experience with HeartMath????

Anyone have experience using HeartMath to reduce or prevent AF?

See: [store.heartmath.org] in particular and [heartmath.com] in general.

This was recommended by a naturopathic physician, and is used to control stress thus reduce heart rhythm issues.

George,

I have an older model - the FreezeFramer (as does Hans & others). When I first got it, over 4 years ago, I was in chronic afib 24/7. I had no luck using it to convert to NSR. Subsequently I've used it as a pulse monitor though I prefer my Polar as with the FF you are always hooked up to the computer.

Steve Elliott played around a lot with the FF and found the key was a breath rate of around 5.5 breaths per minute. This works out to (amazingly) about 5.5 seconds on inhale and 5.5 seconds on exhale. See: [www.coherence.com]

There is also a RespErate machine which is a breath monitor & coaches you to breath at < 10 breaths per minute. It has been shown to clinically reduce blood pressure. "By gradually prolonging the exhalation tone to slow your breathing, RESPeRATE leads you to the therapeutic zone of less than 10 breaths per minute." [www.resperate.com]
[www.resperate.com]

My own sense is that these benefits are related to increased CO2 in the serum blood - from reduced breathing. Part of the CO2 benefit is related to the "Bohr" effect whereby the bond between oxygen and hemoglobin is weakened as the pH of the blood is lowered. Increased CO2 will do this. This allows the cells to access the oxygen more easily. See: [en.wikipedia.org] In addition CO2 relaxes smooth muscles.

There are implications for exercise, asthma, insomnia, snoring, apnea among others. Some recent posts on Buteyko breathing go into more detail:
<[www.afibbers.org];
<[www.afibbers.org];
[www.revolutionhealth.com]??
[www.correctbreathing.com]
[www.correctbreathing.com]
[www.correctbreathing.com]
[www.buteykoclinic.ru]

I recently experienced the relaxation of smooth muscles effect. First, I got a histamine reaction from something I ate. I get these every so often & they normally take an hour or two to completely go away. This time, I exhaled completely & held my breath for 20 or 25 seconds, allowing CO2 to build up. I repeated this several times. In several minutes, I had reduced the reaction by 95%. Several days later, I got the hiccups while eating. I did the exhale & hold breath trick again. The hiccups ceased immediately.

On the side of overbreathing. I used to see how fast I could jump rope - 300 or more rpm - flat out. This could bring on a histamine reaction and mild exercise induced asthma. I now realize I was hyperventilating - & causing the reaction by blowing off too much CO2.

Cheers,

George

George,

Years ago, I went to the heart Math institute in California for a week long workshop hoping to find a cure for AF. They claimed they had the answer. What I learned from their teachings was that if I couldn't stop my heart from going into AF, I just wasn't doing their program right using the freeze frame model they taught us and needed to practice more, & in time I would master it. Personally, I think their philosophy is heart centered, and their teachings are from the heart, but as far as controlling AF, they are way out of bounds proselytizing the "cure" or even "control" of AF. There may be a few very rare cases where some people have noticed results, but I doubt anyone has truly been cured. I think it is a waste of time as fas as AF goes.

Jim

George,

Googling:
heart math atrial
will give links to those who have been helped. I suppose it is like most things - highly individual.

In the pacemaker lab study reported here: [www.mindmodulations.com]
14/75 were able to discontinue their meds altogether. So that is an 18% success rate.

Given the only down side is money & time, I suppose there are worse things.


George