Many people find that certain foods trigger AF and they are often the same as the triggers for migraines . Coincidence?
The most common culprits for migraines are alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, canned foods, cured or processed meats, aged cheeses, cultured dairy (such as yogurt), MSG, and aspartame which will be very familiar to members of this forum.
I, unfortunately suffer from both migraines and PAF and have found a reduction of sugars, alcohol, strong cheeses has had a huge reduction to the number of PAF episodes (but not the same positive result with my migraines).
Has anyone else have a similar experience or any any knowledge why AF and migraines seem to share so many common triggers?
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Deacon-L
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There was an interesting thread a ffew days back on migraine aura and ablation which suggested that there may be connection regarding the heart. We know that the transeptal puncture during ablation is the cause of post ablation aura and there is some suggestion that any "hole in heart" such as this may also be the cause of migraines in some people who have no otherwise known cardiac issues.
Personally I have been experiencing frequent aura for the last month or so for no apparent reason, no change of diet etc and nearly 10 months post my last ablation can't really blame that. Some forty years ago I had about three years of regular full blown migraine which came out of the blue and went just as mysteriously but that was a time of great stress. (Full time job plus engineering a winning car in Britsh Touring Car Championship living on 4 hours a night sleep.)
Hi John, Interesting what you say about the possible effects of chemicals, to prolong shelf life, and your suspicion about your new teabags being the source. I'm aware that there has been a fair bit said about teabags... (See link below)
I suspect that there are so many potential food and drink issues in today's consumables that it's near impossible to identify a single culprit.
What an interesting post Deacon-L. So true re the same foods causing migraines and AF. I get runs of migraine auras without the headaches. I find that exposure to bright lights/sunshine is mostly what triggers them, but will think about whether there's a food connection from now on.
That's interesting John because I've been feeling very heavy headed when waking in the mornings lately and it gradually decreases as the day goes on. I changed the teabags I use a month or so ago. Will certainly see about buying some loose leaf tea. May even rip the tea bags open and use a metal strainer I have.
My husband has had periods of severe migraine . When I stopped drinking alcohol and cut out caffeine etc he did the same and has had fewer attacks. I remember reading an article a few years ago in which a link was made between migraine and some heart conditions. This was pre my AF but I stored the info in case my husband showed signs of heart trouble. I believe there can be a link and they are both definitely associated with gut health and what we eat.
Think about it. Msg make you taste MORE, it is not its own taste. We taste through the process of conducting signals from our mouth to our brain. This excitotoxin Therefore enhances the signal. It also Hyper conducts the signals regulating our heart rhythm and other nerve conduction to result in migraine, shoulder pain, stomach issues, etc.
The vagus nerve (wandering nerve) helps regulate the heart as well as digestion for example. I believe these food additives and specifically msg is one root cause.
When we went gluten and dairy free back in 2007, except for grass fed butter and cheese, both my wife and I stopped having migraines. I only had them occasionally, but my wife had them every week since she was about 7 years old. Her paternal grandmother and paternal first cousins all suffered horribly with migraines.
When our kids were little I would have to come home from work because she was totally unable to leave the darkened bedroom and bathroom to care for them. Our oldest quickly learned to order pizza delivery and write out checks to Pizza Hut and would tiptoe into the bedroom to have my wife sign the checks. He would also go into her wallet and get out the tip money.
She vomited endlessly when she had migraines. Multiple neurologists and multiple prescription drugs did nothing to slow them down or stop them, But, only one week of gluten free gave her the first migraine free week she had in 47 years! She has not had a headache of any kind since January 2007.
I do know that my episodes of A Fib also became less around that time, but I attributed that more to the nutritionist putting me on Magnesium and Vitamin D after testing found I was nearly off the bottom of the scale on those. But, gluten was at the root cause of the nutritional deficiencies since it causes people to not digest nutrients, even without celiac disease. The leaky gut that comes along with eating gluten is the culprit for non-celiac gluten sensitive souls.
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