self help

[AnneWillmot]

What techniques are there for managing ectopics?

[Lauriem4]

Hi I think there's a breathing exercise .Taking deep slow breaths 6 per minute or less and pulling up the diaphragm. X

[Oldacre-girl]

Magnesium Taurate is a good help. Also know your triggers i.e over tiredness, alcohol, stress, heavy meals late evening. As Lauren says, breathing exercises help too. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you have days when you feel you can’t cope with them. You’re not a failure; most of us who have them feel panic at times.

Good luck.

[Tekla]

Taking a deep breath and bearing down as if you are having a bowel movement seems to work for me. I have also tried lying down with my feet elevated. Anxiety makes them worse so stay calm.

[MaryMc1]

I also use Magnesium Taurate but what really made a major difference for me has been to take 1000 mg of Acetyl-L-Carnitine twice a day. I'd read about it in Dr. Stephen Sinatra's book. I also take Co-Q10 in the form of Ubiquinol twice a day. I wish you well.

[Madeira19 in reply to MaryMc1]

Hi, I'm going to try the supplements you recommended, whilst waiting to see my cardiologist. Could I ask how bad your symptoms were before taking them please?

I have bigemy and pauses all day long.

If I start to exercise it will subside to a certain extent.

I'm wondering if I have Afib, but the slow heart rate type. I'm on bisoprolol, but don't think it's helping as it s slowing my heart rate down further 🤔

I was told a year ago that my heart is structurally normal.

Just wondering how effective the supplements will be for me!

Sorry I'm burdening you with this like your my own personal doctor!

Thanks in sdvance

[MaryMc1 in reply to Madeira19]

Hi Madeira19 - I had daily ectopic beats that really were effecting my life. They started after I had an ablation for atrial flutter. And they stayed for months afterwards. It was pretty unnerving. I started taking a powdered form of magnesium glycinate by Seeking Health. It dissolves quickly and calms my heart much faster than capsules. I take that in the morning in a protein shake along with the D-ribose (5 gm) and some other nutrients. In the evening after dinner I take magnesium taurate in capsules. I was also taking L-Carnitine, 500 mg twice per day but wasn't getting the results that I had expected. Then I read that the amount should be double what I was taking. Doubling it made a big difference right away.

My feeling is that you have to start slowly and experiment. Notice how your body responds and let that be your guide. And I find that somedays, certain things can trigger the ectopics such as when I took a triptan medication for migraine. So when that happens I have to adjust my protocol to meet the situation. I also meditate daily and work with my thoughts and feelings to calm my inner "worrier". I have complex PTSD and chronic pain so I'm working on learning to self-soothe and become more of a shelter for myself. I add that last bit because, for me anyway, my thoughts clearly effect my body including my heart. I hope that this is helpful. I know how disturbing these ectopic beats can be. It's such good news to hear that your heart is structurally sound. My last cardiologist had told me that I have a strong heart. When I get scared, I remind myself of what she said and that calms down my tendency to worry and ruminate. I wish you the very best.

[Madeira19 in reply to MaryMc1]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. I too had an unsuccessful ablation, went from not being aware of PVCs prior ablation, to feeling them all the time now and very frequent. I really wish I had continued to try out the magnesium/ supplements route for longer. I guess I was discouraged by having tests for magnesium levels which were shown to be normal. May I ask if you had yours checked beforehand? I feel better equipped now with some idea on correct dosages. I'm also looking at the reasons these things may not be supplied to my heart as they once used to be, and have found some answers on here relating to tests for stomach/ intestinal problems as I suffer with terrible bloating and burping!

I'm working on relaxation techniques too, yoga when I have the energy, and being in woodland and watching nature has been a blessing for me

I'm hoping I'll be messaging you soon with some good results🙂

Take care