What works for me so far....

I was diagnosed with paroxysmal AF in 2017. My episodes have occurred, on average, about once a month, lasting about an hour with a few episodes lasting up to 7 hours. However, beginning 8/31/23, I've had no episodes until this morning. I took 50mg of Metroprolol and in an hour I was back to normal heart rhythm.

That said, I hope it will be helpful for me to share what I have been doing that seems to work for me.
The first cardiologist I saw in 2017 wanted to put me on a blood thinner. My major form of exercise is a martial art called Aikido, so I could not imagine taking a blood thinner. I would not be able to do the very thing that contributes so much to my maintaining the health of my body, mind and psychological well being. I would be bereft without it and my quality of life would plummet.

I finally found a female cardiologist who specializes in women's heart health. Women and men are very different when it comes to managing cardiac issues.
I started taking 600-700mg of magnesium glycinate, 200mg CoQ10, vitamin E 200IU, vitamin D3, B12 1000mc, probiotics and BP meds (25mg Losartan).
My cardiologist also gives me an echo cardiogram twice a year. She reports that women tend to show some fluid around the heart (which she saw in my results) after receiving the COVID vaccine or booster. This usually resolves in a short period of time as the body will eventually absorb the fluid. I have had AF episodes 3-4 weeks after getting the COVID vaccine and the booster. It seems to cause some inflammation in the body due to our immune system response. BTW- I often take CBD drops to reduce inflammation which can help the heart.

As I said above, the longest period of time I have gone without an AF episode is 4 months. To me, that's the good news.
Which brings me to the next thing that I believe works for me. In September, 2023 I began acupuncture sessions once a week. I get the Japanese style which uses thinner needles than Chinese style. Although it hasn't been studied a lot there is some evidence that it could reduce and/or shorten AF episodes. My cardiologist agrees.
My cardiologist wants me to look into ablation, but after reading about what others say about it in this forum, I am ruling it out for now. Especially since the Dr. I consulted about it (Vivek Reddy at Mt. Sinai, NYC) said I would have to take blood thinners before and, for a few months after the procedure. No thanks!
My cardiologist also recommends meditation to reduce stress. I am trying to incorporate more of that into my daily routine.
I hope this is helpful.

Dr Reddy was highly recommended to me. I heard he is good.

Try biofeedback.

Welcome and thanks for sharing things that you have found helpful.

One thought: since your Aikido practice could make anticoagulants problematic, have you considered a Watchman? They were specifically developed for people who could not tolerate anticoagulants and many of us here here have had one placed, including me. No side effects except that you block 90% of clots. Since stoke is a real risk for Afib patients, it might be something to consider.

Good to know that acupuncture worked . Unfortunately it made no difference to my AF when i was in permanent in 2015. Had several accu sessions.

Thank you, Daisy. I will certainly look into that.

From watching a number of Aikido practices, I don't see why Aikido would be contraindicated by taking thinners. The major issue would be head strikes, which I didn't see as part of the training. But even if it was, sounds like we're only talking a few months on thinners, but only you can determine if taking off or modifying your training for that period of time is worth it. With my afib, it would be. BTW how much D3 are you taking and how often. Per your labs, what level did you start at and what are you now.

Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2024 07:38PM by mjamesone.

I agree that Aikido shouldn't be a contraindication for anticoagulants unless maybe you're practicing at a competitive level. At worst I would expect maybe more bruising but unless Aikido is a lot more aggressive than I think and comes with severe head blows, I wouldn't let it stop me. People tend to way overestimate the risks of anticoagulants. There are few sports that need to be curtailed because of them.