Acupuncture stopped my afib!!

Not a regular visitor but this site was an important resource. I composed the follow off line so I hope it still reads OK:

I'm 66 years old, married, self-employed.

For years my wife couldn't sleep with me due to my, then, undiagnosed sleep apnea. About a year ago I had a serious episode of atrial flutter (bpm > 140) for which I was treated unsuccessfully by Kaiser Permanente. After reading about the connection between apnea and afib, it was time to get serious treatment for the apnea. No longer insured by KP, I activated my VA benefits and got my CPAP from the VA.

I didn't take well to the CPAP and I began having a few drinks before bed so I could deal with the mask. Now on a CPAP machine for the past 8-9 months, I'm sleeping great. However, during this time my afib has continued unabated. I wanted to treat the afib myself so found all the internet "cures" and tried them all. None were truly effective and I sought treatment from the VA.

They put me on beta blockers (first, Atenelol, now, Metropolol) and through tests to determine that my heart was physically healthy - nuclear studies, stress, etc. and wanted to do an ablation and possibly Flecanide.

So I began researching. First, I didn't want to take any more major drugs and didn't want to live a life dealing with side effects. Ablation seemed to be the best alternative but too many people reported having to have multiple ablations and occasional heart palpatations that were extreme. And I was afraid of taking Warfarin. This didn't sound like a good solution.

So, knowing that my heart was healthy, that left the afib to be strictly an energy condition. I researched how the heart beat signals propogate through the heart to make it beat and decided that being a body of energy, I should be able to find a way to manipulate that energy whether through meditation or whatever.

About this time, a customer walked into my computer repair shop and, as we talked, he tells me he was a pharmacist for 28 years but couldn't do it anymore and became an acupuncturist.

Believing that there are no accidents and that we create our reality, I knew that I had created John walking into my shop. As we talked, I told him of my afib and he thought he might be able to help. I had also mentioned that my research had led me to the acupressure points related to the heart that I'd been using. So I scheduled an appointment for the upcoming Saturday.

Well, I'm here to testify! Almost immediately after me first treatment, my afib/flutter stopped completely. OK, I thought, let's see if it holds. By Wed, I began feeling some stress in my heart and I scheduled another session with John on Thursday. This time he went a bit further with his treatment and the next day was terrible though my afib was still responding to the acupressure and crunches (Vaselva maneuver). He also prescribed some Chinese herbal supplements (Zhi Gan Cao).

Since that day, I have had several afit/flutter events but all were easily stopped with acupressure and Vega crunches!! My energy is back, I sleep well, my heart works and my mental outlook is great.

3/30/16
I've now had three treatments and I've stopped drinking alcohol to deal with the CPAP. As John explained, I had excess Yang (fire) energy which was causing me to be sensitive to heat - easily overheating and sweating. Now two weeks without alcohol and I'm no longer overheated getting out of the shower. I'm still a little warm but much cooler overall. I've had only two minor afib events this week - all stopped with the acupressure and Vega crunch.

But most important - my positive mental outlook has returned; I can see a future full of things I want to do instead of curling up on the couch and worrying about running out of breath as I did only what chores I had to.

4/2/16
Another treatment. Pulse diags good. This week I've had minor afib events that were easily treated with Vega crunches. To be more specific, I can feel my heart go into irregular rhythm. Sometimes it comes right back, other times I have to do several crunches to stop it. But the take away is this: most of my days are afib-free, no heaviness in my chest, no shortness of breath and a positive outlook.

Instead of my waking moments filled with dread and clouded mind - my old self is back and I can function without fear.

4/26/16
Update: I continue to have minor afibs every few days. To put it another way - I can go several days without afib. Each episode though has been easily controlled by acupressure on the meridian points in my left ear (5 needles when being treated), inside my right knee at the top of the shin bone as well as the points on my wrists. Coupled with crunches (Valsalva) the afib usually converts within a few minutes. I've added a potassium supplement (KM) and resveratrol to my routine and quit taking the Taurine/l-arginine supplement.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/2016 05:06PM by afibbers.

Hello Afibbers - I'm delighted to read your success story with acupuncture and that you are no longer living in fear of Afib. I can appreciate your relief.

Before I gave in and scheduled an ablation in 2003, I had 20 acupuncture treatments with an MD who was also a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. While I was sure it would make a difference, it did not, unfortunately. So, I'm very pleased to read your success because I have had acupuncture for other problems that worked 'like miracles.'

However, after the acupuncture, I then saw a chiropractor who used a special manipulation technique that worked on the stomach/diaphragm area to eliminate vagus nerve impingement so often common in that area. I went from almost daily events lasting 24 - 27 hours with only 4 hours in NSR and then back into another event to zero after just a few treatments and at the same time, I vigorously ramped up magnesium and potassium supplementation.

I have always felt that physical maneuvers or treatments that focus on the diaphragm area will help curtail Afib and the other essential (besides optimizing intracellular magnesium and potassium) is maintaining tissue alkalinity by intake of magnesium bicarbonate water aka Waller Water. You may want to consider adding that to your water. It's easy, economical and quick to make.

Dietary choices that minimize high sodium and calcium intake along with focus on optimizing the essential electrolytes - magnesium and potassium help maintain NSR as well. Many people find they need to supplement.

Keep in mind that alcohol poisons and kills heart cells and also depletes magnesium.

I certainly wish you continued success and look forward to your next update.
Thanks for sharing with us.

Best to you,
Jackie

I too tried acupuncture, with the best practitioner in Australia - he treated the Autralian prime minister regularly.

At the outset he said that he doubted it would work because I'd had paroxysmal AF for a very long time. He was right! I felt improvements in lots of other areas but it made no difference to the AF. I had a successful ablation several years later.

Gill

There's something going on with Acupuncture....I had quite the opposite with my own acupunture treatment. After having an ablation with Dr. Natale in Sept. of 2013, I was on the table at my Acupuncturist the following Spring and as he was putting a needle into my left shoulder/neck area, I immediately went into Flutter. It caused me to have my first and only cardioversion, which lasted only 3 weeks before going back into Flutter. I ended up going back to Dr. Natale for a "touch up" ablation for the flutter.

Based on your experience and mine, there does seem like a possible connection. In your case it helped, in mine, it aggravated the situation. Now that I've had the second ablation, I am still getting acupuncture but haven't had any problems since.

I'd love to find a chiropractor who could do what yours did, Jackie, as I have long had a tendency to burp a lot more than anyone should (ha!) and before my ablation, it would often trigger Afib.

So many variables....but glad you're feeling better ________ (you never gave your name!) ~ Barb

Hi Barb - On the burping... look to using two approaches. One, address the fact that you probably don't have enough 'raw materials' to produce the amount of natural stomach acid you need to break down food in the stomach; therefore, that results in gas and burping. The other is that along with each meal, consider using a digestive enzyme. Also work on your tissue pH. Consider making and using regularly the magnesium bicarbonate water...aka... Waller Water or WW.
Maintaining tissue alkalinity helps with much more than digestion.

The essential elements for making stomach acid... vitamin B12 and zinc. Many people are so low in B12, they require a series of injections to restore the proper levels. Zinc is essential for a variety of functions including digestion. Use at least 30 mg daily... I use double that. And choose an Albion TRAACs chelate version... such as zinc glycinate.
You can refer to this report and the section on the importance of stomach acid in overall health [www.afibbers.org]

Consider trying Source Natural's Daily Essential Vegetarian Digestive Enzymes 500 mg. 1 with each meal and snack.


About the chiropractor. Yes, he's unique. He did a lot of independent study and perfected his own version of a combination of manipulations. I now see a D.C. who also teaches to other chiropractors, the unique practice of spinal alignment via the Directional Non-Force Technique (TM).

Best to you,
Jackie

Yes there are no accidents, You bring to my mind osteo surgeon Robert O. Becker writing The Body Electric and biophysicist Jerry Tennant writing in Healing Is Voltage:

Myth: the human body is controlled primarily by chemistry.
Fact: the human body is controlled primarily by electronics.

Electronic acupuncture is a gift from the spacy age in the form of Russian SCENAR and Tennant's Biomodulator:

S.C.E.N.A.R.
Self-Controlled Energetic Neuro-Adaptive Regulator
Or
How to treat health issues in outer space.
[www.pnf.org]

History
In the early phases of the Cosmonaut program Russian scientists were grappling with the very
real scenario of a health crisis in space. In that weightless environment, surgical procedures can
not be performed. Because of the confined areas of the space capsules and weight restrictions of
the booster rockets, medicines and other health devices could not be taken along at the expense
of oxygen, food, and waste disposal equipment. Large, heavy medical devices obviously could
not be accommodated. Pharmaceuticals were totally impractical as well since they are designed
to be so specific that a large pharmacy of many medications would be needed to cover even a
few medical conditions. In addition, due to the limited supplies of potable water, all waste water
must be recycled, which would concentrate medications into the drinking water and
consequently treat all the personnel whether necessary or not.

[Note EXAtest developed by NASA for the same reason]

In 2000, Jerry Tennant, MD, a retired ophthalmologist with a research clinic for energetic
medical devices, accepted the position of being responsible for training for the Scenar in the US.
After many months of working with the device, he found it to be “the most effective therapeutic
device I have ever seen. It can accomplish things I was never able to do with conventional
medicine. I have corrected many things with it that other devices have not been able to correct.
Things that might correct in months can be corrected in days with the Scenar.”
==========================================================

How it works:

1. It is applied on the skin surface, stimulating all structures of the skin. The skin develops
from the same embryological layer as the nervous system. This allows for treatment of
internal organs as the Scenar stimulates reflexive zones on the surface of the skin.
2. It works along acupuncture meridians and neurological zones.
3. It releases a regulative healing-peptide cascade.
4. It helps to restore homeostasis.
5. It eliminates repetitive central nervous system patterns.
6. It works along ascending pathways in the spinal cord to affect the cortex of the brain.
This causes efferent pathways from the cortex to convey impulses, which affect a
response in the organs associated with the reflex area on the skin.
7. It works directly on local spinal reflexes.
8. It re-establishes normal membranous resonance.
9. Through molecular polarization it normalizes adapted tissue polarities.
10. By microphoresis it stimulates selective reabsorption of trace elements and minerals from
the skin.

Contraindications !
1. Pacemakers
2. Cardiac Fibrillation



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/2016 12:49AM by Moerk.