Re: Amalgam removal, etc.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/2/2002 7:48:47 PM Pacific Standard Time,

AFIBsupport@... writes:

<< You are at a fork in your road of life. Do you go with your LD, AF and

gradual decrepitation, or fight it every milimeter of the way with

failure NOT being an option, or for that matter, even thinkable? >>

I don't think that " going with AF " necessarily means gradual decrepitation.

This opinion is based primarily on the example of my older brother who has

been in permanent afib for at least twenty to thirty years or more, maybe

since childhood. Believe me, he is anything but decrepit! I am eleven years

younger than he, but I have a hard time keeping up with him when hiking or

doing any kind of exercise. His afib is controlled by medication, Digoxin

and Atenolol; and he just said to me on the phone last night, " Afib has never

slowed me down. I do anything I want to do. " He didn't need to tell me

that. I have marveled repeatedly at his active lifestyle and ability to

completely forget afib.

His example is a primary reason that I have resisted taking proarrhythmic

drugs in favor of more innocuous drugs like Atenolol and Verapamil. They

don't prevent my afib completely but make the afib easier to live with. In

fact, my experience and that of my brother have been that as one experiences

afib for a longer period of time, its impact lessens and it becomes less of a

factor in one's life. My brother is living proof that life in afib can be

absolutely normal. I can't see any point in taking a drug that could cause

death or in engaging in a " cure " activity that could be fatal or at least

cause one's afib to worsen. Afib is not a killer, but unfortunately some of

the treatments are potential killers. I would rather go with the flow of

afib than take a chance on a possible killer drug or cure. However, each

afib sufferer is an individual case with very individual problems. As has

been said before, there is no " one size fits all " cure. I think the most

important advice we can all remember is TO CHECK WITH OUR DOCTORS BEFORE

FOLLOWING ADVICE RECEIVED FROM WELL-INTENTIONED FELLOW AFIBBERS. I am

convinced that afib won't kill us, but following the wrong advice in dealing

with our afib could kill.

, still in sinus in Seattle and deliriously happy!

[Guest guest]

, Regarding:

> <<The REAL challenge is situations like , where doing this will

> predictably make things briefly WORSE before they get better.>>

>

> I'm not sure I'm now fit enough to survive the AF that I had in the

first six

> months so making my AF worse is a bit of a problem. Finding a

balance between

> how much I'm prepared to experiment and how much I can cope with 24

hours of

> AF every 16 days is one of the problems. I'm not sure I have the

confidence to

> say things will get worse and then get better - I know things could

just as

> easily get worse then go down hill!

First, metabolic normalization can be done QUICKLY - in a day or so.

Indeed, THAT was my " trick " to resetting the daytime temperature of

older people, to do it in a day rather than in a week or more, as has

been the traditional method, and which doesn't work on older people.

Hence, I don't see any long period of AF in your future, but I suspect

that it would be about as bad as it can get for a day or so, and you

would have to pay a LOT more attention to your body's operation for a

year or so afterward.

Second is the issue of Learned Distrss (LD). Most people are

" programmed " in infancy to believe that there is something wrong with

them. In some extreme cases, this overdrives the immune system and

causes autoimmune diseases. However, in more moderate cases, people

simply accept their gradual decrepitation as they grow older as being

perfectly normal. While this is happening, your hypothalamus is

computing your probable survival time, so that it doesn't need to

waste valuable resources on problems that will outlive you, e.g. why

bother to fight a cancer that won't kill you for years if you believe

that you will be dead in months?

This all becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy - you fall apart pretty

much on schedule. So how do you fight LD? Sara Avery sells a CD for

you to play in your sleep to " reprogram " you to reject LD. I believe

that you can consciously " reprogram " yourself to reject the concept of

aging and fight it every inch of the way.

Sure it is scary to try someting new and untested. You've read my

explanation of my trial of my theory on resetting my temperature.

However, my LD-corrected view would not permit me to leave such an

unacceptable situation as-is. I am absolutely and pathalogically

unafraid of dying, but I certainly didn't like the prospect of living

with even my relatively mild case of AF.

This is a religious-like issue - involving an " irrational " (by some

measures) belief that I am going to live a VERY long time despite any

obvious evidence to the contrary, and that I can and will fix

ANYTHING.

In my particular case, people pay me a lot of money to fix complex

computer-based systems where others have failed, and in the decades

that I have been doing this, I have yet to leave a single system

unrepaired. Most of these projects start with some highly qualified

person declaring that it is absolutely impossible to fix the system,

usually accompanied with a detailed report as to why this is so. If I

didn't KNOW that I can fix ANYTHING and plan for success, I wouldn't

stand a chance. I simply apply this to my own body as needed.

As you can see, programming goes far beyond just heart rate. I never

" try " to do anything - I either do it, or I don't bother. In any

effort, presuming success and planning accordingly will always bring

far more seccess than other methods.

If I were in your situation, I might die in the process, but I

wouldn't hesitate an AF heartbeat in setting about whatever I thought

would terminate my AF for once and for all. I think that your success

lies in metabolic normalization as I have explained in prior emails,

the first step of which is evaluating just which systems are at

or near their limits, e.g. are your adrenal and vagal systems at their

lower limits as I theorized?

You are at a fork in your road of life. Do you go with your LD, AF and

gradual decrepitation, or fight it every milimeter of the way with

failure NOT being an option, or for that matter, even thinkable?

I can hear the " Rocky " theme in the background...

Steve

[Guest guest]

Vicky:

> Steve - for my interest, since I never knew this - what was the peak

> level of AF attacks you ever got? (average hours/day, days/month,

and

> elapsed time from your first ever diagnosed attack to when you laid

it

> to rest)? Do you fit with my get-to-it-early theory?

My AF was somewhat unusual, like Rich's (See recent email topic

" Question " ), where I would randomly (with no pattern that I could

then detect) get attacks ranging from minutes to hours. These could

come back to back, or not for days. I typically woke up in LAF, which

quickly went away when I got up. There was no periodicity that I could

recognize. Otherwise, I fit the general vagal pattern - digestive

problems, stopping exercise, alcohol and laying on my left side were

typical triggers, etc.

As I have explained in prior emails, I suspect that there are a dozen

or more common forms of LAF, rather than just the two categories now

commonly recognized. My particular form fits, maybe, 5% of all LAF

cases. I should probably give it a name. You probably have " Steve's

LAF Syndrome " if you have the following:

1. Relatively short, non-periodic attacks.

2. General fits the " vagal " pattern.

3. Have had your tonsils out as a child with general anesthesia, or

have an afternoon body temperature less than 98.1F.

I believe that I have a quick cure for anyone fitting this particular

pattern (resetting daytime body temp up to 98.6), that probably won't

do much for other vagal LAF sufferers.

Steve

[Guest guest]

For anyone wanting to learn distress I can recommend 300 beats a minute and a

very low blood oxygen level (I can hear the Jaws theme in the background....)

but just to change that theme music and inflate my ego...

I'm very confident that I will beat my AF and either get to a place where I am

cured or that my symptoms are not noticeable so I can perform all the

activities I want to (I will ski again!).

Furthermore, I will get there without going back to days where frequent

hospital stays and oxygen masks were part of my routine. There are many ways

to swing the cat - some involve a rope and a comfy chair, other involve

grabbing it by it's tail - I'll choose the comfy chair.

You are right Steve I can hear that Rocky theme

One thing is for sure, actions speak louder than words and I need more things

to be done to me than are currently being done. Balancing palliative care and

searching for a solution is something the health service has got very wrong -

I've never felt better than I do right now in the last four years but it still

isn't good enough, so the search goes on.

All the best

--

D

[Guest guest]

, POSITIVE ATTITUDE, is the best way to start. Keep it up. I always heard,

" That there always must be a way, now lets find it. " Walt, thinking that this is

going to be a better now after reading your post.

Re: Re: Amalgam removal, etc.

For anyone wanting to learn distress I can recommend 300 beats a minute and a

very low blood oxygen level (I can hear the Jaws theme in the background....)

but just to change that theme music and inflate my ego...

I'm very confident that I will beat my AF and either get to a place where I am

cured or that my symptoms are not noticeable so I can perform all the

activities I want to (I will ski again!).

Furthermore, I will get there without going back to days where frequent

hospital stays and oxygen masks were part of my routine. There are many ways

to swing the cat - some involve a rope and a comfy chair, other involve

grabbing it by it's tail - I'll choose the comfy chair.

You are right Steve I can hear that Rocky theme

One thing is for sure, actions speak louder than words and I need more things

to be done to me than are currently being done. Balancing palliative care and

searching for a solution is something the health service has got very wrong -

I've never felt better than I do right now in the last four years but it still

isn't good enough, so the search goes on.

All the best

--

D

[Guest guest]

This is the best arguement I have ever seen for positive thinking.

Perhaps this is how it works? No more negative thoughts for me.

Fran

> Second is the issue of Learned Distrss (LD). Most people are

> " programmed " in infancy to believe that there is something wrong

with

> them. In some extreme cases, this overdrives the immune system and

> causes autoimmune diseases. However, in more moderate cases, people

> simply accept their gradual decrepitation as they grow older as

being

> perfectly normal. While this is happening, your hypothalamus is

> computing your probable survival time, so that it doesn't need to

> waste valuable resources on problems that will outlive you, e.g.

why

> bother to fight a cancer that won't kill you for years if you

believe

> that you will be dead in months?

>

> This all becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy - you fall apart pretty

> much on schedule.

So how do you fight LD? Sara Avery sells a CD for

> you to play in your sleep to " reprogram " you to reject LD. I

believe

> that you can consciously " reprogram " yourself to reject the concept

of

> aging and fight it every inch of the way.

>

> Sure it is scary to try someting new and untested. You've read my

> explanation of my trial of my theory on resetting my temperature.

> However, my LD-corrected view would not permit me to leave such an

> unacceptable situation as-is. I am absolutely and pathalogically

> unafraid of dying, but I certainly didn't like the prospect of

living

> with even my relatively mild case of AF.

>

> This is a religious-like issue - involving an " irrational " (by some

> measures) belief that I am going to live a VERY long time despite

any

> obvious evidence to the contrary, and that I can and will fix

> ANYTHING.

>

> In my particular case, people pay me a lot of money to fix complex

> computer-based systems where others have failed, and in the decades

> that I have been doing this, I have yet to leave a single system

> unrepaired. Most of these projects start with some highly qualified

> person declaring that it is absolutely impossible to fix the

system,

> usually accompanied with a detailed report as to why this is so. If

I

> didn't KNOW that I can fix ANYTHING and plan for success, I

wouldn't

> stand a chance. I simply apply this to my own body as needed.

>

> As you can see, programming goes far beyond just heart rate. I

never

> " try " to do anything - I either do it, or I don't bother. In any

> effort, presuming success and planning accordingly will always

bring

> far more seccess than other methods.

>

> If I were in your situation, I might die in the process, but I

> wouldn't hesitate an AF heartbeat in setting about whatever I

thought

> would terminate my AF for once and for all. I think that your

success

> lies in metabolic normalization as I have explained in prior

emails,

> the first step of which is evaluating just which systems are at

> or near their limits, e.g. are your adrenal and vagal systems at

their

> lower limits as I theorized?

>

> You are at a fork in your road of life. Do you go with your LD, AF

and

> gradual decrepitation, or fight it every milimeter of the way with

> failure NOT being an option, or for that matter, even thinkable?

>

> I can hear the " Rocky " theme in the background...

>

> Steve

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/26/02 3:56:38 AM Eastern Standard Time,

john.codling@... writes:

> guys I am a little sceptical on this , I had all my filling removed quite a

> lot of them and replaced with white ones. I did not percieve any difference.

>

>

> C

>

,

Did you have them removed under a special protocol that would prevent

absorption of mercury?

Have you subsequently had your mercury levels tested?

Victor

[Guest guest]

Victor:

In a prior posting, Vicky commented that (I think it was) you also had

overcome your afib. Is that true? If so, what is your story?

From all that I have read about mercury, removing amalgams with either

good or poor technique should not have any immediate effect, though it

should help in 20 years or so, especially if good removal technique

was used. This is because of the very different time constants of

decay between your body (weeks) and your brain (decades). For the same

reason, mercury tests typically only indicate the rate that you are

now adding mercury for your body to flush out, rather than the level

now in your brain. Hence, the conventional mercury tests really tell

us NOTHING about the level in your brain, which is the result of the

level in your body decades ago when you first got your amalgams, the

residue of which has long ago been flushed out of your body leaving

potentially large but untestable amounts still in your brain.

Note that there are some newly proposed chelation techniques to

address this, where first you get your amalgams removed, then flush

the residual mercury from your body with a chelator that will NOT

cross the blood-brain barrier, and when the readings get low enough,

switch to a chelator that WILL cross the blood-brain barrier (like

lipoic acid), and watch the mercury levels rise for a time as your

brain is cleaned out.

Also, one study showed that if you have a stiff drink just before you

get your amalgams out, that the absorption of mercury is greatly

reduced. Yes, my dentist was a little skeptical too - I think that he

thought that I was an alcoholic. You can never be too careful - you

might even have another after the dentist has finished.

It does seem very important not to replace amalgams with still more

amalgams when they get too old and need replacement (as many of mine

now need).

Steve

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

> In a message dated 3/26/02 3:56:38 AM Eastern Standard Time,

> john.codling@c... writes:

>

>

> > guys I am a little sceptical on this , I had all my filling

removed quite a

> > lot of them and replaced with white ones. I did not percieve any

difference.

> >

> >

> > C

> >

>

> ,

> Did you have them removed under a special protocol that would

prevent

> absorption of mercury?

> Have you subsequently had your mercury levels tested?

> Victor

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/5/2002 10:34:38 AM Pacific Standard Time,

AFIBsupport@... writes:

<< Also, one study showed that if you have a stiff drink just before you

get your amalgams out, that the absorption of mercury is greatly

reduced. Yes, my dentist was a little skeptical too - I think that he

thought that I was an alcoholic. You can never be too careful - you

might even have another after the dentist has finished. >>

Ironically, the stiff drinks might send you into the afib you are trying to

avoid by having the amalgams taken out. Alcohol is well known as a certain

afib trigger for some afib prone people. My older brother, who has been in

permanent afib for at least twenty to thirty years, firmly believes that

alcohol was a major factor in his developing afib. He has not drunk any

alcohol for twenty-two years, but he thinks the damage was done twenty-three

to thirty years ago. He was in permanent afib by the time he was my age. I,

on the other hand, have never drunk alcohol nor used illegal drugs, and I am

still paroxysmal after nearly nineteen years of afib. (I have also never

smoked, but my brother still smokes. He has not been able to quit that as he

quit alcohol.) My brother's opinion is that the difference between our afib

experience is caused by my avoidance of alcohol and earlier use of medication

to control the afib. (He did not start using medication for afib control

until 12 years ago after he was a well-established afibber. Since my brother

and I obviously share a genetic predisposition toward afib, it seems logical

that environmental and lifestyle factors such as avoidance of alcohol on my

part and control by medication have lessened the impact of my afib when

compared to his.

Because my brother lives a normal, active life in afib and he doesn't regard

afib as a major problem now, he doesn't participate in any afib groups. He

doesn't feel the need as I do. However, he' s always interested in

information and anecdotes which I glean from this group and others. He

always laughs when I tell him about rationalizations of alcohol use that I

have read about. For example, on another board I read that one person

believed he could drink clear alcoholic drinks without triggering afib

whereas colored drinks such as whiskey, red wine, etc., always triggered afib

for him. My brother found this thinking especially amusing because on his

path to permanent afib, good, old, clear vodka was his drink of choice. His

belief is that alcohol is alcohol, whether it's red, pink, brown, purple, or

clear; and alcohol is a no-no for an afibber. Although my brother and I see

a humorous aspect in the very human rationalizations about alcohol, the

effect of alcohol on my brother's life has not been humorous at all.

in sinus in Seattle (Day 21!)

[Guest guest]

:

I have 99+% cured my afib. The tiny little bit that is left only

occurs for seconds, and only when I do several really stupid things

all at once, e.g. precipitate adrenal fatigue. I now have absolutely

no problem drinking alcohol, laying on my left side, etc., which used

to be instant triggers for me. I am now working on the remaining 1%,

and going back to better understand the 99% that I got rid of.

I am more or less convinced that alcohol depresses temperature and

metabolism, which indirectly increases adrenal demands, which is a

problem for people whose adrenal demands are already high, which most

particularly includes people with chronic low body temperature. I

wonder if there are ANY afibbers who are both alcohol sensitive AND

who have normal 98.6F=37C daytime body temperature to prove me wrong?!

Is your brother's temperature also low? Is he also missing his

tonsils?

Steve

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

> In a message dated 4/5/2002 10:34:38 AM Pacific Standard Time,

> AFIBsupport@s... writes:

>

> << Also, one study showed that if you have a stiff drink just before

you

> get your amalgams out, that the absorption of mercury is greatly

> reduced. Yes, my dentist was a little skeptical too - I think that

he

> thought that I was an alcoholic. You can never be too careful - you

> might even have another after the dentist has finished. >>

>

> Ironically, the stiff drinks might send you into the afib you are

trying to

> avoid by having the amalgams taken out. Alcohol is well known as a

certain

> afib trigger for some afib prone people. My older brother, who has

been in

> permanent afib for at least twenty to thirty years, firmly believes

that

> alcohol was a major factor in his developing afib. He has not drunk

any

> alcohol for twenty-two years, but he thinks the damage was done

twenty-three

> to thirty years ago. He was in permanent afib by the time he was my

age. I,

> on the other hand, have never drunk alcohol nor used illegal drugs,

and I am

> still paroxysmal after nearly nineteen years of afib. (I have also

never

> smoked, but my brother still smokes. He has not been able to quit

that as he

> quit alcohol.) My brother's opinion is that the difference between

our afib

> experience is caused by my avoidance of alcohol and earlier use of

medication

> to control the afib. (He did not start using medication for afib

control

> until 12 years ago after he was a well-established afibber. Since

my brother

> and I obviously share a genetic predisposition toward afib, it seems

logical

> that environmental and lifestyle factors such as avoidance of

alcohol on my

> part and control by medication have lessened the impact of my afib

when

> compared to his.

>

> Because my brother lives a normal, active life in afib and he

doesn't regard

> afib as a major problem now, he doesn't participate in any afib

groups. He

> doesn't feel the need as I do. However, he' s always interested in

> information and anecdotes which I glean from this group and others.

He

> always laughs when I tell him about rationalizations of alcohol use

that I

> have read about. For example, on another board I read that one

person

> believed he could drink clear alcoholic drinks without triggering

afib

> whereas colored drinks such as whiskey, red wine, etc., always

triggered afib

> for him. My brother found this thinking especially amusing because

on his

> path to permanent afib, good, old, clear vodka was his drink of

choice. His

> belief is that alcohol is alcohol, whether it's red, pink, brown,

purple, or

> clear; and alcohol is a no-no for an afibber. Although my brother

and I see

> a humorous aspect in the very human rationalizations about alcohol,

the

> effect of alcohol on my brother's life has not been humorous at all.

> in sinus in Seattle (Day 21!)

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/6/2002 9:07:32 AM Central Standard Time,

vmpaf@... writes:

> >I wonder if there are ANY afibbers who are both alcohol sensitive AND

> >who have normal 98.6F=37C daytime body temperature to prove me wrong?!

>

> Yes. Sorry !

>

I'm afraid I am also one who has a normal temp but sensitivity to alcohol. I

find that I can have as much as a half glass of wine if I drink it very

slowly without triggering a " spell " . But I avoid drinking anything alcoholic

except on social occasions when we're celebrating something!

Brenta

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/6/2002 12:55:26 AM Pacific Standard Time,

AFIBsupport@... writes:

<< s your brother's temperature also low? Is he also missing his

tonsils? >>

Steve,

My brother's temperature is normal 98.6 unless, of course, he is suffering

from an infection and it rises as it normally should do. I am the one who

tends toward a low temperature, especially when I am tinkering with my

thyroid dose, a foolish and dangerous activity which I have abandoned

forever. Since I discontinued my experimentation with various thyroid doses

and am taking my doctor's recommended dose, everything has improved,

including my temperature which is now normal. My brother does not have a

thyroid problem, as I do, and the difference in our body temperatures is

quite noticeable when he visits my house and is dying because I keep my house

too warm for him. The reverse situation happens when I visit him. I don't

visit his house often in the winter because I am always freezing in the

temperature he prefers.

His tonsils were removed when I was a child and he was a young adult. I

still have my tonsils in spite of repeated threats from doctors to remove

them. They just never got around to it.

Regarding the alcohol issue, my brother said that alcohol can be quite

treacherous in its ability to mask the symptoms of afib and to make one feel

normal after having a drink. He said that in the years when he was drinking

and heading toward permanent afib, he would take a drink whenever an afib

episode hit. In those days he was still paroxysmal. After he took one

drink, all of his symptoms would, as he puts it, apparently " smooth out " and

disappear. Therefore, he thought that the alcohol was helping him to stave

off the afib episodes, except at that time he had no idea what the problem

was. As you can probably guess, he drank more and more because it offered

apparent relief from the afib symptoms. He thinks that this need to

alleviate the symptoms of afib was the fundamental cause of his alcohol

addiction and that ironically his use of alcohol exacerbated the afib

condition that he was trying to relieve by drinking. For this reason, he

believes that anyone who is drinking alcohol cannot accurately assess the

frequency, duration, or intensity of afib episodes because the effects of

alcohol seemingly end the afib symptoms although in actuality the afib is

still present. In a way, drinking alcohol may have the same effect as a

sinus node ablation. :-) An ECG would still show that one's rhythm is afib,

but one would not experience the symptoms of afib. Maybe drinking is the

poor man's sinus node ablation! :-)

Anyway, putting attempts at ridiculous humor aside, I would say from my

brother's experience that afibbers are very susceptible to the characteristic

alcoholic's denial of having a problem with excessive alcohol consumption.

After all, if the alcohol seems to eliminate the troublesome afib symptoms,

it would be easy to view alcohol consumption as a positive activity and to

deny the negative impact of alcohol on one's life and afib. This is what

happened to my brother, but he didn't realize it until he sought hospital

treatment and counseling to help him understand what was happening. My

brother believes that if one has become dependent on alcohol to relieve afib

symptoms, the only solution is hospitalization and medical treatment for the

alcoholism. This is because the afib factor adds a level of physical

dependence on alcohol which is not present in the average alcoholic.

I thank God that I have been fortunate to learn from my brother's mistakes

and to avoid alcohol completely. This may be a main reason that I am not in

permanent afib after nineteen years of afib. Having a much older sibling can

be quite educational. I'm sure that I probably share my brother's genetic

tendency toward alcoholism as I share his genes for afib. Thanks to my

brother's example, increased intensity of afib due to alcoholism is one

problem I will never experience.

in sinus in Seattle

(This is day 22 of sinus! I celebrated my three week anniversary of my last

afib episode last night by reading a good book and going to sleep early.)

[Guest guest]

on Sat, 6 Apr 2002 at 08:54:21, steverichfield

wrote :

>I wonder if there are ANY afibbers who are both alcohol sensitive AND

>who have normal 98.6F=37C daytime body temperature to prove me wrong?!

Yes. Sorry !

Though the type of drink makes a difference. Red wine is a straight-off

trigger a lot of the time for me, english beers (ales) rarely, lager-ey

type beers often, white wine not so bad, spirits I never touch. It

seems maybe to be the dehydrative effect caused (and gassiness)

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]

>

> I am more or less convinced that alcohol depresses temperature and

> metabolism, which indirectly increases adrenal demands, which is a

> problem for people whose adrenal demands are already high, which

most

> particularly includes people with chronic low body temperature. I

> wonder if there are ANY afibbers who are both alcohol sensitive AND

> who have normal 98.6F=37C daytime body temperature to prove me

wrong?!

I have not touched alcohol for years. But when I was still drinking,

before I noticed that it triggered AF, I used to suffer a slightly

higher temperature the day after, about 99. There was one time when I

nearly never got a small op because of it. So from your words above

it seems that alcohol had the opposite effect on me. But then so do

most things.

Fran

[Guest guest]

After he took one

> drink, all of his symptoms would, as he puts it, apparently " smooth

out " and

> disappear. Therefore, he thought that the alcohol was helping him

to stave

> off the afib episodes, except at that time he had no idea what the

problem

> was. As you can probably guess, he drank more and more because it

offered

> apparent relief from the afib symptoms.

I noticed like your brother that everything seemed to get better when

drinking. IT made my heart feel normal. The problem was the three

days after. AF was treacherous, I had a temperature and my breathing

would go weird. At first I thought it was just a hangover and the

symptoms were caused by dehydration. So I would limit myself to one

drink. Even that caused major symptoms in the days following. So

alcohol quickly became an absolute no no! I would never have noticed

this connection if I had drank everyday.

Drink certainly has the ability to make one feel as though everything

is OK. Something about looking at the world through rose coloured

glasses. I do have a bit of a downer on drink. I am watching my

sister with RA use it as a crutch to get her by. Only problem is that

the more she drinks the more the chip on her shoulder grows - about

the world being owing her a living. And how unfair everything is, why

me etc. I'm sure diseases and 'syndromes' fuel themselves on this

attitude and it quickly becomes a downward spiral.

Fran

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/6/2002 9:55:01 AM Pacific Standard Time,

fross@... writes:

<< I noticed like your brother that everything seemed to get better when

drinking. IT made my heart feel normal. >>

Fran,

Yes, this is why persons who drink alcohol often think that they have

conquered afib when in reality the afib is still there. The alcohol creates

the delusion that they are in sinus. Only an ECG would convince them that

they are indeed still in afib. I certainly admire you for having the sense

and courage to stop drinking when you were lucky enough to see the effect of

drinking on your afib. Many people are not that smart and wind up in the

classic denial that they have a problem either with afib or with alcohol.

in sinus in Seattle

[Guest guest]

Hi all--

As each of you discuss various triggers, remedies, and side effects of

various stimuli and meds, etc, it would be great if you could also mention

whether you are primarily adrenergic or vagal (if you know). From my

understanding, such stimuli and meds, etc, can have a different, maybe even

opposite, effect if you have the opposite type of afib.

Thanks,

--Tim R.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/5/02 2:34:23 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

AFIBsupport@... writes:

> In a prior posting, Vicky commented that (I think it was) you also had

> overcome your afib. Is that true? If so, what is your story?

>

> From all that I have read about mercury, removing amalgams with either

>

My story is on Hans Larsen's website. I will update it when I have more info

(I'd like to get my mercury levels tested with a challenge test again, and

I'd like to have gone for a year without any AF episodes before claiming that

I have brought it under control). As far as mercury is concerned, you may

want to check out the following site: http/:www.docray.com/NDF/bulletin11.htm

I have not used NDF as yet, but I am intrigued by it since it uses some of

the same things I have been using (such as cilantro).

My working hypothesis at the moment is that my problems have had to do with

mercury toxicity as well as inadequate magnesium (which might be related). I

definitely want to get rid of any mercury that still is in my system, because

of its generally bad health consequences. My temperature also seems to be on

the low side, but I have not consulted my doctor about this as yet.

[Guest guest]

Victor:

I would REALLY like to read your story. However, it would be nice if I

didn't have to first spend $30 to join Hans' group to do so. Perhaps

you could post it, email it, or provide it in some less expensive

form?

I have concluded that there are no single-cause diseases, and afib is

certainly no exception. If I were you, I would both reset your temp

and flush out your mercury.

In my case, resetting my daytime temp back up to 98.6F brought my afib

under control, but I have a bunch of remining minor symptoms, all of

which could be from mercury. Further, rough calculations on myself

show that I probably have a high level in my brain (twice even the

highest thresholds), but a low level in my tissues.

Steve

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

> In a message dated 4/5/02 2:34:23 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

> AFIBsupport@s... writes:

>

>

> > In a prior posting, Vicky commented that (I think it was) you also

had

> > overcome your afib. Is that true? If so, what is your story?

> >

> > From all that I have read about mercury, removing amalgams with

either

> >

>

> My story is on Hans Larsen's website. I will update it when I have

more info

> (I'd like to get my mercury levels tested with a challenge test

again, and

> I'd like to have gone for a year without any AF episodes before

claiming that

> I have brought it under control). As far as mercury is concerned,

you may

> want to check out the following site:

http/:www.docray.com/NDF/bulletin11.htm

> I have not used NDF as yet, but I am intrigued by it since it uses

some of

> the same things I have been using (such as cilantro).

> My working hypothesis at the moment is that my problems have had to

do with

> mercury toxicity as well as inadequate magnesium (which might be

related). I

> definitely want to get rid of any mercury that still is in my

system, because

> of its generally bad health consequences. My temperature also seems

to be on

> the low side, but I have not consulted my doctor about this as yet.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 4/7/02 7:30:35 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

AFIBsupport@... writes:

> Victor:

>

> I would REALLY like to read your story. However, it would be nice if I

> didn't have to first spend $30 to join Hans' group to do so. Perhaps

> you could post it, email it, or provide it in some less expensive

> form?

>

1. You do not have to subscribe to read this post. It can be found at

http://www.pinc.com/healthnews/lafforum.html --scroll down to about July 2000

and click on my articles. They are revised as of July 2001.

2. Hans Larsen is doing some useful work and is worth subscribing to. In

any event there is a lot of information on his site that does not require a

subscription to access.