So awesome (sarcasm) that we put things into our bodies without much, if any, understanding of how they work. All the more reason to pursue expert ablation procedures PLUS common sense lifestyle changes and natural supplementation to keep these "things" out of our systems!by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes, patience. I actually caused AF 8 days post ablation by getting on a treadmill and running for 30 minutes. Bad idea. Take everything one day at a time.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
I'll have the county come out and test the well. The Stony Hill neighborhood to the west of me was a few years back. Funny this is they had to threaten legal action against the state and federal governments to get them to even do anything. Crazy world we live in! As I understand it, TCE migrates through the soil in sort of "plumes", which necessitates test wells all over the plaby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a chemical solvent used for degreasing metal parts. Until recently it was acceptable to dispose of it by simple dumping it onto the ground. It is water soluble and permeates groundwater. I live in between two documented TCE hazard sites - one west and one east - and I have a well. As I understand it, TCE is carcinogenic and pro-arrhythmic. This is a long shot, but doby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Going on two weeks now with Trace Minerals Iodine (nothing but potassium iodide, no elemental I) @ 225ug/day. I'm sporadically feeling more energy. Nothing constant, but I'll find myself surging after about 4 miles on a run, or tackling a hill on the bicycle only limited by my ability to suck in air. I won't draw any conclusions yet, but I'm cautiously optimistic.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteFibrillator I still can't figure for life (pun intended) of me how time in Afib does not factor into these scores. How can someone with a CHADS score of 1 in AFIB for 15 minutes a day versus someone with a CHADS score of 1 in AFIB almost all the time share the same risk profile? Does not seem logical. They don't. Broad-based statistics are almost always misleading. Instead,by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Oh, we know him. Opinions vary, I'm sure.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sympathetic nervous system = adrenergic/adrenaline Parasympathetic nervous system = vagal/cholinergic Basically, the sympathetic nervous systems is your heart's "gas pedal". You get excited, or do exercise, and it speeds up. The parasympathetic nervous system is your heart's "brake pedal". You eat a big meal, or sit down in the evening, and it slows down. Eitherby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Normally a pill-in-the-pocket approach applies to anti-arrhythmic drugs such as propafenone or flecainide. Metoprolol is a beta blocker which slows the heart rate but otherwise does nothing to restore normal rhythm. Honestly, I've been avoiding caffeine for so long I can't remember what's a small dose versus what's a large dose. It's the highway to PACs for me so I treby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Ryan, Welcome to the club nobody wants to be in! A few thoughts: 1. Bodybuilding and powerlifting has a definite association with AF. Constant pressure in the mediastinum from lifting stretches the atria. 2. If possible, reduce or eliminate the caffeine. That's a lot, and it is very excitory to the atria, 3. You might want to reconsider the beta blocker if your normal resting HR iby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
I'd recommend experimenting with the magnesium supplementation rather than taking anti-diahhreal medications. Try spreading the mag supplements throughout the day or altering sources between oral and topical. Epsom salt baths are also an option.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteElizabeth Wolf: "In a nutshell, the vast majority of the anti-arrhythmic drugs either work to sequester potassium in the cells or otherwise prevent the influx of sodium. Given that the sum of sodium and potassium ions in intracellular fliud is supposed to remain constant, this seems like a basic problem to solve. Eat less sodium and its helper ion calcium and eat more potassium and iby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Is there any correlation between iodine and Reynaud's syndrome? I've had Reynaud's my entire adult life. I'm sitting in an office building right now with cold fingers, cold nose, cold toes and cold earlobes all because the AC vent is too close (and temp set too low IMO). In the wintertime my fingernails will turn almost solid blue if I'm outside without gloves.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
I used PPIs for about 3 years before stopping earlier this year. I found that the magnesium supplementation is far more effective in the absence of PPIs versus the presence of them. PACs which were a daily occurrence are now so rare it's not uncommon for me to go several days without a single one. It's become so peaceful I've begun to slack off on my dietary restrictions and eatby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteCarey And based on my limited knowledge none of the drugs are really targeting the cause of AFIB (If you can find two EP's who agree on that). It's just a lucky coincidence they sort of work for some. All the antiarrhythmics work by altering aspects of the action potential of cardiac cells. The action potential is just the cycle a muscle cell goes through of charging, firing,by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Ditto smackman's comment regarding the amiodarone. It's insane to put a 36 year old patient on that. The drug does not clear renally (via the kidneys) and builds up in every cell in every tissue in the whole body. Sometimes it turns people literally blue. Think Smurfs. It also is linked to pulmonary fibrosis, which is fatal. If ami makes sense for anybody, I'd think it would be a pby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
An electrophysiologist in most, but not all, cases is a specialist whom you'd see on referral. It's best to start with a cardiologist who will "team up" with an electrophysiologist. Simply put, it'll be easier for you to see and correspond with your cardiologist than it would be to do so with an electrophysiologist especially if that EP is doing a lot of catheterization pby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
I still get occasional PACs and other "weirdness". It all correlates with dehydration - 100%. A Gatorade and a few waters later and it's all in the rear-view mirror.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
MOM is simply magnesium hydroxide at a concentration of 1200 mg per 15 mL in pure water. Nothing else.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
They do. The question, rather, is "how well" and for "how long"? The answer will vary, depending on the patient.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
WPW is congenital and would present on an EKG that just about any competent practitioner would recognize immediately. Little chance of you having that. VF does not resolve on its own. Frankly, if that happened outside of immediate countermeasures you'd be gone. You're not, so it didn't. Binge drinking like you describe is extraordinarily toxic to the body and the heart. Iby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sadly, the Stone Age still exists in some reaches of medicine. I "fired" my first cardiologist for refusing to do an EP consult and suggest maximum doses of betas plus a pacemaker. I didn't know then what I know now, but it just sounded a bit more "hammer and chisel" than "pen" if you get my drift. Glad I trusted my instincts!by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes, the anti-arrhythmic drugs can often have the unfortunate side-effect of promoting flutter. What's good for disorganized conduction in the left atrium is not good for somewhat organized conduction in the right.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
It can work in the short term but it is probably not a good long term plan. Losing weight too rapidly will cause the liver to produce excess cholesterol, which may promote the formation of gallstones.Also, when you break a fast the blood sugar spikes may stress the pancreas. For example, if you need to drop 5 lbs to fit in an expensive suit perhaps for an important occasion, I'd say go foby wolfpack - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
Great to hear! Kardia takes ALL of the mystery out of it, that's for sure. Welcome to the club. We should all be in the classic video game, PAC-man or Ms. PAC-man...by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
If you can afford it, the AliveCor Kardia device is the absolute best option for detecting AF. There won't be any mystery as to what may or may not be going on after just a short, 30-second reading. It attaches to any smartphone or mobile device.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Will do. My long term goal is to correct what I believe to be subclincal hypothyroidism. I've been big my whole life. After college I ballooned to 310 lbs! I finally corrected that at age 38, getting down to as low as 170. But that required me to essentially fast 6 days a week, plus run 7 miles every morning and bike 10 or so in the evenings. I was probably on 800 cals/day at the time. Iby wolfpack - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
At the onset of my AF, every time I felt my gut move it was accompanied by a PAC. Go figure. I swear, the docs all took a "senior skip day" in med school when they taught the fact that everything in our bodies is connected!by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks for the in depth response! Based on what I've read, I've decided to supplement with the Holy Basil and Ashwaghanda. Here's what I found at the local vitamin store: Solaray Holy Basil 900mg ocimum tenuflorum aerial extract, 22.5 mg (2.5%) ursolic acid Store brand ashwagandha 470mg Withania somnifera std. to 1.5% Withanolides 7mg I hope these are good choices, 'by wolfpack - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
Is it a smart thing for me to try? If so, what are the best supplements for doing the job? I'm a 43-year old male, everyday runner, occasional resistance weight trainer (nothing too extreme). I also tend to fast during the day due to my dreadfully slow metabolism. Each of these things could cause elevated cortisol levels. Does it make sense to try to control them? Could it relate to my chby wolfpack - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM