Dr Mercola's article on A-Fib

[Guest guest]

Folks and Fibbers,

Am I just being over-sensitive at present?....

I've just received the following in one of the mailing lists I subscribe

to. Generally, I quite like Dr Mercola's e-mailshots, but there's

something about this one that I am not sure about. Maybe (a) it is the

first mention of my own main health problem, or ( it is his put-down

of ablation ( " killing electrical cells in the heart or the veins is in

no way shape or form treating the cause of the problem " ) when I am now

scheduled to have one myself.

I really feel that though we all try other forms of dealing with our AF

affliction (me as much as anyone else), and though we realise that

ablation may indeed be treating the symptom rather than the underlying

problem, until anyone can know really what the true underlying problem

IS, and how then to treat it, and all this with a similar success rate

to ablation, then I think his allusion that his " EFT " and eating plan is

a viable alternative to a state of affairs where ablation becomes viable

is misguided.

If you have any strong feelings, then as well as posting here, why not

contact him - http://www.mercola.com should have his e-mail. I am going

to. I think he could be a useful ally in trying to get to the bottom of

AF and in bringing it to the fore, but I for one would like him to know

that until such time as he can produce a better cure for AF than

ablation, he needs to avoid these claims.

============================================

Atrial Fibrillation Kill Some Heart Cells or Normalize Them?

Using radiofrequency energy to disconnect misbehaving muscle cells from

the heart can treat the heart-rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation in

some patients.

Atrial fibrillation is a very chaotic and irregular heartbeat that

occurs in the upper chambers of the heart, called the atrium. While the

heart-rhythm disturbances of atrial fibrillation are not themselves

life-threatening, the condition does raise the risk that blood clots

will form and possibly lead to a stroke.

The muscle " sleeves " that envelop the pulmonary veins -- blood vessels

that carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart -- are

frequently the source of these heart-rhythm abnormalities. Signals, or

extra beats, originating from the muscle sleeves can trigger atrial

fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation can be treated with drugs or an electric jolt to

shock the heart back into normal rhythm. Attempts have also been made to

treat the condition by ablating, or destroying, some heart muscle cells

and thus isolating the source of the extra beats from the rest of the

heart. However, patients treated with this technique often require

additional treatments.

Researchers note that past ablation attempts only targeted veins that

were shown in diagnostic tests to be a source of abnormal heart rhythms.

But these tests may not always identify source of the extra beats.

Because these extra heartbeats may originate from any of the four

pulmonary veins, in the study they electrically isolated at least three

of the four pulmonary veins and destroyed those cells with

radioablation.

After 5 months of follow-up, 70% of patients with intermittent atrial

fibrillation were free from recurrent irregular heartbeats without the

need for an anti-arrhythmic drugs. An additional 13% of patients had

greater than 90% improvement in their symptoms either without or with an

anti-arrhythmic drug that was previously ineffective.

In patients with persistent atrial fibrillation -- meaning the condition

had been present for months to years -- only 29% were either free of

recurrent atrial fibrillation or had a significant improvement after 5

months of follow-up.

Circulation January 29, 2002;105

DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT:

Atrial fibrillation is a difficult challenge to correct, but killing

electrical cells in the heart or the veins is in no way shape or form

treating the cause of the problem. It is just one more example of

traditional medicine using surgery to treat a symptom.

The heart is easily influenced by input from the autonomic nervous

system, or the part of the brain that controls breathing, digestion, and

a variety of other automatic functions of the body.

Emotional influences can significantly change one's heart rhythm. PVCs

or PACs are other types of irregular heart rhythms that are typically

far less dangerous than atrial fibrillation. PVCs are notoriously

amenable to complete improvement with bioenergetic techniques. I have

used EFT a number of times now to successfully eliminate those problems.

Atrial fibrillation is a more complex and persistent problem that

requires rigid application of the eating plan in addition to EFT. I have

also used EFT to either significantly reduce the dangerous medications

that a person is using for their atrial fibrillation or to completely

eliminate it.

If you are interested in finding out how you can learn EFT please go to

the EFT Resource page to find a number of different options that are

available. I hope to offer links to qualified clinicians in the near

future once our new web site is deployed.

=================================================

Best of health to all,

Vicky

London, UK, 1954 model

http://www.vagalafibportal.fsnet.co.uk/

" We don't have a hopeless end; we have an endless hope "

- anon (?) via Ellen

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\

-------------

[Guest guest]

Hi Vicky

I can see why you are worried. Ablation must be an awful prospect to

consider. And you really have to be sure to have it done. But I can

see where Dr Mercola is coming from. IT is, in effect, how I have

been treating myself with great success. By cutting out all known

additives and preservatives in and on food. A lot of these chemicals

are now known to cause havoc with the endocrine system by opening

calcium channels and depleting us of magnesium. They also attack the

hpothalamus which is responsible for the whole endocrine system.

Cutting out these chemicals is difficult because they are even on

fresh food like potatoes. I believe that once we have got rid of the

excitoxins in our bodies, our endocrine system goes back to normal

and we do not have problems with other foods, such as carbohydrates,

wheat, dairy (is very adulterated)etc.

I am now two months into this strict regime, and can only say very

positive things about its effects. PErhaps whilst you are waiting you

should give it a strict try. Then if it doesn't work for you, you

know you are doing the best thing for your symptoms, which plays

havoc with quality of life. But from what I have been reading this is

one of the biggest breakthroughs to date on understanding many

syndromes, such as AF, asthma, diabetes, ME, etc.

I think in the near future you will all be reading a lot more about

it.

Fran

)

> Folks and Fibbers,

>

> Am I just being over-sensitive at present?....

>

> I've just received the following in one of the mailing lists I

subscribe

> to. Generally, I quite like Dr Mercola's e-mailshots, but there's

> something about this one that I am not sure about. Maybe (a) it is

the

> first mention of my own main health problem, or ( it is his put-

down

> of ablation ( " killing electrical cells in the heart or the veins is

in

> no way shape or form treating the cause of the problem " ) when I am

now

> scheduled to have one myself.

>

> I really feel that though we all try other forms of dealing with

our AF

> affliction (me as much as anyone else), and though we realise that

> ablation may indeed be treating the symptom rather than the

underlying

> problem, until anyone can know really what the true underlying

problem

> IS, and how then to treat it, and all this with a similar success

rate

> to ablation, then I think his allusion that his " EFT " and eating

plan is

> a viable alternative to a state of affairs where ablation becomes

viable

> is misguided.

>

> If you have any strong feelings, then as well as posting here, why

not

> contact him - http://www.mercola.com should have his e-mail. I am

going

> to. I think he could be a useful ally in trying to get to the

bottom of

> AF and in bringing it to the fore, but I for one would like him to

know

> that until such time as he can produce a better cure for AF than

> ablation, he needs to avoid these claims.

>

> ============================================

>

> Atrial Fibrillation Kill Some Heart Cells or Normalize Them?

>

> Using radiofrequency energy to disconnect misbehaving muscle cells

from

> the heart can treat the heart-rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation

in

> some patients.

>

> Atrial fibrillation is a very chaotic and irregular heartbeat that

> occurs in the upper chambers of the heart, called the atrium. While

the

> heart-rhythm disturbances of atrial fibrillation are not themselves

> life-threatening, the condition does raise the risk that blood

clots

> will form and possibly lead to a stroke.

>

> The muscle " sleeves " that envelop the pulmonary veins -- blood

vessels

> that carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart -- are

> frequently the source of these heart-rhythm abnormalities. Signals,

or

> extra beats, originating from the muscle sleeves can trigger atrial

> fibrillation.

>

> Atrial fibrillation can be treated with drugs or an electric jolt

to

> shock the heart back into normal rhythm. Attempts have also been

made to

> treat the condition by ablating, or destroying, some heart muscle

cells

> and thus isolating the source of the extra beats from the rest of

the

> heart. However, patients treated with this technique often require

> additional treatments.

>

> Researchers note that past ablation attempts only targeted veins

that

> were shown in diagnostic tests to be a source of abnormal heart

rhythms.

> But these tests may not always identify source of the extra beats.

>

> Because these extra heartbeats may originate from any of the four

> pulmonary veins, in the study they electrically isolated at least

three

> of the four pulmonary veins and destroyed those cells with

> radioablation.

>

> After 5 months of follow-up, 70% of patients with intermittent

atrial

> fibrillation were free from recurrent irregular heartbeats without

the

> need for an anti-arrhythmic drugs. An additional 13% of patients

had

> greater than 90% improvement in their symptoms either without or

with an

> anti-arrhythmic drug that was previously ineffective.

>

> In patients with persistent atrial fibrillation -- meaning the

condition

> had been present for months to years -- only 29% were either free

of

> recurrent atrial fibrillation or had a significant improvement

after 5

> months of follow-up.

>

> Circulation January 29, 2002;105

>

> DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT:

>

> Atrial fibrillation is a difficult challenge to correct, but

killing

> electrical cells in the heart or the veins is in no way shape or

form

> treating the cause of the problem. It is just one more example of

> traditional medicine using surgery to treat a symptom.

>

> The heart is easily influenced by input from the autonomic nervous

> system, or the part of the brain that controls breathing,

digestion, and

> a variety of other automatic functions of the body.

>

> Emotional influences can significantly change one's heart rhythm.

PVCs

> or PACs are other types of irregular heart rhythms that are

typically

> far less dangerous than atrial fibrillation. PVCs are notoriously

> amenable to complete improvement with bioenergetic techniques. I

have

> used EFT a number of times now to successfully eliminate those

problems.

>

> Atrial fibrillation is a more complex and persistent problem that

> requires rigid application of the eating plan in addition to EFT. I

have

> also used EFT to either significantly reduce the dangerous

medications

> that a person is using for their atrial fibrillation or to

completely

> eliminate it.

>

> If you are interested in finding out how you can learn EFT please

go to

> the EFT Resource page to find a number of different options that

are

> available. I hope to offer links to qualified clinicians in the

near

> future once our new web site is deployed.

>

> =================================================

>

> Best of health to all,

> Vicky

>

> London, UK, 1954 model

> http://www.vagalafibportal.fsnet.co.uk/

>

> " We don't have a hopeless end; we have an endless hope "

> - anon (?) via Ellen

> --------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------

[Guest guest]

Hi Vicky,

please excuse the terseness of this reply - I only have a couple of minutes to

write this - I have to fix a speaker before band practice - I hope fixing a

tweeter is easier then fixing AF! (I think there's a broken wire so I'll be

ablating with my soldering iron!)

Just a couple of observations really....

In many people AF is a symptom of some other problem.

In many people AF is (or becomes) the problem because of structural changes in

the heart.

IMHO many (if not all) of the structural changes are irreversible.

There is no'cure all'. Although eating healthy is always a good idea and as

much as we would like to believe we can be cured simply by dietary changes it

will not cure all of us. It may cure some and help others but it's not going

to cure all of us.

It makes sense to me to always go after the cause rather than the symptom and

it's always the best place to start (so long as time doesn't restrict you to

chasing the symptom).There can come a time when it really doesn't matter if

it's a symptom or a cause as long as you get rid of the damn thing.

Ablation is not my idea of a first line solution but I'm glad it's in the

list.

Sorry for the brevity but I wanted to reply - when I have more time I'll try

visit the site and send the Doc an email.

--

D

[Guest guest]

on Sun, 17 Feb 2002 at 10:56:16, Driscoll

wrote :

>There can come a time when it really doesn't matter if

>it's a symptom or a cause as long as you get rid of the damn thing.

Yup ! Am currently there and wearing the T-shirt!

>Ablation is not my idea of a first line solution but I'm glad it's in the

>list.

Ditto.

Thanks for your reply, .

Best of health to all,

Vicky

London, UK, 1954 model

" We don't have a hopeless end; we have an endless hope "

- anon (?) via Ellen

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\

-------------

[Guest guest]

Hi there.

I drop in every once in a while when I find something that might help

the others here, as I have conquered my afib nearly a year ago.

Apparently there are others out there who have also conquered their

afib, so maybe we should all get together to help the rest of you.

Dr. Mercola is certainly right on one point - ablation is a really bad

idea. You see, afib apperars to be a natural defensive mechanism to

avoid having the heart produce blood pressure peaks when it receives

screwball signals. Further, afib is usually accompanied by a variety

of other symptoms, and ablation typically does NOTHING for the other

symptoms.

Afib appears to always have multiple causes, so correcting any of the

ones near the top of the list will stop it. Low body temperature and

candida are examples of things that, when fixed, have actually cured

people's afib. Afib appears to ALWAYS be accompanied by some part of

the metabolic system operating just at one end of its operating range,

but not beyond. There are many things that can be at the end of their

range, there are two ends to every range, there are two sides to each

end, etc. Hence, some detective work is needed to find just what is

YOUR parameter that is at its end, which end it is at, which side of

the end it is typically on, and what the cause and effect chain was

that got it there.

For example, being at the edge of adrenal exhaustion is often

connected with afib. Having sex helps some people, as it drives them

into adrenal exhaustion and beyond the boundary connected with their

afib. However, sex can make others, or the same person on a different

occasion worse, as it pushes them toward the boundary that causes them

problems.

I am personally convinced that anyone who undertakes understanding the

various parts of their metabolic control system will discover that

something is just at its operational limit. With me it was my vagal

system - no surprise since I had vagally mediated AF. That was being

overloaded from too much adrenaline, which was excessive because of my

low body temperature, which was low from a tonsillectomy some 50 years

earlier. I reset my body temperature back up to 98.6F, and my afib

disappeared as expected, ALONG WITH MY OTHER AF SYMPTOMS. No more

constipation, beer belly, low stamina, etc., etc.

Again, Dr. Mercola is right. If you DO stop your afib, what will you

use as an immediate indicator that something is wrong? My search for a

cure to my many problems would have been impossibly difficult if it

weren't for the fast feedback of my afib. If you are ablated, you may

be in effect PERMANENTLY giving up on fixing your other symptoms.

However, Dr. Mercola was wrong in believing that you can just change

your diet and cure your afib. I think everyone here has enough

experience to see just how naive this view is. You have to fix the

problem to fix the problem, so if your problem isn't diet, then

changing your diet isn't going to help.

Steve

======================

> on Sun, 17 Feb 2002 at 10:56:16, Driscoll

> <james@d...> wrote :

>

> >There can come a time when it really doesn't matter if

> >it's a symptom or a cause as long as you get rid of the damn thing.

>

> Yup ! Am currently there and wearing the T-shirt!

>

> >Ablation is not my idea of a first line solution but I'm glad it's

in the

> >list.

>

> Ditto.

>

> Thanks for your reply, .

>

> Best of health to all,

> Vicky

>

> London, UK, 1954 model

>

> " We don't have a hopeless end; we have an endless hope "

> - anon (?) via Ellen

>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------

[Guest guest]

on Mon, 18 Feb 2002 at 02:47:35, steverichfield

wrote :

<stuff snipped>

Yes, Steve, but when all the other methods (including yours) have been

tried (as in my case), and the afib is still getting worse, I have no

problem with ablation. If it stops my AF, I frankly don't care if it is

only curing the symptoms. I and others (and doctors) aren't unaware when

it comes to realising what modality of treatment ablation is, and I

don't want others telling me I shouldn't have it. Don't forget that

there are other cases of AF than purely lone AF (for which the

alternatives tend to be suitable) - for example, I have a mild MVP which

may now be contributing, probably plus years of slow remodelling. It's

one thing to help with alternative suggestions, but not anyone's place

to say that ablation straight is a bad idea and shouldn't be done, which

is what I feel you and Dr M were saying. What is just as bad, imho, is

to say that dietary and other methods will cure AF when things just

aren't that predictable - the body is too complex.

What I've noticed is that I think the alternative methods tend to work

OK if you catch your AF early enough. If however it escapes control,

then you ain't really got many other options, unless you want to live

with this awful affliction. The alternative methods actually worked for

me for 4 years, for nearly all of the time, but it finally escaped

control, and all I want now is for it to STOP!

Sorry if this comes over as a bit of a rant.

Best of health to all,

Vicky

" We don't have a hopeless end; we have an endless hope "

- anon (?) via Ellen

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\

-------------

[Guest guest]

Hi Steve

Well done!!

I was interseted in what you said about low body temperature. How on

earth do you get this back to parr. I have low body temp. I am hoping

it will pick up, as is my BP. But I would be very intersted to hear

how you did it.

I'd like to say though - Changing you diet is not necessarily naive.

It sounds it, but.... I can't believe what it has done for me. There

is also a Dr down south who has cured his cancer from eating only

unadulterated food.

HAve you researched what goes into food these days, even fresh

stuff. I am well on my way to conquering my AF. I know that it was

down to eating 'neurotoxic' food full of 'excitoxins'. I am now off

all meds and additives for two months and have only had one AF run in

this two months (this was a daily and constant occurence before). The

reason for this one run was I ate supermarket cooked chicken. I know

this sounds ridiculous but they are full of chemicals and can even be

injected and basted with MSG.

I mean we are what we eat.

I have also got rid of all my other associated problems, which for me

was fibromyalgia, cramps, chronic fatigue, depression, apnoea,

blurring eysight etc (I am hoping that it has also got rid of my

associated seizures, but they only come every year or so. But it had

been at least 13 months since the last one)

I know for a fact that my endocrine system was totally out of whack.

The change in my health over the last two months is incredible.

I can understand why people want ablations. I was arguing with my Dr

for one not even a year ago. But I am so glad I found this method

that helped me. I know it could help others but as you said everyone

seems to think it naive. As I say you shouldn't knock it till you've

tried it. And it is difficult as it means changing everything you

used to shop for. Not eating your favourites, peeling most things,

unless they are home grown, no more shop jam or cereal, meat,

checking on preservatives, buying bulk pulses, beans nuts, herbs

spices, meat from source etc etc. And there are plenty of resources

out there to help you know what they are in and understand the

chemical significence of it and how they compete with the enzymes in

our body. Leading to all sorts of problems including AF. I mean why

can't it be something so simple. We are what we eat.

Fran

> > on Sun, 17 Feb 2002 at 10:56:16, Driscoll

> > <james@d...> wrote :

> >

> > >There can come a time when it really doesn't matter if

> > >it's a symptom or a cause as long as you get rid of the damn

thing.

> >

> > Yup ! Am currently there and wearing the T-shirt!

> >

> > >Ablation is not my idea of a first line solution but I'm glad

it's

> in the

> > >list.

> >

> > Ditto.

> >

> > Thanks for your reply, .

> >

> > Best of health to all,

> > Vicky

> >

> > London, UK, 1954 model

> >

> > " We don't have a hopeless end; we have an endless hope "

> > - anon (?) via Ellen

> >

> --------------------------------------------------------------------

--

> -----------------------

[Guest guest]

Dear ph,

I'm not familiar with the interactions of drugs and vitamin/mineral

supplements specifically, but know that they exist. When I use Hawthorne,

for example, I feel quite flushed and my heart rate increases.

Someone posted a website which goes into this subject and hopefully they'll

post the info again.

Re: Re: Dr Mercola's article on A-Fib

> Can anyone tell me what the diet is. I would like to try chemical free, to

> see if it will work for me. I am going to start getting a good massage

every

> week and go to an energy healer and continue with my accupuncturist. These

> all have brought some temporary relief in the past, and I have cut out a

lot

> of different things from my diet before and have achieved some sense of

> relaxation. But....My atrium(s) still flutter all the time and the lowest

> heart rate I have been able to get (sporadically) is about 117BPM. I am

> taking Metoprolol 200mg a day and 5mg coumadin a day and 240mg of Cardizem

a

> day. Taking a little more of the beta blocker (metoprolol) brings it down

a

> little more, but eventually my body will get used to it like it has in the

> past and no longer respond as well to it. I have had this for 12 years. I

> started out on Digitalis 0.25mg a day/then went to tenormin,

> flecainide(briefly), sotalol (Betapace) then on

> amiodarone and metoprolol. The Betapace really screwed with my body. It

took

> so long to get to a therapeutic level and resulted in some of the brain

fog

> symptoms listed by others (tics in the extremities, memory loss,

irritability

> vision problems, etc.

> the metoprolol and the amiodarone have both ( at least I feel ) not much

> relief and a bit of blurred vision, and my heart rate seems to be going up

> and down like a yo-yo.

> Quite personally I have tried lots of herbs, (hawthorne, purported to

> normalize heart rates and blood pressure), all kinds of vitamins. The last

> time I went to the ER Feb 5th I felt like my face was going to explode. I

> would appreciate any information from anyone who has found anything that

will

> help control this. Anything that works.

> Thank You God bless all, ph

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

> Dear ph,

>

> I'm not familiar with the interactions of drugs and vitamin/mineral

> supplements specifically, but know that they exist. When I use

Hawthorne,

> for example, I feel quite flushed and my heart rate increases.

> Someone posted a website which goes into this subject and hopefully

they'll

> post the info again.

>

>

I don't know if it was me, but I posted this one once. It goes into

the therapeutic effects and side effects of herbs. I also know of

another site where you can put in drug names and any interactions

will come up.

http.//www.ny2aap.org.npsherbs.html

http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/Home

Hope this helps.

Fran

> Re: Re: Dr Mercola's article on A-Fib

>

>

> > Can anyone tell me what the diet is. I would like to try chemical

free, to

> > see if it will work for me. I am going to start getting a good

massage

> every

> > week and go to an energy healer and continue with my

accupuncturist. These

> > all have brought some temporary relief in the past, and I have

cut out a

> lot

> > of different things from my diet before and have achieved some

sense of

> > relaxation. But....My atrium(s) still flutter all the time and

the lowest

> > heart rate I have been able to get (sporadically) is about

117BPM. I am

> > taking Metoprolol 200mg a day and 5mg coumadin a day and 240mg of

Cardizem

> a

> > day. Taking a little more of the beta blocker (metoprolol) brings

it down

> a

> > little more, but eventually my body will get used to it like it

has in the

> > past and no longer respond as well to it. I have had this for 12

years. I

> > started out on Digitalis 0.25mg a day/then went to tenormin,

> > flecainide(briefly), sotalol (Betapace) then on

> > amiodarone and metoprolol. The Betapace really screwed with my

body. It

> took

> > so long to get to a therapeutic level and resulted in some of the

brain

> fog

> > symptoms listed by others (tics in the extremities, memory loss,

> irritability

> > vision problems, etc.

> > the metoprolol and the amiodarone have both ( at least I feel )

not much

> > relief and a bit of blurred vision, and my heart rate seems to be

going up

> > and down like a yo-yo.

> > Quite personally I have tried lots of herbs, (hawthorne,

purported to

> > normalize heart rates and blood pressure), all kinds of vitamins.

The last

> > time I went to the ER Feb 5th I felt like my face was going to

explode. I

> > would appreciate any information from anyone who has found

anything that

> will

> > help control this. Anything that works.

> > Thank You God bless all, ph

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >