vitamin and mineral supplements

[OscarN]

does anyone have any advice experience of what are good vitamins and minerals to take to guard against ectopic heartbeat or FAF? Passed?

[jeanjeannie50]

Magnesium and taurine are said to help. I take both and never have a high heart rate now.

Jean

Watch this:

youtube.com/watch?v=q1MD4FD...(Not working as expected?)

[OscarN in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thanks

[OzJames]

After a bad bout of Ectopics in January I started with Mag Taurate and Glycinate one in morning and one at night also taking CoQ10 and Vitd3. I rarely get ectopics aside from the odd one after eating too quickly. Mind you it didn’t save me going into AF in September but seem to be ok since then. I believe each person is different, I do other things to relax and continue exercise each day. I had bloods done and both magnesium and CoQ10 levels were low the Vitd3 was just below the mid range. So maybe next time the doctor orders bloods check these levels. They will charge extra for non standard blood test

[OscarN in reply to OzJames]

Thus he

[OscarN in reply to OscarN]

Thanks

[Madscientist16]

Be sure your calcium, potassium, vitamin D3 and magnesium levels are in order. Deficiencies with these can affect heart rhythm.

[Rainfern in reply to Madscientist16]

Did you get a test to check balance of these, and if so any recommendations?

[Peacefulneedshelp in reply to Rainfern]

I think that will depend on your doctor, mine does not. I am in the US and our regular doctors know nothing about good nutrition and proper balance of vitamins and minerals. Our body systems all work together I really think we all have issues because of our liver. Just my hunch on that. I say that because if something is off, rather than find the reason behind it they just want to prescribe medication which further destroys vitamins and minerals. It may help in the short term but it will definitely come at a cost to our other pathways.

[OscarN in reply to Peacefulneedshelp]

Thanks

[Madscientist16 in reply to Rainfern]

My cardiologist in the US does a blood test every visit to check these levels. My visits are now just once a year since I am doing very well. I have added a daily D3 gummy vitamin for the winter months, but I am confident that my calcium (dairy), potassium (potatoes, bananas, coconut water) and magnesium (dark chocolate, almonds) levels are good because of my diet. Heathy eating is so important, along with regular exercise and sleeping well. Your doctor should be able to give you the best guidance for your condition. Best wishes to you!

[Rainfern in reply to Madscientist16]

Thank you. We grow quite a lot of our own organic veg but the soil here is naturally low in magnesium and elsewhere modern farming methods have depleted the soil. I do eat a lot of all those foods you mention though ration the dark choc to 2 squares a day! According to Sanjay Gupta (York Cardiologist) a simple blood test doesn’t give an accurate picture of magnesium levels as it’s mostly stored in bone and cell, so was wondering if there’s somewhere I can get the more sophisticated test - either urine or red blood cell. Our GPs are not given great training on nutrition so tend to send you away with the anticoagulants and that’s it.

As for exercise, my intentions are great but hard to get moving in the cold and wet of British winter!

[Madscientist16 in reply to Rainfern]

Magnesium is usually tested by blood or urine. The test is more to test if your levels are too high (hypermagnesemia) or too low (hypomagnesemia), not to get an exact amount.

[bean_counter27 in reply to Madscientist16]

And might not reflect the level of magnesium in your cells - which is really what you need to know. That's why my cardiologist told me to keep taking magnesium supplements even though my blood magnesium level was fine. Apparently there are better tests for magnesium, which I'll be asking my doctor about. I don't want to take 2 magnesium tablets twice a day, 365 days a year unless they are actually needed.

[Madscientist16 in reply to bean_counter27]

It is my understanding that the blood test is the best because the red blood cells are spun down in a centrifuge so that the magnesium and other nutrients are release by the cells so they can be measured.

[bean_counter27 in reply to Madscientist16]

Yes, my understanding is that the Magnesium RBC (Red Blood Cell) Test is the better test but it's not the "standard" magnesium serum test.

[Sixtyslidogirl]

I have PAF. I was much troubled by ectopics which made me feel anxious. I take magnesium and I just don’t have those days any more. I do get ectopics still but not so bad at all. Didn’t stop AF though. I have a bottle of COQ10 on the shelf but haven’t taken any yet. I’m interested in people’s experience of this in particular.

[secondtry in reply to Sixtyslidogirl]

My Naturopath said my CoQ10 level should be right at the top of the normal range and ditto for Magnesium. So he prescribed a Magnesium compound that includes Taurine & much more plus CoQ10 and I have been taking them for 10 years with no known side effects and AF has stayed away. Of course run it past your trusted medic first and you can expect raised eyebrows & a shrug of the shoulder 😁.

[OscarN in reply to secondtry]

Thanks

[OscarN in reply to Sixtyslidogirl]

Thank you

[Madscientist16 in reply to Sixtyslidogirl]

Magnesium did better for my ectopics than CoQ10.

[secondtry]

Interested in supplements & the Vagus Nerve.

philipweeks.co.uk/blogs/hea...

[Taviterry]

When it comes to vitamins and other supplements, I always check, double-check and treble-check through Googling. I'm not going to comment on the specifics of others as given above, but initially it seemed that for me magnesium and potassium might be a good idea, but further delving ruled out the latter. And I've just commented on another thread about my suspicions that Omega-3 might be actually harmful in my case.

For seven years or so, I've been buying ferrous fumarate tablet but now wonder if these have led to stomach discomfort, so I've switched to liquid iron. Following a skin-cancer scare nine years, I'm very careful in the sun so take Vitamin D3. Several years ago my GP surgery declined my request for a blood test to check my D3 levels "unless there was something wrong". Which brings me to the desirability of regular blood tests to check levels, with the NHS being reluctant (understandably perhaps) to fund anything more than the most necessary. I've been referred to an NHS haematologist on March 5 and hope very much that beforehand I'll be granted a full blood count to provide up-to-date values.

[ozziebob in reply to Taviterry]

Yes the situation re GPs reluctance to authorise Vitamin D tests "unless there is something wrong" is very frustrating. It took an eventual AF diagnosis from my wrist pulse by an unfamiliar GP at my local Surgery that thankfully initiated full blood tests including my first ever serum Vitamin D test. This showed a deficiency of 22 nmol/L, since corrected by supplementation to about 100 nmol/L, and which has greatly reduced my AF events.

But if all patients were regularly tested for Vitamin D, as I and many others believe is vital, I for one could possibly have corrected my Vitamin D deficiency long before my linked Arrhythmia started. Doh! 🤔

The only positive from my situation, after having the link proved between Vitamin D levels and AF frequency, is that I have managed to receive a promise from my GP of yearly NHS Vitamin D tests because of my stated need, because of my AF, to continue to monitor the effect of changing supplements on my actual individual blood serum Vitamin D levels.

Bob

[Camelia23 in reply to ozziebob]

A few weeks ago I saw a vit D testing kit in well known supermarket It was £8 . When I went back a couple weeks later there was no such thing. The assistant looked it up for me. Couldn't find anything. Perhaps I dreamt it

[Taviterry in reply to Camelia23]

Boots offer a DIY vit D testing kit for £7.99.

[Camelia23 in reply to Taviterry]

Brilliant. Thanks so much

[ozziebob in reply to Camelia23]

Such cheap home tests are all over the internet, but I wouldn't want to rely on the results of such to accurately monitor my serum Vitamin D levels. Not even in a dream.

[Camelia23 in reply to ozziebob]

Thanks. I might test but not rely on result

[Camelia23 in reply to ozziebob]

Good news

[OscarN in reply to ozziebob]

Thank you.

[Peacefulneedshelp in reply to Taviterry]

In a series of podcasts I have been listening to, Omega-3 are harmful to everyone because of the oxidation in our bodies. Along with all the other seed oils. I try to stay away from these other oils but it is not easy especially when eating out. I don’t order anything fried for that reason. So far so good, I am sure it will raise my cholesterol but I am convinced we need cholesterol to put out the inflammation in our bodies.

[OscarN in reply to Peacefulneedshelp]

Wow! Thank you.

[bean_counter27 in reply to Taviterry]

I use drugs.com to check over the counter medications and supplements for interactions with my medications. Just set up an account (free) and input your current medications including dosage and frequency. Then add new items you are researching and if they are known in drugs.com it will advise you of the level of interaction (if any) with any of your medications. If an item I am researching is unknown I might try its active ingredients instead.

That obviously isn't focused on AFIB impacts but I find it a good starting point. It resulted in me stopping using Gaviscon tablets for reflux, which I was using before being diagnosed and medicated for PAF

[pusillanimous]

Years ago when I started on a statin - I just take 5mg a day with no problems, I was advised by my GP to take Q10. I'm not sure what the relationship is, it was before I was diagnosed with familial asymptomatic PAF, but I just automatically take them every day.

[OscarN in reply to pusillanimous]

Thank you

[Taviterry]

Another issue is taking supplements and prescribed medicines at the best times. Apparently I should drink Feroglobin Fizz at least three hours apart from Lansoprazole, which should be taken at least 30 minutes before food. B12 should be taken at least two hours after a meal or snack and at least 30 minutes before eating again. Taking D3 is simple - with or after food.

(These are my own conclusions, and no doubt you - and I - could find conflicting advice on the Internet.)