well I ever be free of LAF, for me yes.

I am just checking in to offer hope and advice that worked for me.

About 14 yrs ago I had severe AFIBB, otherwise perfectly healthy 49 year old.
1st incident was really bad, in hospital I did not respond to drugs (Digoxin), ended up having Cardioversion to try and stop the severe AFIBB.
it worked, but over next year I continued to have AFibb events, many medical tests revealed excellent heart health and overall health.
My Cardio DR made one mistake that made me question his treatment plan of radio ablation.( I did not have radio ablation or any other medical treatment) When I asked what he thought caused my heart issue he said its electrical it just happens..
That made me question his entire process, nothing just happens, cause an effect is the way the universe works.

It also led me here! After much reading and testing on myself I found that 1 or 2 beers would trigger a small event up to 3 days later. following that clue I read research that shows Alcohol depletes the body of magnesium, the heart is the primary user of magnesium.(https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/magnesium-helps-the-heart-keep-its-mettle).

I cut alcohol (for 2 years), dropped fast foods, ate a lot of pumpkin seeds for magnesium, went vegetarian, then much later vegan + fish.
Today I happily enjoy one glass of red wine a day and I am far healthier and fitter than I was prior to AFIBB.

So I needed no treatment other than more magnesium and nutritionally better food, and more exercise.( Reversing years of so so diet but not a really bad one..)

really hope this works for someone else out there that thinks they are in AFIB hell..

Ironically my Cardio DR has AFFIb, but even after having his research team interview me a few years ago and retest my now healthy heart he still refuses to believe nutrition was the cause and the cure.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/06/2020 11:23PM by mattlamb.

You're very lucky Matt - I tried everything including an ablation and not sure I'd do it again.

Great news and good to hear Matt, but one glass of red has about the same alcohol content as one or two small beers, so for me maybe the other dietary changes have been more material in terms of turning your situation around? Did you used to eat a LOT of fast food?? (MSG???)

Quote
mwcf
Did you used to eat a LOT of fast food?? (MSG???)

I did a stupid MSG experiment over a period of two months. 100% of my AG occurred after a meal that contained msg.
But everyone is different

Natto has helped me, so nutrition was the key solution for me.
Drugs have never help me either, other than flecainide, used as a PIP (pill in pocket)

I still drink the odd beer, glass of wine or gin but not every night.
On occasions I used to go to the pub and meet up with the boys for a session but not any more.

My afib burden is now 2 or 3 events a year, which I can stop quite quickly with flecainide, as a PIP.
I can live with that.

BTW, too much magnesium can trigger afib for me, so it's getting the balance right for your body.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/2020 12:12PM by colindo.

In his book, The End of Alzheimer's Program, Dale Bredesen, MD writes, "Simple illnesses such as pneumonia versus complex illnesses such as Alzheimer’s. Simple illnesses may have many contributors, but a single one is far and away the dominant, and therefore a single drug, like penicillin, is often curative. In contrast, complex illnesses typically have many contributors, but no single contributor is the clear dominant, and therefore identifying and addressing multiple contributors with a precision protocol is the most effective approach to treatment."

I look at afib as a complex illness, which can have many contributors. For any individual, the task is to identify which contributors are issues with them. This can be a very difficult task. Hence, what works for one person may not work for another. We also don't necessarily have great tools to use for this identification process (or even know all the potential contributors). So, in my opinion, it comes down to trial and error. This can be a hugely frustrating process. I'm fond of looking at possible contributors, where addressing them has asymmetric risk (small health downside, large upside). I'm willing to invest large amounts of time, effort and money, as long as the health downsides are small. I also start out focusing on areas where time and effort are the big investment.

Certainly alcohol can be a trigger for some. My mother's doc, who was a neighbor and friend, told me almost the only afib cases he saw as an internist were those with "Holiday Heart Syndrome" (excess alcohol consumption) as the trigger. In fact, I recall a fellow from Wales who showed up here about 13 or 14 years ago. He noted he only got afib after a night out with the boys at the pub. I suggested the solution was simple - don't drink much. He said this was not possible and I didn't understand his culture (which is certainly true). Alcohol was never a trigger for me, though I don't drink much at all now. It was for my son-in-law.

Magnesium has been elemental (pun intended) in my afib remission program.

Even though I luckily identified potential triggers in my case fairly quickly. I've continued to tweak my program and part of my philosophy is to optimize my health in all regards. I figure this is the best way to continue the relative success of my remission program in the future.

Just to be clear I did not have radio abalation or any other medical treatment, no alcohol for year or so and increased dietary sources of magnesium.

That's great Matt, happy for you. Most people have a hard time changing their behavior and only look for a pill to "cure" their problem. I too had success changing my eating and drinking habits, and the silver lining is that you are healthier in many ways!