it had to do with him not knowing how long had he been in Afib exactly. He wanted to be cardioverted but they played it safe and put him on blood thinners.