I came across this mention of how glutamate works in a piece, The Reeve Effect, by Jerome Groopman, M.D. in the current (Nov. 10) The New Yorker magazine. The article is about the actor Christopher Reed's independent, unorthodox and heroic efforts to break through his paralysis. (He was paralyzed after a horseback riding accident)

"When a fracture dislocates the spine and shatters the vertebral bones, small hemorrhages from broken blood vessels seep into the viscous tissue of the spinal cord, resulting in swelling. Since the cord is contained within the bone of the vertebral column, there is little room for expansion, and the circulation of vital oxygen and nutrients is cut off. Nerve cells within the cord are starved. As these cells die, they release toxic chemicals, particularly GLUTAMATE, (my emphasis) an amino acid that overexcites the surrounding nerve cells, causing inflammation. That is why Reeve was given an intravenouos dose of methylprednisolone, a steroid, shortly after the accident. In a 1990 study, a team led by Dr. Wise Young, a neurologist at Rutgers University, showed that a prompt dose of methylprednisolone could limit inflammation and spinal-cord damage.

Even after methylprednisolone therapy, many surviving nerve cells in the damaged spinal cord begin to die. The process is poorly understood, but it is believed that the cells, programmed to sense a hostile environment, self-destruct. A bruised spinal cord resembles a landscape after napalm; one axon after another has been turned into a severed stump. Where cells once resided, large cavities develop that fill with fluid. Over time, the inflammation subsides, but scars form, further distorting any surviving nerve pathways. "

Hans, P. C. and Fran, does this shed any new light on the afib process?

I am particularly interested in the initial process of oxygen deprivation and resultant cell damage and death after which glutamate factors in. It seems to correlate with what Dr. Sarno postulates about back pain and a number of other disorders and diseases.

Carol

Carol,

You might want to read this link, that I presented a while back. It could have been pre-Carol. I found it quite interesting, and need to re-read myself. Keep in mind while you're reading it, that the MSM is biological sulfur, that you are probably already aware of, but that methionine is also the essential sulfur containing amino acid that I showed low in, along with cysteine, taurine, and glutathione, that I also showed low. This article is about oxygenating the cells.
[www.krysalis-sparx.com]

Another link you might find quite interesting is:
www.newtreatments.org

How are you doing now? I know you were reverting back to some AF, but haven't heard if things got better when you lowered your Mg. Do you have copies of your serum test from the hospital? I would be very interested to know what you showed on your electrolytes, in particular, phosphorous. Anyway else that would care to share, would be helpful, as well.

Thank you for the information, Carol. It was very interesting.
Richard

Glad that you woke me up on this. My internist and cardiologists are pretty casual about blood tests. What are standard items that should be included in a serum profile for an afibber?

I am doing a bit better with my afib. I notice that when I run around too fast and get too intense, I am apt to get afib when I finally rest at night. I really burned out these last few days in New Haven , finding my way around and taking in the university scene and city, working on research on Emily Dickinson against time constraints in Manuscripts and Archives at the library at Yale and taking in art exhibits on the side. Overstimulated!! I had afib that night and had to read manuscripts the whole next day with no sleep. I returned home , went to bed at 8 o'clock, slept 10 hours with no afib. When I am about to collapse and my nervous system is run down from overdrive, overstimulation and lack of sleep , I don't get afib. ??!!

Carol

Carol,

A full panel serum test was probably done, if you were ever admitted to the hospital at any time. That's where I requested mine from. The basic metabolic panel includes sodium, potassium, chloride, carbon dioxide, ion gap (??), glucose, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and calcium. Then under different categories, it includes creatine kinase total activity and magnesium, with a few other categories that I think are measuring thickness of blood. I'm curious about the ion gap test. I'll have to see what I can find. It's just nice to have all my test together, so I can get a better picture of what's going on within. For true measurements of Mg and K, that would have to be measured intracellularly, and I don't think they do those test, but the serum test seemed to be a good indicator, because my erythrocyte test basically showed the same results.

Sounds like you had a good time, even if you were exhausted at the end. Interesting, though, that you don't get AF under total exhaustion. I'll have to think about that one. Just curious, why are you studying Emily Dickinson? Are you in college?

Richard

Carol,

There is considerable evidence that lone atrial fibrillation involves an inflammation and can be controlled with prednisone (see pages 130-137 in my book). What is new (to me at least) is the suggestion that glutamine may be causing the inflammation.

Hans

Hi, Richard

Thank you. I will try to get a copy of the blood test from the last time I was admitted to the hospital E. R.

I am an "independent," free - lance researcher/writer. I graduated from college many years ago and since then, have been writing about discoveries that I have made with respect to late 18th c. - early 19th century American artists, nature subjects, and New England history. I recently completed a survey that documented the stone carving in an early New England burial ground. I am now working on a discovery that I made with respect to George Gould, who captured the fancy of Emily Dickinson.

You can see that I am way out of my territory in dealing with the microbiology of afib!

Carol

Carol,

I'm sure I would find what you are researching far more interesting than AFIB!!! I am only learning about AFIB in hopes that one day I'll be able to forget all I learned about it - and devote more time to all the things I love to do.

Bill