Root Cause - Gene

[Guest guest]

Gene:

Sure, wouldn't it be wonderful if EVERY physical problem we

experience had a clearly defined CAUSE. That would make the

practice of medicine so much easier. Then doctors could treat

all their patients so much more effectively. It is not by sheer

coincidence that medicine is called a science and an ART, and

their daily routine is called a PRACTICE.

You are in your early 50s. So was I when Afib became a major

problem for me. Age just happens to be one of the contributing

factors in getting Afib. Perhaps what you say about minerals,

amino acids or other nutrients not being properly absorbed by an

aging body are the key to our condition. But, the fact that you

have a close relative (your sister) that also had/has Afib is

another factor to strongly consider (genetics).

That doesn't mean that only older people get Afib. Just look at

the ages of many of the contributors to this group, some are only

in their 20s. But, I know I had Afib as far back as my high school

days...only it was so rare, and I got over the symptoms so quickly

that it wasn't until I got into my 50s that it was finally

diagnosed. It may be that just as many people fifty years ago wound

up getting Afib as today, but now with much longer general life spans

we are only noticing it more these days because more people are

living into their 70, 80 and 90s. Another thing; I read somewhere

that almost as many people not diagnosed with Afib, who have it, are

walking around with it undetected. Many people have nonsymptomatic

Afib and don't even know it.

I know you're frustrated not knowing the cause of your Afib, but

someday when we are both long gone from this earth somebody will

come up with the answer and many doctors will say, " Now, why didn't

I think of that connection? "

S.

Gene wrote:

" Sorry for the long posts included in this reply....

It is odd that nobody on this site really addressed my main

question. What changed in the last 5 years to cause afib in me...

(or you)? (My doctor couldn't answer the question either). I didn't

change hight, or start resting after meals, or start sleeping on my

left side, or start drinking more beer, or any of the rest of the

things that typically put people BACK into afib. Most here must

acknowledge that there was life BEFORE afib. All this website deals

with is which drug they are on now and how effective or dangerous it

might be. The main hope being... can one be lucky enough to have

maze or ablation to scar up the heart enough to cause interuption to

errant signals. My sister had paroxysmal afib and had taken several

of the drugs we discuss here. I'm on rythmol and coumadin for now.

Anyway, she started some special nutritional suppliments under the

direction of a naturopathologist and her afib along with all her

allergies went away. She is now drug free and afib free for 5

months. Could there be something which has changed in availability

of certain minerals, amino acids, or nutrients, causing inadequate

function of electrical transmission in the tissues? "

Thanks for your reconsideration...

Gene

[Guest guest]

I agree Gene, other than structural abnormalities of the heart, coronary artery

disease, thyroid disease and electrolyte imbalances, the cause of atrial

fibrillation is a mystery to us in the medical field.

The kicker for me is that I'm a PA in Cardiology and I have paroxysmal a-fib.

I (and the cardiologists I work with) are all puzzled. All my cardiac tests have

been negative (no heart disease), I'm very healthy, of normal weight, work out

almost daily, don't smoke, I eat a very healthy diet, thyroid is normal etc

,etc, etc, and no one can figure this out. I thought it might be hormonal and

sought evaluation from my Gyn w/o any abnormalities uncovered (labs and US of

ovaries).

Have tried the magnesium, supplemental potassium (with careful monitoring),

absence from alcohol, plenty of rest. My interest thought it might be anxiety

related (I didn't feel this was realistic but went along with her) and tried

xanax...still broke into fib so gave that drug up!

Needless to say I have been very frustrated. I reassured it to death and am

still sitting here wondering when the next attack will occur (about every 3.5

weeks for me). Then a funny (not really funny but very unexpected) thing

happened. One of the cardiologists I work with (who has been very supportive of

me and also puzzled as to why I have fib) was doing his usual evening run and

....bingo...he ended up in the ER in A-fib...his first occurrence. He's only 36

years old and zero health problems.

We agree on one thing. A-fib is becoming more frequent (we feel almost an

epidemic) and it is occurring at younger ages and in healthy people. This is

different than the a-fib we are accustomed to seeing - usually in the elderly

folks who have heart disease.

So....it's interesting to consider this cause or that but so far, it's a

mystery. It would be soooo great if the cause was known so we wouldn't have to

subject ourselves to procedures that carry multiple risks and come with no

guarantees of success!

john_s2385@...> wrote:

Gene:

Sure, wouldn't it be wonderful if EVERY physical problem we

experience had a clearly defined CAUSE. That would make the

practice of medicine so much easier. Then doctors could treat

all their patients so much more effectively. It is not by sheer

coincidence that medicine is called a science and an ART, and

their daily routine is called a PRACTICE.

You are in your early 50s. So was I when Afib became a major

problem for me. Age just happens to be one of the contributing

factors in getting Afib. Perhaps what you say about minerals,

amino acids or other nutrients not being properly absorbed by an

aging body are the key to our condition. But, the fact that you

have a close relative (your sister) that also had/has Afib is

another factor to strongly consider (genetics).

That doesn't mean that only older people get Afib. Just look at

the ages of many of the contributors to this group, some are only

in their 20s. But, I know I had Afib as far back as my high school

days...only it was so rare, and I got over the symptoms so quickly

that it wasn't until I got into my 50s that it was finally

diagnosed. It may be that just as many people fifty years ago wound

up getting Afib as today, but now with much longer general life spans

we are only noticing it more these days because more people are

living into their 70, 80 and 90s. Another thing; I read somewhere

that almost as many people not diagnosed with Afib, who have it, are

walking around with it undetected. Many people have nonsymptomatic

Afib and don't even know it.

I know you're frustrated not knowing the cause of your Afib, but

someday when we are both long gone from this earth somebody will

come up with the answer and many doctors will say, " Now, why didn't

I think of that connection? "

S.

Gene wrote:

" Sorry for the long posts included in this reply....

It is odd that nobody on this site really addressed my main

question. What changed in the last 5 years to cause afib in me...

(or you)? (My doctor couldn't answer the question either). I didn't

change hight, or start resting after meals, or start sleeping on my

left side, or start drinking more beer, or any of the rest of the

things that typically put people BACK into afib. Most here must

acknowledge that there was life BEFORE afib. All this website deals

with is which drug they are on now and how effective or dangerous it

might be. The main hope being... can one be lucky enough to have

maze or ablation to scar up the heart enough to cause interuption to

errant signals. My sister had paroxysmal afib and had taken several

of the drugs we discuss here. I'm on rythmol and coumadin for now.

Anyway, she started some special nutritional suppliments under the

direction of a naturopathologist and her afib along with all her

allergies went away. She is now drug free and afib free for 5

months. Could there be something which has changed in availability

of certain minerals, amino acids, or nutrients, causing inadequate

function of electrical transmission in the tissues? "

Thanks for your reconsideration...

Gene

Web Page - http://www.afibsupport.com

List owner: AFIBsupport-owner

For help on how to use the group, including how to drive it via email,

send a blank email to AFIBsupport-help

Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or should be

acted upon without consultation with one's physician.

[Guest guest]

>

> I agree Gene, other than structural abnormalities of the heart,

coronary artery disease, thyroid disease and electrolyte imbalances,

the cause of atrial fibrillation is a mystery to us in the medical

field.

>

My first cardiologist told me that asymptomatic afib was the " holy

grail " of arryhthmias and whoever discovered its cause(s) would be

lauded with prizes and accolades. It's an incredibly complex,

electrical dysfunction that cannot be easily explained, described or

remedied. I hope, someday, it will be fully understood but I don't

think, I'm afraid, it will be in my lifetime (I'm 53).

[Guest guest]

,

what an interesting post. I wish you were my cardiologist. Sounds like

you are really interested. Course, nothing gets you interested like having

it yourself, huh?

Do you know that they have been having almost an epidemic of AFib in

England. The BBC reported it as such, saying that over 1% of the national

medical budget was being spent on AFib. Over there, a watchdog group has

linked it to Lasalocid, an antibiotic fed to chickens, which is not suppose

to be fed to laying hens, but in testing shows up in dangerous amounts, in a

high percentage of eggs. Even some certified organic eggs had lasalocid.

This antibiotic is a deadly heart poison to most mammals, and in fact the

American Veterinary Ass. has sent a bulletin out to chicken farmers warning

them to not let their dogs or horses get into the chickenfeed, because one

time will probly kill the horse or dog, from heart failure.

We use the same chickenfeed over here, only we have no watchdog group to

do testing. Many countries in Europe and asia will not allow this

antibiotic laced chickenfeed to be used in their countries. The MRL or

maximum residue limit in the U.S. is 300 ppb, in most other countries it is

50 ppb. There has been no testing of it's effects on humans.

This all became a big stink in England, when Tony Blair came down with

AFib. Google for it as: Soil Association lasalocid. The Soil Association is

the watchdog group. They published a huge report on it. I have found

several testimonials and have emailed with people in England who stopped

their Afib, just by taking eggs out of their diet.

My cardiologist(s) seem kinda dense. They don't read drug data sheets,

don't know the answers to simple questions, and don't tell their patients

about ablation, maize, or mini maize. I always feel like I know more about

AFIB than they do and in fact have taken responsiblity for my own condition,

getting a whole bunch of blood testing done with my family doctor and am

looking for the " root cause " myself. I am otherwise healthy and athletic,

with a good strong heart. The next thing I will do is maybe go to Mayo, or

s Hopkins and meet with an EP to discuss ablation if I am unseccessful

at finding and fixing my own root cause.

Thanks for being on the group,

Jim showker

I agree Gene, other than structural abnormalities of the heart, coronary

artery disease, thyroid disease and electrolyte imbalances, the cause of

atrial fibrillation is a mystery to us in the medical field.

The kicker for me is that I'm a PA in Cardiology and I have paroxysmal

a-fib. I (and the cardiologists I work with) are all puzzled. All my cardiac

tests have been negative (no heart disease), I'm very healthy, of normal

weight, work out almost daily, don't smoke, I eat a very healthy diet,

thyroid is normal etc ,etc, etc, and no one can figure this out. I thought

it might be hormonal and sought evaluation from my Gyn w/o any abnormalities

uncovered (labs and US of ovaries).

Have tried the magnesium, supplemental potassium (with careful

monitoring), absence from alcohol, plenty of rest. My interest thought it

might be anxiety related (I didn't feel this was realistic but went along

with her) and tried xanax...still broke into fib so gave that drug up!

Needless to say I have been very frustrated. I reassured it to death and

am still sitting here wondering when the next attack will occur (about every

3.5 weeks for me). Then a funny (not really funny but very unexpected) thing

happened. One of the cardiologists I work with (who has been very supportive

of me and also puzzled as to why I have fib) was doing his usual evening run

and ...bingo...he ended up in the ER in A-fib...his first occurrence. He's

only 36 years old and zero health problems.

We agree on one thing. A-fib is becoming more frequent (we feel almost an

epidemic) and it is occurring at younger ages and in healthy people. This

is different than the a-fib we are accustomed to seeing - usually in the

elderly folks who have heart disease.

So....it's interesting to consider this cause or that but so far, it's a

mystery. It would be soooo great if the cause was known so we wouldn't have

to subject ourselves to procedures that carry multiple risks and come with

no guarantees of success!

[Guest guest]

Jim,

This is interesting about the Lasalocid. With the numbers of people and

younger ages at onset of a-fib, I had come to the conclusion it's environmental.

I thought more in the line of some trace element deficiency at the cellular

level but a toxic etiology is also plausible. I've never consumed much in the

way of eggs however my diet is heavy with chicken. It's interesting though that

so many vegetarians also have fib.

That's why I've been thinking a deficiency of some sort. I believe our foods

in general now-a-days are mass produced only with two things in mind....slow

spoilage and eye appeal. I don't think our corporation " farmers " are much

interested in nutrition, just sales/profits. The old days of rotating crops and

resting the soil are gone and I'm sure the pesticides and chemical fertilizers

may be a culprit.

Due to the shear numbers of folks with this problem (fib) the etiology must be

something that is affecting many people over a prolonged period, and may also be

and explanation for other problems ie autism, cancer, Alzheimer's etc.

With the corporation farmers stuffing the pockets of our legislators, I doubt

we'll ever have any type of legitimate analysis of the foods we consume. I

wonder if rural people in some underdeveloped countries (no corporation farming,

no pesticides) are seeing an increase in arrhythmia's/cancers, autism etc.

As the old adage goes " we are what we eat " ! Yes, when one has a problem it

does become more " interesting " however, in the years since being in medicine we

have been aware of the increase in the problem.

The Southeast is the heart disease/stroke belt of the country. We have

pondered and studied reasons for this... diet? genetic? soil? There are lots of

theories but nothing conclusive. Genetics obviously plays a role however,

people that move to the Southeast from other (lower risk) areas of the country,

raise their risk just by virtue of coming here, yet those that live here then

move away do not lower their risk. In this mobile society, it's more of a

challenge to figure all this out. It's also difficult to do any large study

because there's no one to fund it! Most large studies of disease are done by

pharmaceutical companies to develop or bring a drug to market for profit.

There's no profit in this investigation.

Oh well..maybe someday the insurance companies will see the light and get into

the investigational studies....they have the most to gain monitarily!

Until then, the numbers will keep growing and we will have to continue to

swallow poisons (the drug companies like that part) and submit ourselves to

potentially very hazordous procedures in order to get our lives back. I guess

we can wish this on the decision makers of the pharmacutical compainies and

insurance compainies as well as our leaders to get some interest going?

Sorry for the long verbiage..these are just a few of my thoughts.

....

Jim Showker jshowker@...> wrote:

,

what an interesting post. I wish you were my cardiologist. Sounds like

you are really interested. Course, nothing gets you interested like having

it yourself, huh?

Do you know that they have been having almost an epidemic of AFib in

England. The BBC reported it as such, saying that over 1% of the national

medical budget was being spent on AFib. Over there, a watchdog group has

linked it to Lasalocid, an antibiotic fed to chickens, which is not suppose

to be fed to laying hens, but in testing shows up in dangerous amounts, in a

high percentage of eggs. Even some certified organic eggs had lasalocid.

This antibiotic is a deadly heart poison to most mammals, and in fact the

American Veterinary Ass. has sent a bulletin out to chicken farmers warning

them to not let their dogs or horses get into the chickenfeed, because one

time will probly kill the horse or dog, from heart failure.

We use the same chickenfeed over here, only we have no watchdog group to

do testing. Many countries in Europe and asia will not allow this

antibiotic laced chickenfeed to be used in their countries. The MRL or

maximum residue limit in the U.S. is 300 ppb, in most other countries it is

50 ppb. There has been no testing of it's effects on humans.

This all became a big stink in England, when Tony Blair came down with

AFib. Google for it as: Soil Association lasalocid. The Soil Association is

the watchdog group. They published a huge report on it. I have found

several testimonials and have emailed with people in England who stopped

their Afib, just by taking eggs out of their diet.

My cardiologist(s) seem kinda dense. They don't read drug data sheets,

don't know the answers to simple questions, and don't tell their patients

about ablation, maize, or mini maize. I always feel like I know more about

AFIB than they do and in fact have taken responsiblity for my own condition,

getting a whole bunch of blood testing done with my family doctor and am

looking for the " root cause " myself. I am otherwise healthy and athletic,

with a good strong heart. The next thing I will do is maybe go to Mayo, or

s Hopkins and meet with an EP to discuss ablation if I am unseccessful

at finding and fixing my own root cause.

Thanks for being on the group,

Jim showker

I agree Gene, other than structural abnormalities of the heart, coronary

artery disease, thyroid disease and electrolyte imbalances, the cause of

atrial fibrillation is a mystery to us in the medical field.

The kicker for me is that I'm a PA in Cardiology and I have paroxysmal

a-fib. I (and the cardiologists I work with) are all puzzled. All my cardiac

tests have been negative (no heart disease), I'm very healthy, of normal

weight, work out almost daily, don't smoke, I eat a very healthy diet,

thyroid is normal etc ,etc, etc, and no one can figure this out. I thought

it might be hormonal and sought evaluation from my Gyn w/o any abnormalities

uncovered (labs and US of ovaries).

Have tried the magnesium, supplemental potassium (with careful

monitoring), absence from alcohol, plenty of rest. My interest thought it

might be anxiety related (I didn't feel this was realistic but went along

with her) and tried xanax...still broke into fib so gave that drug up!

Needless to say I have been very frustrated. I reassured it to death and

am still sitting here wondering when the next attack will occur (about every

3.5 weeks for me). Then a funny (not really funny but very unexpected) thing

happened. One of the cardiologists I work with (who has been very supportive

of me and also puzzled as to why I have fib) was doing his usual evening run

and ...bingo...he ended up in the ER in A-fib...his first occurrence. He's

only 36 years old and zero health problems.

We agree on one thing. A-fib is becoming more frequent (we feel almost an

epidemic) and it is occurring at younger ages and in healthy people. This

is different than the a-fib we are accustomed to seeing - usually in the

elderly folks who have heart disease.

So....it's interesting to consider this cause or that but so far, it's a

mystery. It would be soooo great if the cause was known so we wouldn't have

to subject ourselves to procedures that carry multiple risks and come with

no guarantees of success!

Web Page - http://www.afibsupport.com

List owner: AFIBsupport-owner

For help on how to use the group, including how to drive it via email,

send a blank email to AFIBsupport-help

Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or should be

acted upon without consultation with one's physician.

[Guest guest]

I think this is a situation that most of us with lone afib have been

through at some stage. It is important that doctors have to rule out

all possible causes of afib such as structural heart conditions.

I spent a whole month in hospital because of a holter monitor result

that showed that my heart was stopping. I have normal to low Blood

pressure, Good cholesterol levels, and normal thyroid and electrolyte

levels. Could not have a cardioversion because it would be a waste of

time. Eventually had a pacemaker fitted. Tried different medications

with no success incuding sotalol, amiodarone, flecainide, atenolol,

propranolol. I always thought medication was to make you feel better

not worse. I have gone from not having any symptoms when I had a TIA 4

years ago (obviously walking around for some time with afib) to being in

and out of afib constantly, which I can only put down to the various

drugs I tried. I am now waiting to see an EP.

I do feel a lot calmer and don't feel the need to go to the ER, with the

knowledge that I have no structural heart problems. As for finding the

root cause I don't think that will ever happen.

ine

Re: Root Cause - Gene

I agree Gene, other than structural abnormalities of the heart, coronary

artery disease, thyroid disease and electrolyte imbalances, the cause of

atrial fibrillation is a mystery to us in the medical field.

The kicker for me is that I'm a PA in Cardiology and I have paroxysmal

a-fib. I (and the cardiologists I work with) are all puzzled. All my

cardiac tests have been negative (no heart disease), I'm very healthy,

of normal weight, work out almost daily, don't smoke, I eat a very

healthy diet, thyroid is normal etc ,etc, etc, and no one can figure

this out. I thought it might be hormonal and sought evaluation from my

Gyn w/o any abnormalities uncovered (labs and US of ovaries).

[Guest guest]

, I appreciate very much your indepth interest in the root

cause of Afib. Also as a person from the S.E. area, I have noted that

we tend toward obesity. I believe that this is one of the

characteristics of people with sleep apnea and though my wife was not

obese, her mother and maternal grandmother were. Both had problems

staying awake even during the day. Neither was ever checked for sleep

apnea or narcolepsy but I suspect both had the problem. Both

complained of heart flutter and feeling " smothery " . I suspect that

Afib in the past fell under those diagnoses by sufferers rather than

doctors. My wife's mother was diagnosed with congestive heart failure

and died of complications with heart and kidneys. Her mother died of

a heart attack, I believe or stroke. Now my wife has suffered with a

sleep problem for years and finally went to a sleep clinic and now

uses a CPAP for relief. However she began to experience heart

palpitations a few years ago and now is being treated for chronic

Afib. Can the increase in Afib be connected to the fast food

lifestyle of the populace and it's resulting obesity? Any studies in

that area?

[Guest guest]

,

There is a very strong relationship between worsening of cardiac disease and

sleep apnea. Sleep apnea as you know will cause a drop in oxygenation and the

heart will suffer from this. Again, while no one can state definately what

causes a-fib in most cases (other that coronary artery disease and structural

defects), it is easy to deduce that arrhythmias can be provoked by oxygen

desaturation.

Yes, obesity is very much a problem in the SE however, although there is a

correlation between obesity and heart disease, as you know, there are many other

factors playing into athrosclerosis. Obesity is definately a cause of

obstructive sleep apnea. So in this regard, the obesity is related to the heart

disease but I'm sure there were other factors as well.

As far as connecting a-fib to the fast food/obesity? I don't know of any

studies but as above...obesity can cause coronary artery disease which can be a

cause of a-fib. Long term a-fib can lead to heart failure and damage to the

myocardium from MIs (heart attacks) can cause heart failure. It's fairly

complex...there are many facets to the problem.

....

kdcs2 keithcoates@...> wrote:

, I appreciate very much your indepth interest in the root

cause of Afib. Also as a person from the S.E. area, I have noted that

we tend toward obesity. I believe that this is one of the

characteristics of people with sleep apnea and though my wife was not

obese, her mother and maternal grandmother were. Both had problems

staying awake even during the day. Neither was ever checked for sleep

apnea or narcolepsy but I suspect both had the problem. Both

complained of heart flutter and feeling " smothery " . I suspect that

Afib in the past fell under those diagnoses by sufferers rather than

doctors. My wife's mother was diagnosed with congestive heart failure

and died of complications with heart and kidneys. Her mother died of

a heart attack, I believe or stroke. Now my wife has suffered with a

sleep problem for years and finally went to a sleep clinic and now

uses a CPAP for relief. However she began to experience heart

palpitations a few years ago and now is being treated for chronic

Afib. Can the increase in Afib be connected to the fast food

lifestyle of the populace and it's resulting obesity? Any studies in

that area?

Web Page - http://www.afibsupport.com

List owner: AFIBsupport-owner

For help on how to use the group, including how to drive it via email,

send a blank email to AFIBsupport-help

Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or should be

acted upon without consultation with one's physician.

[Guest guest]

> " Sorry for the long posts included in this reply....

> It is odd that nobody on this site really addressed my main

> question. What changed in the last 5 years to cause afib in me...

> (or you)? (My doctor couldn't answer the question either). I didn't

> change hight, or start resting after meals, or start sleeping on my

> left side, or start drinking more beer, or any of the rest of the

> things that typically put people BACK into afib. Most here must

> acknowledge that there was life BEFORE afib. All this website deals

> with is which drug they are on now and how effective or dangerous it

> might be. The main hope being... can one be lucky enough to have

> maze or ablation to scar up the heart enough to cause interuption to

> errant signals. My sister had paroxysmal afib and had taken several

> of the drugs we discuss here. I'm on rythmol and coumadin for now.

> Anyway, she started some special nutritional suppliments under the

> direction of a naturopathologist and her afib along with all her

> allergies went away. She is now drug free and afib free for 5

> months. Could there be something which has changed in availability

> of certain minerals, amino acids, or nutrients, causing inadequate

> function of electrical transmission in the tissues? "

>

> Thanks for your reconsideration...

> Gene

>

> i think its well accepted that there is not so much magnesium in the

soil of most developed countries, that grow root crops.

>

>

>

>

> Web Page - http://www.afibsupport.com

> List owner: AFIBsupport-owner

> For help on how to use the group, including how to drive it via email,

> send a blank email to AFIBsupport-help

>

> Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or

should be acted upon without consultation with one's physician.

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I'm sorry for all of your problems and I can understand how you can deduce that

the medications have caused an increase of the atrial fibrillation.

Unfortunately, a-fib is a progressive problem. For some reason the " electrical

circuitry " is screwed up and the problem progresses on it's own. From your

initial holter showing pauses in your heartbeat (called sick sinus syndrome)

this shows that you had an electrical problem from at least that time. The

atrial fib, unfortunately, has progressed over time.

Yes, b-blockers and antiarrhythmics have significant side effects (there is no

drug w/o a side effect..even asprin and tylenol) and it's difficult to find one

that helps. I find the b-blocker Sectra (acebutolol) has the fewest so you may

want to try that one. As you know, a b-blocker will only slow you heart rate

down (and lower blood pressure). It won't prevent a-fib as it is not an

antiarrhythmic.

Hope your visit with the EP goes well.

...

ine pj.gilmartin@...> wrote:

I think this is a situation that most of us with lone afib have been

through at some stage. It is important that doctors have to rule out

all possible causes of afib such as structural heart conditions.

I spent a whole month in hospital because of a holter monitor result

that showed that my heart was stopping. I have normal to low Blood

pressure, Good cholesterol levels, and normal thyroid and electrolyte

levels. Could not have a cardioversion because it would be a waste of

time. Eventually had a pacemaker fitted. Tried different medications

with no success incuding sotalol, amiodarone, flecainide, atenolol,

propranolol. I always thought medication was to make you feel better

not worse. I have gone from not having any symptoms when I had a TIA 4

years ago (obviously walking around for some time with afib) to being in

and out of afib constantly, which I can only put down to the various

drugs I tried. I am now waiting to see an EP.

I do feel a lot calmer and don't feel the need to go to the ER, with the

knowledge that I have no structural heart problems. As for finding the

root cause I don't think that will ever happen.

ine

Re: Root Cause - Gene

I agree Gene, other than structural abnormalities of the heart, coronary

artery disease, thyroid disease and electrolyte imbalances, the cause of

atrial fibrillation is a mystery to us in the medical field.

The kicker for me is that I'm a PA in Cardiology and I have paroxysmal

a-fib. I (and the cardiologists I work with) are all puzzled. All my

cardiac tests have been negative (no heart disease), I'm very healthy,

of normal weight, work out almost daily, don't smoke, I eat a very

healthy diet, thyroid is normal etc ,etc, etc, and no one can figure

this out. I thought it might be hormonal and sought evaluation from my

Gyn w/o any abnormalities uncovered (labs and US of ovaries).

Web Page - http://www.afibsupport.com

List owner: AFIBsupport-owner

For help on how to use the group, including how to drive it via email,

send a blank email to AFIBsupport-help

Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or should be

acted upon without consultation with one's physician.

[Guest guest]

Jim - How interesting! I was raising chickens when my a fib started!

And of course eating hte eggs and handling the feed daily. Yikes!

Do you have a reference for this information? Phyllis

>

> Over there, a watchdog group has

> linked it to Lasalocid, an antibiotic fed to chickens, which is not

suppose

> to be fed to laying hens, but in testing shows up in dangerous

amounts, in a

> high percentage of eggs. Even some certified organic eggs had

lasalocid.

> This antibiotic is a deadly heart poison to most mammals, and in

fact the

> American Veterinary Ass. has sent a bulletin out to chicken farmers

warning

> them to not let their dogs or horses get into the chickenfeed,

because one

> time will probly kill the horse or dog, from heart failure.

>

>

[Guest guest]

There is a definite connection between sleep apnea and a fib, and

therefore an indirect connection between obesity and a fib - for some

people.

> , I appreciate very much your indepth interest in the root

> cause of Afib. Also as a person from the S.E. area, I have noted that

> we tend toward obesity. I believe that this is one of the

> characteristics of people with sleep apnea and though my wife was not

> obese, her mother and maternal grandmother were. Both had problems

> staying awake even during the day. Neither was ever checked for sleep

> apnea or narcolepsy but I suspect both had the problem. Both

> complained of heart flutter and feeling " smothery " . I suspect that

> Afib in the past fell under those diagnoses by sufferers rather than

> doctors. My wife's mother was diagnosed with congestive heart failure

> and died of complications with heart and kidneys. Her mother died of

> a heart attack, I believe or stroke. Now my wife has suffered with a

> sleep problem for years and finally went to a sleep clinic and now

> uses a CPAP for relief. However she began to experience heart

> palpitations a few years ago and now is being treated for chronic

> Afib. Can the increase in Afib be connected to the fast food

> lifestyle of the populace and it's resulting obesity? Any studies in

> that area?

>

>

>

>

>

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> Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or

should be acted upon without consultation with one's physician.

>

>

>

>