fOUND ANOTHER ONE

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This area where i am following old threads seems fruitful with articles that also apply to afib. I need somebody to show them to. Who other than the readers here is going to be interested? If i think i need to be ignored, i have a cat.

PeggyM

I don't understand how that has anything to do with afib.

The cat does not, Carey, except i need a home for her when i die, but the article does. We have been discussing the Na/K pump as it applies to afib, but its function is not limited to the heart, taking place in every cell of the body. If we understand this action better, it may help us to help ourselves . Do not underestimate the intelligence of the posters here. A lot of people here just read and do not post at all, too.I did that for years and learned a lot.

Like most of the people i know, they had a chapter on this in our basic biology text, but when the teacher began to drone on about it, i forgot it after the quiz. In my case i brushed up on it real quick back when PC Md began talking about it. I think you are too new here to even have heard of PC, but he used to be a regular poster here. I think he had a Natale ablation, but i could be wrong about that. Last i heard i think he was living an afib free life in Hawaii.

PeggyM

I'm not underestimating anyone's intelligence and I'm aware that all muscle cells have Na/K pumps. I just didn't understand how the article relates to afib. I wasn't criticizing you, just wondering if I was missing something.

Yes Peggy...as an old timer of almost 16 years lurking on this forum, I remember PC (Wasn’t he a MD?) from Hawaii posts. I hope he is still well and free of AF. Peggy, we miss your paleo and “the list” posts! I hope you are well. I adapted an almost pure Paleo diet all these years from your and (I believe is his name) William (?) frequent paleo contributions to this forum.

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susan.d
Yes Peggy...as an old timer of almost 16 years lurking on this forum, I remember PC (Wasn’t he a MD?) from Hawaii posts. I hope he is still well and free of AF.

Hey Susan, yes, PC is an MD, is doing well and he posted several months ago (under PC, MD rather than his old PC username). In this post, he notes:

"The importance of magnesium and potassium in LAF, Prinzmetal angina, and many other maladies such as migraine headaches, Raynaud’s phenomenon not to mention the epidemic of constipation, muscle cramps, and other cardiac arrhythmias cannot be over emphasized. ALL muscle and nerve cells rely on nothing more than the in/out flow of potassium, sodium, and calcium mediated by ATP, the creation of which requires magnesium."

George

Hi Peggy,

I took a read of that as soon as I saw your post. I agree highly relevant here.

PC had 2 ablations in Bordeaux (PVI and a touch-up later) and as George says is doing well.

I recall PC supplementing very determinedly with Mg for a year only to find he hardly moved his intracellular Mg levels upwards at all (he had an Exatest before and after the year of Mg supplementation). That's the thing. I believe a lot here - very much including me - are genetically predisposed to ectopics and AF by way of our cellular pumps allowing too much Ca into cardiac cells and not enough Mg. How to tackle that head on is quite another matter. Steve Daly's Ca reduction and D3 supplementation (with K7) looks worth a go to me and I'll be getting a D3 test in early Jan and going at it from there. When I had an Exatest in 2010 it showed IC Ca at 7 (3-5 normal range) and IC Mg 31.8 (34-41 normal range) so I'm way out of whack there for sure and that, I believe, is my problem - as it was my mother's and still is her 2 sisters. I'm hoping working hard to get IC Ca down will let some Mg in there to try and calm things a little! As we know, George N has to watch his cheese (Ca major hit) intake very carefully.

Best regards Peggy,

Mike F

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mwcf
When I had an Exatest in 2010 it showed IC Ca at 7 (3-5 normal range) and IC Mg 31.8 (34-41 normal range) so I'm way out of whack there for sure and that, I believe, is my problem - as it was my mother's and still is her 2 sisters. I'm hoping working hard to get IC Ca down will let some Mg in there to try and calm things a little!

I've had one Exatest - in 2004. I posted here, but those posts have disappeared. I haven't seen my results in a long time, but qualitatively they resembled yours, Mike. Both for IC Mg and IC Ca.

My 33 year old son-in-law presented with paroxysmal afib about 4 years ago. He told me about 2 1/2 years ago and I've been coaching him since. Got him a Kardia two years ago. He's in the military, so fitness is a requirement. I've got him working on staying in Zone 2 (and here) when he works out. Qualitatively, this is similar to Dr. Phil Maffetone's 180-age heart rate approach.. Magnesium has helped him (800 mg of elemental mag as glycinate/day) as has potassium (2 tsp potassium citrate - 4 g elemental K - in a liter of water drunk over the day along with 1/2 tsp or 1 g elemental sodium as NaCl). Recently started him on 2 g of taurine (1/2 tsp powder). This all seems to be helping. I've also counseled him to go light on the dairy - cheese - his only concentrated Ca intake. He already supplements with D3. They drink a lot of alcohol in the military and I've convinced him to stop for the time being. Alcohol is highly correlated with his episodes. I suggested he try to get to a spot with no afib and then see what he can get away with. He recently had his first meeting with a cardio, who did exactly what we hoped for. Prescribed him PIP metoprolol & flecainide. His afib is high rate and symptomatic. He's to take 25 mg metoprolol when afib starts. Try to convert (he's used exercise & my breathing techniques -holding breath out to increase serum CO2- successfully for all but one episode) for up to two hours. If he doesn't convert then take 100 mg flecainide, wait an hour and then take another 100 mg flec if not converted (he weighs about 155 pounds ~70Kg - which is right at the cutoff between 200 & 300 mg flec max. Since the cardio meeting, he's not had an episode, and we hope to keep that going.

Hello Peggy... So good to see your posts and relevant reminders.

As George mentions, managing those basic intracellular mineral electrolyte imbalances via ExaTest helped me greatly as I also was found to be high in IC calcium and low in magnesium... tracked to the typical instructions by gynecologists to menopausal women to be sure to take calcium supplements to help prevent bone loss. (and that advice continues today, unfortunately). After many years of not taking calcium supplements, my bone density is very good...so much so that my Primary Care MD said I can eliminate further testing.

Best to you, Peggy.
Jackie

MERRY XMAS HAPPY WHATEVER, ALL YOU PEOPLE!

PEGGYM

Seasonal greetings and all the best for 2020 to you too Peggy!!