Medifast diet seems to be helping quite a bit

I'd like to share some good news that may be helpful to some of you reading this. It has to do with diet and afib.

Before taking Flecainide, I was a daily afibber. Since taking the Flec, I typically have 3-6 minor "kick ups" a month - which is not bad at all in comparison. But since I've started the Medifast program in mid-January, I haven't had any kick ups or episodes. I know this isn't fresh whole foods, but it does provide more potassium than I was getting before, and promotes steady blood sugar levels. It seems this is key - at least for me. I know this isn't a program for everyone, but I thought you might be interested to know about my results, which I do believe is attributed to the good potassium and blood sugar levels. If you can get those two things normalized, that might help you too

~ Barb

That's good news Barb.
I really believe diet plays a huge roll in controlling afib. I have really changed my diet in the last five months, and can attribute my success to that.
I'm not really following a particular diet, just doing my own thing. I'm avoiding processed foods, saturated and trans fats, desserts, carbs and in particular sodium intake. It's
great that we have labelling on most of our foods so we can check sodium levels etc. It is bordering on criminal that governments don't try to limit sodium content in packaged
and canned foods. In Canada our federal and provincial health care budgets cost tax payers billions of dollars every year, and as our population ages it is only going to get
worse.
I hope you have continued success.
Lou

Thanks Lou. Of course I spoke too soon - am having a bit of a kick up right now, but I think it's because I had a stew with a fair amount of sodium and added some turkey hot dog to it...more salt. Hopefully that was it and all will be back to NSR shortly. Really gotta watch that sodium.....

Barb

Good for you, Barb!

Good that you know that sodium has a lot to do with "it". The sodium / potassium relationship determines the heart's voltage, hence its beat-to-beat refractory period, hence NSR or AF. Or. if you're into quantum physiology, think "fields" of electromagnetic energy pervading and surrounding the heart, its strength reflecting the heart's sodium/potassium pumps activity (speed). Is one's overall diet / lifestyle stimulating or inhibiting the heart's myriad sodium/potassium pumps? That's the question.

If you haven't already done so, why not spend a few minutes watching part 8 of The Living Matrix film? [www.disclose.tv]

Erling.

Part 6 of The Healing Matrix film is specifically about the heart's electromagnetic field, and the field's function as a "carrier wave" of information to the rest of the body. [www.disclose.tv]

Barb, Have you got on hand either some campbell's low sodium v8 or low sodium tomato juice, or[even better] some of the powdered potassium gluconate from NOW foods, the kind sold in one pound plastic jars? You can counteract that [fairly small] dose of salt by taking in either one 8 oz glass of the losodium v8 or the losodium tomato juice, or by stirring a rounded teaspoonful of the K gluconate powder into an 8 oz glass of cool tapwater and drinking that. I do not, of course, know what symptoms you are having,but if you do that it is very likely those symptoms will vanish right away.

Good luck with it.

PeggyM

PeggyM, et. al.

I am going to speak shortly from direct and recent experience. Short and sweet.

If I consume salt I have 'rumblings' if not a short spot of aFib (under an hour).

The solution, as last night, was to consume a 16 oz. beer cup of Low Sodium V8 with some Potassium Gluconate powder stirred in. Or Low Sodium Mott's Garden Cocktail, which is a bit 'peppery' and a nice change. It is a fast and effective way to get that Potassium into you quickly. For me it terminates 'rumblings' almost immediately and helps keep aFib at bay completely.

Avoid salt and other triggers like the plague. Keep your Potassium level maximized. End of story, sorta.

I have also been supplementing Magnesium and drinking mineral water (seltzer water) low in sodium and very high in magnesium and it's a great drink too. I do not notice the instantaneous effects of dropping off my Magnesium intake and bulking up on Magnesium as I do with Potassium.

Lord help me if I ever have to stop supplements (my list has been posted several times on the board) or if the stores run out of Low Sodium V8 or Garden Cocktail. I even sprinkle some Potassium Gluconate powder on my eggs or oatmeal or anything we have cooked (stir fry) whenever possible and carry some in a small pill bottle or plastic envelope (coin collector size) for when I am out and have an opportunity to use it.

That is my message and my personal experience, to be taken with a grain of something asides from salt, as we are all different but essentially our engines all run the same way.

Murray

From Sam

Murry,
My apologies if I'm misunderstanding your post but you seem to be saying that zeltzer water is high in magnesium.
As far as I'm aware it doesn't contain any.