Atrial fibrillation

[Dolev]

Any info about treatment of atrial fibrillation would be appreciated.

[Steve Brown]

Magnesium and taurine.

http://www.afibbers.org/magnesium.html

At the above-linked web site, I found a recipe to make magnesium water by adding Milk of Magnesia to carbonated water.

Here is an article by George Eby on the benefits of taurine.

http://george-eby-research.com/html/taurine.html

[ofonorow]

Use of vitamins C and E as a prophylactic therapy to prevent postoperative atrial fibrillation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19446899

The importance of vitamin C in the incidence of atrial fibrillation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18450684

Oral ascorbic acid in combination with beta-blockers is more effective than beta-blockers alone in the prevention of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17948074

Oral vitamin C administration reduces early recurrence rates after electrical cardioversion of persistent atrial fibrillation and attenuates associated inflammation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15982504

Ascorbate attenuates atrial pacing-induced peroxynitrite formation and electrical remodeling and decreases the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11557745

I went looking for an article I had cited before, trying to interest doctors in vitamin C for their AF patients, and I don't think I found it and will keep looking. It was the second citation, and here is the full text:http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org/cgi/content/full/17/3/270

[bbtri]

Deficiencies of magnesium or potassium increase risk. Magnesium deficient diets are common. Fish oil also decreases the risk of arrhythmia. Of course, there are plenty of drugs you could take.

[sweetjames]

Many AF patients have previously been advised to remain on anticoagulant medication, such as coumadin, for life to reduce stroke risk. Major changes are underway at present, and many, if not most AF victims, can have their condition erased by a catheter guided electophysiological intervention called ablation. Although it is expensive, the success rate is very high.

[Dolev]

The woman who contacted me about atrial fibrillation has an ablation scheduled. Even though it "works", I personally don't like the idea of burning my God-given pacemaker, which is what I understand ablation to be.

[Steve Brown]

The woman who contacted me about atrial fibrillation has an ablation scheduled. Even though it "works", I personally don't like the idea of burning my God-given pacemaker, which is what I understand ablation to be.

I agree that all natural therapies should be tried before resorting to the deliberate killing of living cardiac tissue.

[godsilove]

The woman who contacted me about atrial fibrillation has an ablation scheduled. Even though it "works", I personally don't like the idea of burning my God-given pacemaker, which is what I understand ablation to be.

I agree that all natural therapies should be tried before resorting to the deliberate killing of living cardiac tissue.

How many natural therapies are there that ought to be tried first?

Dolev, what are your patient's risk factors (e.g. congestive heart failure, high BP, age)? If the risk of stroke is high, and she will undergo the procedure at an experienced center, then the procedure might be worthwhile.

You may not like the idea of removing your "God-given" appendix, but sometimes the procedure is necessary. The risks have to be weighed against the benefits, because often there is no free lunch.

[Dolev]

godsilove,

This woman hasn't yet recontacted me, so I don't yet know the whole story.

[sweetjames]

Then to rule anything out, would have to be out of the question.

[Steve Brown]

The woman who contacted me about atrial fibrillation has an ablation scheduled. Even though it "works", I personally don't like the idea of burning my God-given pacemaker, which is what I understand ablation to be.

I agree that all natural therapies should be tried before resorting to the deliberate killing of living cardiac tissue.

How many natural therapies are there that ought to be tried first?

I suggested two, magnesium and taurine. Both have been used successfully to treat fibrillation. Taking both together may be a good idea, as there could be synergy between them. I don't even know if the woman has tried magnesium or taurine, but they would be worth a try before resorting to ablation, don't you think?

[sweetjames]

I agree, its worth a try, as long as her condition permits

[godsilove]

I agree that all natural therapies should be tried before resorting to the deliberate killing of living cardiac tissue.

How many natural therapies are there that ought to be tried first?

I suggested two, magnesium and taurine. Both have been used successfully to treat fibrillation. Taking both together may be a good idea, as there could be synergy between them. I don't even know if the woman has tried magnesium or taurine, but they would be worth a try before resorting to ablation, don't you think?

When you said all natural therapies I assumed you were referring to more than just magnesium and taurine. From a google search, I also found alternative health websites advocating fish oils, potassium, l-arginine, l-carnitine, CoQ10, Hawthorne Berry, etc. And how long would one have to take these treatments before concluding they they are working or not?

I think if the patient's risk of suffering a stroke is fairly low, then it is probably worth trying other treatments before resorting to an invasive procedure. On the other hand, if the risk is high then time is of the essence.