Feedback from anyone who has had acupuncture for their AF would be much appreciated. Prior to my diagnosis I used to have acupuncture 4-6 times a year (mainly to treat skin conditions). However post pandemic/acupuncturist moved away I have not been having treatment. Currently on 7th day in AF (second incident in 6 months) and although tiring not completely flooring! Pulse rate below a 100 all the time. It definitely feels as if the “progress” of my current incident is linked to my digestion so have decided to return to acupuncture and have assessment consultation tomorrow. Am certainly not expecting to click back into a sinus rhythm after a few treatments but feel regular maintenance acupuncture may be of some benefit. Not least seeing a practitioner who has the time and energy to discuss my symptoms will be useful.
acupuncture: Feedback from anyone who... - Atrial Fibrillati...
acupuncture
I’ve never heard of acupuncture being used in connection with AF so looking forward to reading the replies…..
Had acupunctcure for back pain but never to "treat" AF. Did have Bowen which may have helped. Similar principle of lay lines but manual pressure and movement not needles.
I’ve had acupuncture as a means of managing my AF. By that I mean I haven’t had a session to stop an episode but I have found that regular acupuncture can help maintain a regular rhythm, particularly as someone who has also struggled with a high ectopic burden.
I don’t think Acupuncture is a ‘cure’ but as both Bob & Bridgette said regular treatment with many of these therapies can help reduce stress, inflammation, improve sleep and gastric issues. Certainly has helped reduce inflammation, arthritis pain and improved my sleep as well as sinus problems - actually that was downright miraculous!
Thanks for all your responses. Not looking for a cure but know from previous experience that body will feel more in synch with regular acupuncture. Arthritis issues have been cured by 2 knee replacements but also have sinus issues so here’s hoping!
Hi gloriousgarden. I've often wondered about acupuncture as in addition to AF I also suffer from arthritis and gastrointestinal issues. However I was hesitant in exploring the use of acupuncture as I am on apixiban. This hesitancy is due to attending a physio for neck pain. He was going to use acupuncture but when he learned I was on an anticoagulant he was reluctant to use it. Are you on anticoagulants?
I am also on apixiban. But never bleed at a blood test, injection etc. Will see what acupuncturist says today.
I take Eliquis and have acupuncture. EP said OK and Ihave no problems
I forgot to say - Acupuncturist will only use manual stimulation with me as I am on anti-coagulants - won’t use electrical stimulation.
As a Complementary Therapist of 25 yrs, I have used acupressure points, ie acupuncture without needles and found it helpful.
‘There is no such thing as a cure’,
Agreed -I've used both acupressure - in fact do every day and stopped AF episode by doing so - but didn't stop further episodes!
Hi, this is my first post here although I have been following conversations for some time with interest and had been wondering about commenting on my experience of acupuncture. My wife was a GP and, as such, was very sceptical of most alternative therapies but not acupuncture for which she said there was a good evidence base. I have suffered from AF since 2013 and had my fourth ablation in February. Sadly I had another bout of AF with accompanying tachycardia in May which kept me hospitalised for a week whilst the Bristol Heart Institute tried to get the rate down. Finally a large dose of digoxin plus the maximum dose of carvedilol which I have been on for a number of years (I could not tolerate bisoprolol) brought my rate down sufficiently to be discharged and I was prescribed the max daily dose of digoxin alongside my beta blocker. My cardiologist informed me that if the medication did not succeed in keeping the tachycardia at bay the only solution remaining was pace and ablate. Suffice to say my NSR and HR did not remain stable for long and a 24 hour monitor confirmed that I was back in the same AF prior to my fourth ablation. Very reluctant to go the pace and ablate route at 69 I decided to search the medical literature on arrhythmias and acupuncture (not Google - proper medical literature I had access to via my wife!) and found there was some clinical evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating heart arrhythmias but as often the conclusion was more clinical trials were needed. Thinking I had nothing to lose I gave it a go and found a Chinese acupuncturist fully trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine but also a fully trained Western medical doctor. After several sessions my heart was in NSR with HR between 60-70! I have been able to halve the dose of both digoxin and beta blocker subsequently with no effect on rate or rhythm. My continuing experience is that I don’t think acupuncture has ‘cured’ my AF - I still find myself having bouts but these are manageable without accompanying tachycardia. So it seems to me that a combination of medication and acupuncture has succeeded in controlling rate if not rhythm where medication alone hadn’t. Of course my story is subject to the usual disclaimer about one person’s experience but my advice is to give acupuncture a try - but make sure you have a suitably qualified acupuncturist!
And I should add that even the BHI have written to my GP stating that acupuncture seems to have worked for me and that their current advice is to wait and see rather than go for pace and ablate with a follow up appointment with my EP in three months.
Where are the needles placed for afib?
I am on rivaroxaban and my acupuncturist knows that as he is also a qualified medical doctor. He is a very experienced acupuncturist and needles have not always been placed in the same place each time but the majority of times appear to be ankles, lower leg, wrists, several along the centre of my upper torso and two on my forehead.
I certainly found accupuncture helped reduce the symptoms of my persistent AF in that I was less focused on them, far less anxious and felt quite lovely! My hope was to set up further sessions for after my ablation because there is some evidence that accupuncture improves success rates. You can Google that research - sorry don’t have links to hand. Unfortunately my acupuncturist lives a distance from here and am feeling too delicate post-ablation to make the journey!
That’s a shame - my acupuncturist has given me some acupressure aids - AcuZone vaccaria seeds which come attached to a clear plaster. Placed exactly on the correct pressure point they supplement the time in between sessions. Available on Amazon as well as many good natural health clinics who have practising Acupuncturists.
Flecainide stops episodes in a couple of hours- 100mg take as a PIP!
Hoping to get a PIP when I finally have a phone conversation with cardiologist in 6 weeks. Only been waiting 6 months! Fortunately this is the only incident in this time!
I only got the prescription for flecainide as the lowest dose of bisoprolol prived too much for me! My surgery couldn’t come up with anything else but we found a private EP in Bristol who sent a prescription for it to my surgery (after introducing me to getting a smart phone and a Kardia and me sending him a reading of an episode). It was costly but definitely worth it and I now get the flecainide on prescription!
And I am going to have acupuncture to help with my chronic fatigue and perhaps might help with the paroxysmal AF too!
I had acupuncture on a weekly basis to treat numerous things including AF. It helped to calm my heart, helped my vagus nerve (which I believe was my AF cause) and when I would go into an AF episode I knew where to put the needles and it converted me to NSR. I did this for a year or more and then it stopped working to convert me like many meds do. This was before I took Flecainide as a PIP. That stopped my episodes every time in an hour or two. I have since had a Wolf MiniMaze so I no longer have AF but acupuncture helped me a lot.
Interesting - I’m not sure what the Wolf MiniMaze is. I haven’t been offered anything and the flecainide take twice a day has virtually put an end to AF episodes.
I’m so glad the Flec is working. Long may it continue. The Wolf MiniMaze is a surgical ablation. I wish you the best of luck and health!
Thank you and to you. Don’t think I could face an op at 79 and don’t trust the guys here as an acquaintance with AF was fitted with a pacemaker which was not wired up properly for several years and then had to be removed as it had infected her with something quite nasty.
As a retired physio who practised acupuncture I can only endorse the comments that it helps to reduce stress and especially inflammation. Both known triggers of AF
Hiya,
I have regular acupuncture and she was the first person to recognise that I had developed AF as she is used to feeling my pulse. Since having my DCV in Feb I see her once every two weeks and I feel it has been integral to keeping my system balanced and less reactive. Her work is based on traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and is not just dealing with stress and relaxation, she treats me according to how my individual system feels that day. I’d highly recommend it.
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