Stop AF with Ice?

In a fascinating interview on mind/body medicine, Dr. David Holt was talking about how he uses German New Medicine (Ryke Geerd Hamer, M.D.) in his practice and he touched on Dr. Hamer’s explanation of why heart attacks happen.

As an aside to discussing the edema that occurs, Dr. Holt mentioned that putting ice on the right earwas important as first line defense in heart attacks but that practice has also been used successfully to stop arrhythmia. He said ER nurses have reported success as well.

So, those of you who are afibbers… have a bag of ice handy to give this a try. A bag of frozen peas would work as well. Just mark that bag as "do not eat" and refreeze to use again as an ice pack.

I don’t recall seeing this posted previously. It may be worth a try.
It certainly would be easy enough if you are home and ice is handy.
(Typically icing is used for 10 – 15 minutes on and the same time off; then resume. You don’t want to freeze the tissue.)

If it works, please share you experiences.

Remember it's your right ear.

Jackie

Details:

Dr. Holt explains: We know there are two rhythm controllers in the heart, the SA node and the AV node but Dr. Hamer teaches us there is yet another rhythm controller up in the brain and it is right in the area, right next to the and adjacent to the coronary artery relay. And so when there is this swelling in this Epileptoid Crisis, it pushes on this rhythm controller and can actually stop the heart. There have been cases where people place a bag of ice over the right ear and they are immediately taken out of arrhythmia.

Dr. Hamer’s theories and work are apparently highly controversial although he does have documentation of long-term recovered patients.
[www.integramedacademy.com]

Caroline Markolin, Ph.D., Vancouver, Canada, has taken up his cause there and is teaching the theories.
[www.germannewmedicine.ca]

German New Medicine –
You can find a video clip here:
[www.youtube.com]

[www.youtube.com]
heart attacks video

[www.germannewmedicine.ca]

In the vein of "no downside" approaches to terminate afib, I thought I'd repost on two that Jackie originally posted on several years ago. Here is her original post: [www.afibbers.org]. Specifically I'm referring to d-ribose and to trigger points.

In a follow up post, I describe the location of the arrhythmia trigger point.
<[www.afibbers.org]> as well as an experiment where I asked other afibbers to see if they had this point: <[www.afibbers.org]>

I have subsequently played with trigger points a lot. I've been able to help many with various pains, though I've not tried to stop an afib attack by massaging this point. I do find it unusual that this spot is tender on me. Since my afib is very well controlled, I don't have to opportunity to try this technique out very often & have forgotten about it when the occasional breakthrough happens. I've also learned to "reset" trigger points in 90 seconds (described below), however I have not figured out how to do this on points on the front of the chest.

However, I have learned that the "referred pain" element of trigger points is very real. For example, my wife had an issue with her thumb. In the book by Davies noted below, he lists, in order of probability, places to look for trigger points associated with a specific pain. Amazingly the first six locations were nowhere near the thumb - the first in the bicep & then various neck & shoulder muscles. When I released (described below) trigger points I found in the biceps, neck & shoulder, her thumb felt immediately better. Another recent example, my daughter complained of a very sore elbow from a rugby injury. With the exception of the triceps, all of the trigger point locations were in various pectoral muscles. When these were treated, the elbow felt better.

This referred pain is the only way I can explain why a muscle overlying the ribs on the right side of the body can effect the heart on the left side.

In any case, I strongly suggest you lean about trigger points if you have body pains and also experiment with them for afib.

The text of an email I recently sent a friend about trigger points for general pain is below. The release technique is very hard to do by yourself, but is fairly easy with a partner. The massage technique can be used by all.

George

=====================================================
I happened on to Trigger Point Therapy about two years ago. After playing around with it, I’ve really improved some long-standing structural complaints on my knees (over ten years in existence), hips, shoulder and arms. Subsequently I’ve lent my book to associates from aged from 25 to 75 who’ve also had very positive results with long standing complaints. So I decided to pass it on.

Here is a description of trigger points: "a palpable nodular or band-like hardness in the muscle, a highly localized spot of extreme tenderness in the band, reproduction of the patient's distant pain complaint by digital pressure on that spot [referred pain], and relief of the pain by massage or injection of the tender spot." The distant or referred pain is an important concept. Many times the trigger point is not near where the pain is. An example, for pain in the thumb and web of the hand, the most likely spot for trigger points is in the bicep area. The next most likely spot are in the scalens muscles, which are in the neck.

This technique was developed by Janet Travell, MD, White House physician under Kennedy. Her treatment of his back pain was the reason he was able to even campaign for President. For a biography on Dr. Travell, see: "Janet G. Travell, MD, A Daughter's Recollection, Virginia P. Wilson. [www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov]

This workbook, "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief, by Clair Davies" summarizes her approach, and how to self treat. The authors' website is here: Amazon link:
[www.amazon.com]

Dr. Travell used an injection of local anesthetic to calm the trigger point. Clair Davies shows how to use self-massage. This can give immediate relief, but can take days/weeks/months to get the trigger point to settle down for good. Davies also organizes his book, listing the most probable locations for trigger points for a specific pain. This is especially important in the case of referred pain.

Recently, an osteopath (DO) friend told me about an osteopathic technique to immediately get the trigger point to settle down. Basically, you find the trigger point, then, while holding it, put the muscle in a position where it relaxes & the trigger point is no longer sore. Then hold there for 90 seconds to two minutes. Here is a good explanation from Jones who discovered this approach:

[www.jiscs.com]

Jone's contribution are serveralfold:

1. Trigger (tender) points are 4 or more times more tender than the surrounding tissue, with the same pressure.
2. When you get the muscle in the "release" position, the pain diminishes by 2/3's or more.
3. Finding a "release" position and holding for at least 90 seconds will "reset" the spasm.
4. When bringing the muscle out of the "release" position, do it very slowly.
5. 50% of the time, there will also be a Tp on the opposing side

I tried it with my wife with her hip. I would find a Tp, then with on hand on the Tp, I would move her into a position of comfort - at this position the Tp was no longer tender. I would hold for 90 seconds - 2 minutes. Then I would find the next Tp & repeat. It was a great success.

I've found that many times women do not have the hand strength to find and work on trigger points. In this case a hard ball or other instrument such as the Back Buddy can be useful:

[www.amazon.com]

In summary the approach really is a one-two punch. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook tells you, in order of probability where to look for trigger points for a specific pain. Jones' Strain & Counterstrain is a way to get an "instant release" of the Trigger Point. Together it is a great combination.

Reply Quote

Jackie,

I'll certainly try it the next time the beast returns, nothing to lose. I'm skeptical of this German doctor though. I checked him on Wiki and he is regarded as a quack and has served jail time for illegally practicing medicine with his license revoked.

Here's the English site:

[en.wikipedia.org]

The German site covers him more in depth:

[de.wikipedia.org]

Mike wrote:
I'm skeptical of this German doctor though. I checked
> him on Wiki and he is regarded as a quack and has served jail
> time for illegally practicing medicine with his license
> revoked.


That might be more of a reflection on orthodox medicine than on the doctor.

I quickly read through the wiki ref to his ideas and they seem, at a glance, to bear a relation to The Secret which I'm presently reading.

I stopped ectopics the other day by ice on my right ear.

Joyce

I did mention Dr. Hamer is controversial. The doctor presenting (David Holt) mentioned this in his defense, though, that his history with curing cancer patients by his methods stands for itself based on the large numbers of patients that have lived long past the 5 year survival mark.

However, my tip on the Ice was offered not by the German doctor but mentioned as an aside in a talk about German New Medicine.

The ice to the right ear is said to reduce edema and swelling in the relay area that occurs during heart attack. Dr. Holt (not Dr. Hamer) observed it was effective in stopping arrhythmia and confirmed that with his local ER nurses.

Sorry if my post was confusing. I'm not suggesting we should consider German New Medicine for AF.... as that's mostly for cancer treatment.

Afibbers have nothing to lose but AF by trying the ice pack to the right ear at the onset.

Jackie

Thanks for the clarification, Jackie. I probably read too much into your original post. I will try the ice if the beast returns.

Jackie wrote:

> I don’t recall seeing this posted previously. It may be worth a
> try.
> It certainly would be easy enough if you are home and ice is
> handy.
> (Typically icing is used for 10 – 15 minutes on and the same
> time off; then resume. You don’t want to freeze the tissue.)
>
> If it works, please share you experiences.
>
> Remember it's your right ear.


Sorry to report it didn't work for me last night.
In frustration I tried the ice on my neck, then my chest and then my back just to see if the shock would make a difference - no to all of them!
However I wasn't too bad and slept through most of it, only a slowish HR as usual these days.

Joyce

"Sorry to report it didn't work for me last night."
Remember the little furor here about stopping afib episodes within 20 minutes by taking one ounce only of Mg citrate bowel prep? That last episode, the one brought on by sudafed taken for a bad cold, the same one that caused the local philipino hospitalist to say i was in permanent afib, i tried that with no result at all. The afib kept right on afibbing.I was, to say the least, very disappointed.
PeggyM

Hi Joyce - Well - I'm sorry too that the ice treatment on the right ear didn't work for you. I hope others will try it so we have a consensus of efficacy.
I wonder if the ER nurses had a special way of placing the ice to bring about success. Jackie

Jackie wrote:

> Hi Joyce - Well - I'm sorry too that the ice treatment on the
> right ear didn't work for you. I hope others will try it so we
> have a consensus of efficacy.
> I wonder if the ER nurses had a special way of placing the ice
> to bring about success. Jackie

Hi Jackie,

I've just re-read the original suggestion and I doubt if I left it in place for as long as 10 minutes - it was ....... er .... cold!!!

I would try it again as I'm pretty sure it stopped ectopics a few days ago.

It certainly made the slight congestion in my ear disappear and funnily enough that usually only affects my right ear.

Joyce