(While waiting 3 months for a follow-up from a cardioversion that lasted only 3 days)
I've been reading a book by two US cardiologists (I'm in the UK) which states that AF is often or even typically caused by underlying conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. I'm scratching my head because I've had AF for at least 12 years (since my late 40s), and no underlying condition has ever been identified -- I am in perfect health otherwise. The book is "The AFib Cure" by Dr TJ Bunch and Dr John Day.
The same book insists that a major overhaul of diet/exercise//sleep/stress habits can put AF into long-term remission (not quite a cure, but I'd take it!). I wonder whether this applies equally to cases of 'lone AF' like mine, or only to those with underlying conditions that were not previously well managed. The authors don't discuss this.
Conflicting opinions:
My current cardiologist said at our first appointment, five years ago, that "being overweight doesn't cause AF, and losing weight won't make it go away." (I was not overweight at the time, but after nine months of daily beta blockers, I am now. No doubt it's partly due to sluggishness caused by the drugs, but women seem particularly susceptible.) He is an arrhythmia specialist and professor of cardiology at a large teaching hospital with an excellent reputation.
This was directly contradicted by the specialist cardiac nurse who performed my cardioversion this winter: "Many people are able to get out of AF by losing 10% of their body weight."
That's on my list of questions when I speak to the cardiologist at the end of this month.
Does anybody have an opinion? (Lights match, throws it, waits.)
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There is no doubt that weight loss where appropriate can reduce AF burden. Look up LEGACT trials in Australia A BMI of beter than 26 is suggested . It is also true that moving to a more plant based diet and avoiding artifciial additives is also benficial.
I agree with the identification of 'diet/exercise//sleep/stress' being involved in causing or encouraging AF in many people. I have no underlying conditions either - even after 18 years of living with it.
I opted immediately at diagnosis for drug therapy but I also took advice from people on this forum to cut out harmful 'foods' and drugs (in my case NSAID's not the recreational kind), increase helpful food intake, de-stress, pay attention to getting enough sleep and keep my BMI down. I don't think I have a cure but the AF is under control and we can improve our quality of life by careful identification of aspects which can be tackled - eg weight loss or cutting out junk food.
We have another factor also to consider, I think - pre-disposition to arrhythmias - which is perhaps genetic, familial or just plain bad luck.
None of the above apply: I've never kept NSAIDs in the house as I've never suffered from headaches or cramps; never smoked, let alone took drugs; moderate social drinker, never daily, always with food -- stopped drinking completely since going on AF meds; always cooked from scratch with lots of veg; physically active but not competitive/extreme, so no pushing my heart rate to 200+.
I'm having to chalk it up to genetic/familial tendency, which isn't officially acknowledged to exist so far.
A few years ago a team of Israeli researchers at Ben Gurion university discovered a gene mutation which caused night time AF. I haven't heard that their research uncovered any further links, just one gene to one type of AF. It was widely reported and should be 'googleable'.
Thanks, I will look up that information. Around the time I was diagnosed with AF, I used to get palpitations overnight (typically around 3am). I was never sure if they were a classic perimenopausal symptom or very fleeting AF.
Since A Fib runs through my family like a stick of Blackpool rock, I’m inclined to think there’s a stronger genetic tendency than currently acknowledged.
My husband is exactly the same . His AF caused his stroke last year . His meds hVe helped his heart rate come down to seventies especially since he s been taking digoxin .
Just gonna light the match et al ................... in my view, after a tad over a total of 14 years on this forum and it's predecessor hosted by Yahoo ... and without any axe to grind, without any science or medical background ........ having read so many posts expressing even more views I can only conclude that AF is pure, unadulterated mongrel ............ it is all things to all people and in terms of treatment ....... yer pays yer money and takes yer chance ! Basically, what's good fer the goose is rubbish fer the gander.
🙂That said, many folk can identify many similarities with other folk, particularly in terms of triggers. Me, 'I'm all right Jack' ...... paroxysmal AF, highly controlled, nothing for about 4 years that I know of ...... but who knows ? as I've been identified as asymptomatic !! 😊AF just makes up its own rules. I've fought my fight with medication for life and changing diet and foods - no surgical intervention. No concessions to booze though, although I've cut back. Not much to be proud of ! 🙂
As a newcomer on here, I have no idea how correct the contents of you post is but it made me chuckle, I keep hearing that booze is a no no , I wondered if you agree with that
I was expressing a view based on 14 years of experience, both on this forum and my own personal walk in the park with AF and associated medications - Warfarin especially. Warfarin is my anticoagulant medication of choice and one that I treat with respect ..... but not to the point of making myself a hermit monk.
Every bit of paper in every medication packet will advise that alcohol is a no no. But in the case of Warfarin many foods are a no no too - particularly green leafy veggies.
I personally challenged this and carried on with a lifelong habit both with alcohol and food. I made a conscious choice to drink less but do everything with a degree of consistency, because Warfarin loves consistency. Sorted. No side effects, no problems.
But then, I also made a choice years ago to try and control my AF with only drugs and food because food was a trigger for my AF. So hey ho ........ but it is an individual choice ......... and I am a natural born risk taker. It's now been some 4 years since my last known/identified AF event, notwithstanding that I am also asymptomatic.
Familial AF. I have it and so do many of my family. AF is typically a disease of old age unless you have the genes for it which is why it’s difficult to get a diagnosis before at least 60ish 😕
Per 3 EP’s I have seen familial a fib is extremely rare and exists mostly in 3rd world countries. I thought it was as my Mom and grandfather both had it. The EP’s all insist there is no scientific do support the theory. They are all highly educated and respected in their field and as they are all stating that do believe them.
They might be highly educated and respected but I bet they are not patients!
Genetics does play a role in AF ... if you had the time to conduct a survey it would jump out at you. Possibly another case of healthcare professionals not neccessarily knowing what they are talking about.
Certainly in the paternal line of my family it's a history of strokes, cardiac issue and AF, with one case of mature onset diabetes. My darling daughter adorable, with both her pregnancies, was diagnosed with AF ( aged 30 ish ). When she stopped breeding so did the AF. She now practices Thai Kick Boxing. No AF. 🙂
I believe there is a genetic component to AF. Over 50 years ago my grandmother had a periodic arrhythmia, which at the time they diagnosed as non-life threatening, but I'm not sure what it was, or if they had a name for it. Her heart would start racing out of the blue making her feel anxious and miserable. I'm guessing it was some sort of atrial tachycardia, possibly SVT. She died in 1998 from a stroke at age 87 which, as I understand, is around the time catheter ablations were being performed more routinely. She never had the opportunity to have one, but I think it would have cured her condition.
I had my first episode of AF in 1993 at age 38, although I now believe there were warning signs, at least 10 years before that first AF episode, when I would have random tachycardia and ectopic heartbeats. About 10 years after that first AF episode in 1993, I was also diagnosed with Atrial Tachycardia. I had an ablation for the Atrial Tachycardia in 2010 and another catheter ablation for the AF a year later in 2011. So far, both ablations have been successful. However, a couple years ago, I started having continuous ectopic heartbeats, mostly Premature Atrial Contractions, (PAC's). I am now on Flecainide and a beta blocker, Carvedilol, which have been successful in keeping me in NSR most of the time.
Getting back to the genetic issue, I have recently found out a first cousin of mine, younger than me, also has had AF. And my 82 year old uncle also was recently diagnosed with AF and is taking Amiodarone to control it.
So, sometimes the studies these doctors use may not always tell the whole story behind something, but instead real life experiences with real people, like those on this forum, may be more valuable.
I've wondered about this, having been told (like Della71 in the comments below) that there is no such thing as genetic/familial AF. It indisputably runs in my family; I was the last one to get it. My father had it near the end of his life (the only one with co-morbidities; he had heart disease, which ran in his family). My mother developed it in her 70s -- no underlying conditions and never overweight (she did smoke until her late 50s). My sister, on the other hand, thinks she has had it since childhood, although not diagnosed until she was early 40s (no underlying conditions, never smoked, not overweight). Mine showed up in my late 40s (ditto).
Like Ben Hall, I suspect it would jump out in a genetic survey. For now, I am no closer to an underlying cause. Previous cardiologist said 'don't let anyone fob you off with vague talk of stress', while other cardiologists talk about the importance of reducing stress...
My understanding of the genetic component is that no ONE gene has been identified as the CAUSE of AF, however, up to about 20 genes have associations which if you are unlucky enough to inherit a bunch of them you will have a much greater predisposition toward AF. Hence the familial connection - both my father and sister have AF.
BUT you must consider the epigenetic component of whether or not the gene is ‘switched’ on or off and I believe this is where the Lifestyle factors apply, stress of any and all sorts being the main cause.
What you haven’t mentioned is infections - which are likely to cause inflammatory response = AF. Way back in the 1970’s my GP was talking about the connection between virus and cancer, now accepted. Likewise any surgical procedure.
I do not believe you have not had at some time or another throughout you life encountered another factor which triggered your AF. Identifying that is another matter as we still are living in the dark ages regarding AF.
What I do agree with you is the barbaric (IMHO) use of drugs such as Beta Blockers which do for some people more harm than good. I could not tolerate them at and put on weight which I never have been able to lose - I stopped taking them back in 2018 and only took them for about 2 years in total during which I walked around in a Zombie state.
AF is a pain but it’s rarely life threatening and I believe that is why we are still living in the Dark Ages medically speaking. Can you imagine the money and resources that would flood into research if everyone with AF was given a life limiting prognosis?
What an excellent post. Thank you so much. I agree with every word! For those of us who have had various viruses recently (covid, flu 2 years on the trot & shingles) our hearts have probably born the brunt of it. Mine certainly has, and flips into AF with cardio exercise. I can walk miles and it's fine. Anything more strenuous is a no-no. Frustrating! Any virus takes away a little bit more of my heart health, but how do you avoid viruses in the community? Lock myself away, perhaps? No, I'd go mad. Have a good day everyone. It's nice to be a part of this amazing community.
Get your vit D up to a high level . I keep mine at about 175 nmol/l. In Dec I had a respiratory virus for the first time in nearly 8 years . No colds, flu ,coughs or covid. People who had this virus that complained about it had it for weeks - my daughter who is in her 30s was coughing for 2 months. I was rid of it in a fortnight . Walking is the best exercise you can do. We evolved to walk long distances for food gathering and moving from one place to another. Those who take lots moderate exercise - things like walking, gardening ,dancing , even vigourous housework actually live longer than those who overstrain their hearts with lots of cardio.
Walking for miles -- I'll take it, when I get there again (dodgy knees; working on it). Even in my current sluggish and unfit state, I can still lift and carry a reasonable load. I'm in persistent AF anyway so it's not going to tip me into it. I haven't noticed that lifting a weight makes me feel worse, so I try to do it regularly, maybe just to prove I still can. But walking uphill at any pace almost slaughters me, even though my knees don't let me move fast enough to make my heart complain.
I used to work in a big open office with more than 100 people on the same floor, and none of the windows opened; we had canned air. This was also in the Thames Valley, which is known to be insalubrious. Since leaving the valley and the open office, I catch far fewer bugs -- but when I do, they are worse than just a cold. The worst I've ever caught (apart from Covid itself) have all been picked up when visiting friends with kids during school holidays.
I'm with you on the BBs, but taking them anyway (for now) to try to keep me out of fast AF at a time when it is difficult to access health services. Metoprolol hasn't been as bad for me as bisoprolol in terms of the zombie effect. It remains to be seen whether I can drop some weight.
I don't actually think that just because no one can tell me why I have AF means that there is no reason for it. I agree that there will eventually be some big breakthrough, and the long-term effects of unsuspected agents such as viruses and inflammation are likely to feature. What a boon it will be when it comes, if we don't manage to blow up the planet first.
For seven years I have volunteered to help people apply for disability and appeal when they are rejected (they often are, and we usually win). It's very satisfying, but also scary to see so many things that can go wrong with the human body and no one can explain why.
My mum had AF, though we didn't discover that fact until she was dying of cancer aged 60. My sister and daughter both have 'palpitations' they wont have it called anything else. I know that one of my cousins has AF too.
I would say that it does run in families.
Regarding weight, my AF symptoms became less obvious after I lost some. I have never been overweight in my life (yes I know I'm lucky, lucky for being tall too). As I've grown older my appetite has decreased dramatically and my evening meals are small compared to what they used to be.
I remember years ago going into my neighbours house just as she was about to have dinner. I was shocked at the small amount of food that was on her plate, she was a little on the plump side and not very tall. So I guess that amount was all that she needed, think she was in her mid 80's. I sometimes wonder now if anyone should see my evening meal size would they be shocked. I must admit to being bit of a grazer on nuts and fruit throughout the day.
I have no underlying conditions , other than an underactive thyroid caused by taking the drug Amiodarone.
We are all so different aren't we and can only speak as we find.
Hi Jean .............. you've (unknowingly ) given this old git an massive confidence boost ..... you said ... "As I've grown older my appetite has decreased dramatically and my evening meals are small compared to what they used to be".
For me, breakfast is cereal, crispbread ( with a touch of marmalade ) and coffee. Lunch is non existent and my main meal in the evening is diminuative ............ absolutely zilch compared to how and what I ate when I was younger.
At this stage I'm 14 stone and 5' 11" !
When I go out to dinner at a restuarant I'm seriously considering ordering child portions in future !
Yes, I understand totally. If I were to have a soup starter I'd never be able to eat the main meal. I'd like to have child's portions too. I quite often just have a starter if I'm out lunchtime. The only time I can eat more is if it's a roast dinner that I've cooked, everything else is a small portion. When younger I could never have enough roast potatoes. Now I make mine a lot smaller and fool myself thinking I've had 4. I must admit that I snack on fruit and nuts between meals.
It sound like you're a good weight for your height now.
I too can attest to this. My appetite has been greatly reduced with the onset of my AF. Seems the less I eat, the better I feel, especially during the evening. I seem to go up and down with weight a bit, I weigh myself every morning, and it might be 1 or 2 pounds up or down usually probably depending on the way the furosemide is working on me, I have come to realize that even the slightest bit of sodium, although still needed, can affect this. It is really tough to get an accurate amount of what you are actually consuming, you have to trust what the food packaging says as truthfull also the portion size that is used to measure, I'm supposed to be watching my fluid intake also, but by the doctors standards I find that I am much too dried out, so I drink a bit more fluid usually.
I bought that book a few years ago and found it rather bland and not much use at all if you have persistent AF. The book title is a bit of a con in that respect.
As you say that you have had a failed cardioversion I assume that you are persistent AF. The bio markers that the two doctors measure are well documented and most of them are covered by the blood tests I have done every 6 months, and I’m on the good side of them all. In my opinion being within the ranges set in the book will rarely help to get a persistent AF sufferer out of the condition, especially if there is no other underlying contributory factor.
However I think a sufferer can make their AF a lot worse by not following good diet and lifestyle choices and staying within the books guidelines can’t hurt either.
Your arrhythmia nurse’s guesstimate of 10% of AF prone people benefitting hugely from weight reduction would seem like a pretty good statistic to me.
I think the book should be called ‘The 10% AFib cure.’
Interesting aside to throw into the mix. When I had an echo, the techie started out asking about my case history, her final question was' And when did you have Covid then?' I replied that I went negative for covid 2 days before my first episode and immediately with why that question? She said that before covid she had about 5% of people who came for echos with AF were my shape ( low BMI and often distance athletes) but since covid it had increased to 20% and most of them appeared to have got it closely linked to covid. On a few months and I had covid again, a similarly mild affair to the last time, mostly as I suspect since I was a full time carer of my immunosuppressive partner I had had every vaccination going and lo no more AF nor any of the other symptoms I had been blaming on the meds but were probably long covid. GP commented it was not unknown but v rare that the immunity raised by previous infections/ immunisations to the new covid could get rid of the long covid's effects. The cardiologist is less convinced as he believes that AF will never go away but will be back sometime but he put me on a symptom pathway in which I can call back any time I have symptoms but he won't be calling me. Long may it last.
The evidence that is finally being trickled through is absolutely showing this. I was AF free until COVID vaccine and treble whammy of COVID. I also agree that AF will disappear and reappear at random.
I'll see if I can find it again, my cardiologist and EP both feel that my AF is inherited from my mother who died from Af related problems in her early 70s. My adult children and my brother have all been advised to get regular ECG and echocardiogram
I have had four failed cardioversions and have been in AF for 5 years, as I am feeling fine my Cardiologist has advised me to carry on in AF and keep taking the medication. Recently I had a full blood test and my liver enzymes were elevated as I like a drink. My GP read me the riot act on amounts of acceptable units etc. I mentioned that there is a well known gent in my town that is an alcoholic that lives on the streets, has done all his life and is now in his 80s,he has drunk cider 24/7 all his life and is still like a button, my GP replied "Everyone's different" and I certainly believe that.
If I could choose to die quickly I'd be tempted to save drinking for a rainy day and then go for it -- not no-holds-barred like your chap who drank cider on the streets, but a judicious glass of wine or two with dinner (God how I miss it; seven months and counting), and if it took me out, so be it.
I'm not afraid of dying. I am terrified of having a stroke and ending up disabled for many years (I'm not quite 60).
When my current woes (persistent AF) kicked off last autumn, I had this discussion with a retired cardiologist I know socially who has AF himself. First he said 'you should be all right with one unit per day, but don't even think about going over that limit, not even occasionally'. There's a formula for working out how many units according to size of glass and % ABV. One unit is a very small glass, even with wine at 12.5% (even smaller if the wine is 13--14%). Over the holidays this winter I allowed myself that single unit with special dinners, and allowed several hours for the unit to dissipate from my system before I took any cardiac drugs.
I thought the problem (for me) was the interaction of alcohol with metoprolol, which says in the leaflet not to combine with alcohol because it will lower blood pressure TOO MUCH, as in your heart can stop.
Then the retired cardio told me that in his view the bigger risk was blood thinners: "In my mind the really significant issue is the interaction between alcohol and NOACS like rivaroxaban...[the risk] is bleeding, specifically cerebral haemorrhage because there’s no coming back from that. For what it’s worth, I’ve had calf haematomas and brachial nerve sheath haematoma, all most unpleasant, after mixing tiny quantities of alcohol with ACGs so I’ve taken the hint and don’t drink at all any more."
I've not wanted to know what a brachial nerve sheath haematoma is (I know what the other two are). I haven't had a unit of alcohol since.
I did look up the effect of alcohol on heart rate/BP (not specifically while taking cardiac drugs) and found this clinical study (link at the bottom). The short version: "...alcohol decreases blood pressure initially (up to 12 hours after ingestion) and increases blood pressure after that. Alcohol consistently increases heart rate at all times within 24 hours of consumption."
The section "Key results" spells it out in more detail and differentiates between low, moderate and higher amounts of alcohol.
AF may come with underlying conditions but certainly not something that is the only explanation. There has been something of an 'epidemic' in AF in recent decades and it is probably associated like so many other diseases with obesity, lack of exercise and poor diet, but at the same time AF is often associated with those with an athletic or history of regular vigorous exercise.
Personally speaking I can remember being scared to death with palpitations running around in the playground at the age of 8 or 9, and my doctor told my parents that I had a 'heart murmur', which in those days just meant an irregular beat now and again. In those days (early 50s) the advice was 'don't do any strenuous exercise', but of course nobody took any notice of that and I grew up to be an accomplished cross country runner and athlete, taking part in all kinds of outside activities including climbing, caving and the odd 24 hour walk over mountains.
My AF kicked in fully around my late 40s when I must admit I was burning the candle at both ends, drinking too much, in a highly stressful job and working all hours including weekends. I was not overweight and always ate sensibly though.
In any case nobody should get into the blame game of putting down their AF to bad life style and other choices. It does nothing to help. If you have causes to which you can point, then maybe it helps explain; but in general, it is just one of those things that happen to some people and not others.
I recall reading a major and complex study that showed that arrhythmias become more likely in hearts where the heart cells (myocytes) are slightly stretched for various reasons. The researchers showed how various body processes can do this, including obesity. They then went on to show that the cells can return to normal size and function if the cause was removed (including excess weight) but they were less certain whether this resulted in the AF disappearing.
Hi - my knowledge comes only from reading and my days in pharmaceutical marketing. A myocyte is a heart muscle cell and the study seemed to show them to become arrhythmic when overly stretched or distorted but to revert to normality when they return (when they can) to normal size and shape. A monocyte is (I think) a kind of white blood cell.
I’ve only heard of it and know little of it - but it sounds unpleasant. I hope you cope well with it. It sounds like one of the very many autoimmune conditions that beset some of us.
We constantly remind each other and new members that we're all different. Not only are we genetically different but we all lead different lives impacted by thousands of different variables daily.
So when it comes to something like claims that losing 10% of weight can cure AF we also need to consider what other impacts happen at the same time as losing the weight e.g. what other changes are occurring, like dietary changes, improved fitness, lower blood sugar levels, reduced blood pressure, increased activity, lower stress from exercise increases, keeping hydrated, lower cholesterol, reduced overeating etc, more sunshine (increased Vitamin D3 etc) from daily walks started to lose weight, reduced/ceased intake of alcohol, caffeine and/or artificial sweeteners and so on.
So for some, losing 10% of body weight might appear to work but it might be because of other changes made while trying to lose weight rather than the weight loss itself. Who knows the answer!
We're all different and almost all of us make changes to our lives in response to being diagnosed with AF. Hopefully they work for you - at the end of the day, that's all that counts.
I don’t have any underlying conditions either and a structurally normal heart, but I’m in my late 50s and have had paroxysmal AF for nearly 20 years now.
I think stress in life over the years may have contributed to me perhaps getting it, but sometimes there is no rhyme or reason it seems why we get it.
Unfortunately losing weight hasn’t eliminated it for me and has made no difference at all - I lost quite a lot and am no longer overweight, but it is always worth a try of course, as are all the necessary life changes you can make.
If you find beta blockers have made you sluggish, or put on weight, it might be worth discussing that with your cardiologist at your next appointment as there are alternative medication, as perhaps they might not suit you.
Thought your name was Beatrice like my Mum but RED ACT RICE is not Beatrice. How do you pronoun your signa?
AF you were told can come from underlying hidden conditions. A vast lot of athletics develop AF due to pushing themselves continually. This produces inflammation so it attracts AF.
My attraction was discovered 4 days post Stroke. I had thyroid Cancer Papillary discovered during a Carotid arteries scan. So back tracking I had symptoms of excessive sweating, possible rapid heart rate.
So with AF having developed and not on anti-co.agulants (I'd moved the 2 lawns I had a stroke at 2am the next morning out of the blue.
Underlying was thyroid cancer.
Folks who have never had AF have no idea.
At Stroke I was diagnosed with Stroke with rapid and persistent AF.
Check out your Metoprolol with a 24hr Heart Monitor. I didn't want it. Yes it make me a zombie, heart rate 186 Day couldn't exert myself and at night avg heart rate 47 it gave me pauses.
Bisoprolol was introduced at 1 year 5 months but again heart rate was high at 156. Still 47avg night.
At 2 years 3 months a private heart specialist introduced CCB Calcium Channel Blocker and heart rate dropped to 88-96 now controlled.
My paternal grandmother was Beatrice but 'Redactrice' is French for 'editor' (female), and it should have an accent on the first E. I always go blank when choosing a user name and usually end up with something pretentious because nobody else has taken that name.
I don't have any underlying conditions, not even high blood pressure. I was diagnosed with AF at 48 (I'm just turning 60 now). Nobody, including me, has any idea why I have it, except that it seems to run in my family, but so far the official line seems to be that there is no such thing as 'genetic' or 'familial' AF. I was always active until very recently (bad knees, broken limb, Covid, then worsening AF and drug-related lethargy) but never in the same class as a competitive athlete, so I don't think I drove my body until it developed AF.
I found bisoprolol even worse than metoprolol and I refused to take it. I literally could not get out of bed. That was years ago, and my cardiologist agreed when I said I didn't want it. But back then I had infrequent paroxysmal AF, so I had the luxury of saying No. Now it's persistent (or even permanent) and it's metoprolol twice a day. Ugh.
Strokes are very scary. May we all be spared in the future.
So when looking after Mum at 87-90 I purchased a kitten and named her Beatrice.
Even if research reckons that AF is not tied up with genes others on this forum with family history of AF do not agree.
Could it be the anxious or worrying disposition of family genes then?
My grandfather wore glasses I did, also had his gall bladder out so did I (finally at 50) which the surgeon found had desintergrated. My Mum had two 2nd teeth missing, my sister has hers in the same area opposite but mine two are together.
Family genes sure play a life over generations.
Then there is the Vagus veins up and down the body.
I made the mistake of buying a copy of that book after it was recommended by someone here but as it was written by Americans, it assumed everyone with AF was overweight which I have never been , drank to much and other stuff which did not apply to me!!We know we are all different and while the book might help overweight Americans I doubt it is a universal panacea!
Yes, I had a similar reaction to the book (their patients have a distinct physical profile which isn't mine either), but it might be more useful to overweight non-Americans who fit the profile. The sections on drugs (spelling out the risks/benefits of different types) and ablation were useful to me, however.
I don’t think I read all of it but I didn’t take the drug for my hiatus hernia for ages as they were against it but I’m taking it again now with no ill effects that I can see. And as for the 10,000 steps a day- at 80 with chronic fatigue I could never manage anything approaching that!
I read the book as well and was shocked by the sensationalist claims. Indeed, the health recommendations they make are good just for quality of life … but to claim it CURES arrhythmia? Balderdash.
I endorse the importance of Vitamin D as mentioned by Auriculaire above.
Do you know your current serum Vitamin D level? Do you have a notion of what level you need for your situation?
I'm asking because my AF was diagnosed concurrently with a Vitamin D deficiency. And, since addressing this deficiency by supplementation, the frequency of my AF events has drastically reduced, from every 30 days to 107 days, and that excludes my current 130 days without AF (and counting). (PS. if I had AF today🤞, my average duration between events will have risen furtherto an even better 112 days).
So important this Vitamin D, and not just for me!👍
"He found that shiitake mushrooms dried outdoors in 6 hours of sunlight over two days had more vitamin D when they were dried with their gills facing up—they went from 100 IU per 3.5 oz to nearly 46,000 IU!"
I think that certainly makes them "dried" mushrooms. 🤔 Easier in NZ than UK.
I had no underlying conditions when my AF was diagnosed. I didn't drink alcohol that much - on a bad week it would have been 3 units or fewer a week if that - only when going out or celebrating. Have never been overweight, always exercised and do not get stressed easily either. I had stopped drinking caffeinated drinks and most alcoholic drinks about a decade or so prior to that because of an overactive bladder. AF is just AF it's the nature of the beast sometimes you just get it. Both my parents had various heart problems so many be that had something to do with my getting AF but neither of them had AF.
I don't have any co-morbidities, but I was told that other underlying conditions can also include sleep apnea, thyroid issues, magnesium or potassium deficiencies and hereditary. I even think that PPI usage from treating acid reflux may be a cause. Everyone is different and it is more than just about your weight.
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