One Year on The Strategy

It's been a year since I started Jackie's "Strategy" in earnest. Prior to that I had been doing some supplementation with magnesium, taurine, and some trace minerals with varying degrees of success. But over about an 8 year period , my afib increased to about 3 episodes a month, mostly adrenergic episodes. I was at the point where every time I tried to exercise, I felt at risk.

Since implementing the Strategy, I had only 2 afib episodes in the last 365 days! The episodes occurred around my attempt to get into dietary ketosis, going very low carb. I'm assuming I got my potassium , or even sodium too low. I also made the changes too abruptly. After raising my carbs back up a little , things seemed to straighten out, but with some interesting changes. My acid reflux mostly resolved, unless I eat way too much, or too many carbs. My afib symptoms seemed to shift to mostly vagel. I still get some skipped beats about 30 minutes after eating, but they can be alleviated by using 500 mg of potassium gluconate in water. I've had no episodes while exercising, and in fact, exercise actually will calm my skipped beats.

I've been following the Strategy pretty specifically, with a few additions. I've added some vitamin MK7 90 mcg bid. I also take many forms of magnesium, including Doctor's Best 600-800 mg /day, 125-250 mg of pico ionic magnesium ( as sold by Dr Carolyn Dean), topical magnesium, and magnesium salt baths. Since going lower carb, I've had to add about 500 mg of potassium gluconate three times a day, about 1 hour after eating to calm my skipped beats. Eating high potassium foods doesn't seem to do it for me , although I still try . I've been following the other recommendations in the Strategy with only minor fluctuations.

The first two months were difficult, with some near afib episodes, but since then, things have been running smoothly with the exception of the month where I went very low carb. I don't feel like my afib is cured, but right now it's definitely being managed. I'd like to address my gut /bacteria issues a little more, and maybe I can achieve complete success. If not, and things get worse, I'm in with DR Schweikert in Akron, and will have no reservations about getting "fixed'

I think my overall health has been improved by changing my diet and implementing the Strategy. Whether or not I need an ablation at some point, I feel I've made significant changes for the better.

Thanks so much to Jackie for all her work in formulating the Strategy. Thank you George N for your advice on going low carb. ( If I would have followed your advice better and supplemented more with potassium and sodium early on , I may have not even had those 2 episodes). Thank You Shannon for beating the drum of finding a top flight EP. (Getting in with Dr. Schweikert this summer really put me at ease, and I know where to go if things should get worse). And Thank you to Hans for Starting this wonderful website and always being there with information when needed.

I'll be looking forward to Jackie's update off the Strategy, and I would encourage everyone to follow it the best you can, making individual modifications as you go.

John

I find this very interesting and it seems to me diet etc play a large part in all this. My question to everyone is this:
If magnesium and potassium, nutrients, sodium all can alter afib possibly subdue episodes and maybe in some cases put it in hibernation why can you not get EP's and cardiologists etc on board with that?
I have never been told by an EP, "hey try these supplements; you need more potassium; your magnesium is too low"??

Quite the contrary I have been told be very careful with supplements, maybe take a good multivitamin and thats it!.
I have been to several of the best EPs in country including Natale and Schweikert. My questions to them are never answered with a list of supplements or even tests to determine my system levels of nutrients and minerals.

I have often thought this is precipitated by my lack of absorbtion etc but I just wonder why are we not being instructed in this direction ??

Hi John,

Thanks for the good report and its a perfect example of the kind of improvements that are very possible when the Strategy and other supportive dietary modifications discussed on this site are followed through with dedication and resolve and giving it the one year milestone as I often urge people to do and not give up too early.

I had a similar great reprieve with a huge reduction in my episodes for about a 5 year period after adopting the protocols more religiously, alas the progression finally caught up to me and I also have a clear genetic predisposition for AFIB with my Father and sister having had severe long term AFIB as well which may well have contributed to my progression. Hopefully you will be able to keep it well at bay for a long time.

However, if it does start to increase in frequency again in spite of your efforts, don't procrastinate too long with seeing Dr Schwiekert who is a good man and certainly capable of helping give the key step of protection such that, in combination with your ongoing nutritional repletion the combo will definitely help give you as much heart silence where you might well forget you have a heart beat again .. remember those days?!


Cheers!
Shannon



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2014 02:13PM by Shannon.

Hello John – Congratulations on your success and your diligence in sticking with the basics long enough to effect positive changes. I’m so very pleased for you.

When we combine the missing nutrients and correct deficiencies along with an eating plan that works for our individual biochemistry and then stay on that religiously along with other healthy lifestyle changes, quite often the result is that many adverse symptoms disappear into the background or are completely gone.

One of the early inspirational stories was that of Fran Ross in Scotland who eliminated her afib of 20 years along with seizures through dietary modifications and strict avoidance of MSG and free glutamate. She was reactive to supplements so she did it all with a highly-selective diet. It’s interesting because methylation dysfunction often has a manifestation of seizures and often those with methylation dysfunction don’t tolerate supplements or various chemical impurities in food or environmental exposures. (Watch for the Methylation Dysfunction report to be posted soon).

The Strategy revision is really an update to include other changes that I found to be useful. Hopefully, one of these days, I’ll stop tweaking it and publish.

Best wishes for a continued calm heart, John.
Jackie



See Fran’s complete story in CR 61
[www.afibbers.org]

It has been some time since I reviewed the strategy, and now I can't find it, could you post a link,

Thanks,

Lynn

The Strategy: <[www.afibbers.org]
List of other resources: <[www.afibbers.org]