Dear Bud,
The likelyhood is that simply resolving your intracellular magnesium deficiency would totally resolve your problem.
Unfortunately, most strictly conventional physicians know nothing about magnesium even though the world has known about it for at least 20 years.
You would have to find the physician close to you who cared enough to know about this & how to resolve it. Call (800) 532-3688 and get a list. THEN, call their office & find out how much each of them knows about AF & magnesium. You will be able to judge who to go to if you have some basic information under your belt. For example, low magnesium frequently means that the individual will not be able to absorb it orally till the level inside the cell is reasonably high. Also, conventional labs don't know how to test for intracellular magnesium (mainly because the local docs don't know enough to order it) SO the test that is done is a serum test that is worse than worthless.
You could learn about this stuff by reading a copy of my book (link below) OR by going to the library & having the reference librarian get you a copy of the definitive book on magnesium. The author is a PhD (woman) from England is all I can recall about it.
As you get well, I would appreciate your sharing your experiences with the BB participants. Others deserve to know that they are not being given all their options.
As you know, your present management has lots of risks and is pretty expensive. If your problem is solved by imcreasing your iintracellular magnesium, it will be cheap, safe AND you will no longer need your heart docs.
Walt
Like Carol I have had the combination of ectopic heartbeat and painful ribs for about 20 years. I am continually told by the health care providers to just forget it.....it is not heart disease. I am unable to find your website concerning this problem, please help.
How about CoEnzyme Q10 for Heart Palpitations?? And if so how much. These have been diagnosed as something to "live with". However, they are hard to live with == changed my life == cannot wear constricting clothing starting from just below the rib cage. Apparently causes pressure on the diaphragm which triggers the heart (not sure).
Help!! wanted from anyone who has experience in this.
Nan
In Reply to: Re: irregular heartbeat- painful ribs posted by joyce myers on May 07, 1998 at 11:27:13:
Dear Joyce,
This is caused by a relative deficiency of intracellular magnesium and the chronic, total-body muscle tension (bracing) that always accompanies the chronic fight or flight storage in the hypothalamus that you have to have.
The painful ribs is called costochondritis (something every doc knows about) which is ONLY caused by this bracing. Bracing is also one of the main causes of low magnesium.
You need to read 2 resources: 1. My book (link on this page) and, 2. "Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer" by Dr Pelletier (referenced in the back of my book).
Also, there are a number of articles on the homepage of this 'site that relate to your condition (link on htis page).
THEN, if you still have questions (something to be expected), write again.
Walt
Have Gerd and small sliding Hiatal Hernia...am on day 15 of GRJ. Have looked through your archives but have not found anyone with this problem. I have recently started missing or gaining a heartbeat. Scares the heck out of me. I get dizzy and extremely hungry too. Food or rest does not help. Sometimes its once a day, sometimes 10 times in a day. My left ribcage is protuding quite a bit too. Anyone with same problem????
In Reply to: Palpitations & CoEnzyme Q10 posted by NAN27 on May 08, 1998 at 19:34:24:
Dear NAN27,
Since you have apparently had a conventinal workup, & no correctable cause has been discovered, it is safe to tell you that the most commonly missed cause is a relative intracellular magnesium deficiency (not diagnosable at local labs) and severe dysautonomia (which explains your noticing that constricting clothing can trigger an episode.
Use the archives feature provided for this bb & read about "Cardiac Dysrrhythmias". ALL chronic dysrrhythmias, that have had a conventional workup without finding a cause, have the same basic mechanisms & causes.
There is a book that has been written about YOU that you need to read: "Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer" by Dr Pelletier. THEN, when you are ready to DO something about it, my book is the place to start (link on this page).
Once you have the above under your belt, if you still have questions, write again.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: irregular heartbeat- painful ribs posted by Waalt Stoll on May 09, 1998 at 10:16:30:
There are some posts on irregular heartbeats in the archives under Mitral Valve Prolapse.
Bill
This is different from atrial flutter, I think, which I have read about on this board.
The symptom is a feeling of "skipped" or "delayed" heartbeat. No pain, no dizziness, no other accompanying feeling except, of course, the feeling of fear that follows it. What is interesting about it is the timing. Typically, they come only at certain times of the day or, more likely, evening. They do not appear to be brought on by exertion of any sort. In fact, I am most likely to have them when I am just sitting watching TV or reading. An "episode" of irregular heartbeats will involve a half hour or an hour during which I'll experience one of these every few minutes, then none for 15 minutes or so, then another cluster, although even in a "cluster" it is unusual to have more than one in a minute.
The first time all this happened it was scary enough that I went to the emergency room and had EKGs, x-rays, enzyme tests, etc. Nothing unusual was found. As followup, I had a stress test, more EKG, etc. My heart seems to be working fine. Of course, I couldn't get one of these things to happen while anybody was watching.
Now the more interesting part. I noticed that if I had a glass of wine with dinner, I would get few irregular heartbeats that evening, or none at all. My doctor, noting my anxiety about this, also gave me some Xanax. I found that the Xanax also seemed to prevent the irregular heartbeats from happening.
Then they just went away.
A few months later, they returned. This time, they didn't frighten me as much. I noted that they returned at a stressful time at work, during which I had to do a lot of intense desk work with little time to get up and move around, or do any exercise at all. But I *made* myself find time to take walks and even go to the gym a bit, and this seemed to help. I mentioned the problem to my doctor again, and this time he gave me some Inderal, instructing me to take it only "as needed" for irregular heartbeats.
I discovered that yoga is an effective form of exercise against this. The irregular heartbeats went away again.
A few months later, as I once again hit the same stress zone at work, they returned. This time I started the yoga immediately, and they quickly went away.
I have also been taking a modest oral magnesium/potassium supplement (aspartate).
Question: should I be doing something more substantial for magnesium, or should I be thinking more about the stress aspect, or both?
In Reply to: GERD and Heartbeats posted by Karen on May 11, 1998 at 08:26:02:
Dear Karen,
Use the archives
Look for atrial fibrillation. All non-structural dysrrhythmias have the same basic causes so you will learn much of what you need there.
You could get a good understanding by reading "Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer" by Dr Pelletier (this is resourced in my book as well). ALL of your conditions are being caused by the overwhelming storage of stress-effect in your hypothalamus. Because of this, some of your GERD symptoms may be due to esophageal spasm & not just reflux. The reflux will be taken care of by the GRJ but not the spasm.
If you still have questions after getting the above under your belt, please write again. This combination of symptoms is very common & the basic causes are well known by those physicians willling to learn to see the forest for the trees.
Walt
In Reply to: GERD and Heartbeats posted by Karen on May 11, 1998 at 08:26:02:
Dear Karen,
I know EXACTLY what you are talking about. It was an occasional byproduct of my GERD as well. Some, certainly not all, GERD patients have experienced this symptom. I just underwent the surgery three weeks ago today and no longer have the skip beats and flutter.
For those of us that have had this symptom, it has been distressing and many of us have had our hearts checked out rather thoroughly but know that it CAN happen and DOES as a result of GERD.
Please email me any time. I and many others have amassed a great deal of information and personal experience on this matter. You are not alone.
David
In Reply to: Irregular Heartbeat posted by TCM on May 13, 1998 at 10:29:20:
Dear TCM,
ALL cardiac dysrrhythmias (that have been worked up & found to have no structural causes) are caused by the same low magnesium and over stimulation from the hypothalamus because of chronic fight or flight storage.
This is why the yoga helps. This is why they happen as you say. This is why the Xanax helps. This is why I suggest people use the archives to read about atrial fibrillation----------------THEY ARE ALL THE SAME.
What you are describing is probably PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). SO WHAT? There are dozens of these irregularities that can be diagnosed and the names are meanlingless to those wanting to eliminate them (so long as a structural cause has been ruled out--see above).
First read Dr Pelletier's classic "MAH,MAS". THEN, if you have more questions, write again.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Irregular Heartbeat posted by Walt Stoll on May 15, 1998 at 09:26:48:
Thank you. I have the 1977 edition of Dr. Pelletier's book, which I read when it first appeared. Obviously it is time to have another look. Is the new edition substantially different? There's been a lot of interesting work in mind/body medicine in the last 20 years.
Perhaps the most telling thing is that the problem tended to disappear after doctors failed to identify any structural problem. Ironically, I had to persuade my own doctor that this was strong evidence of a psychogenic factor.
In Reply to: Re: Irregular Heartbeat posted by TCM on May 15, 1998 at 22:24:24:
Dear TCM,
It sounds like you knew better than the allopathic paradigm long ago. They still haven't caught up--no real money in it!
I have not read his newest edition. However, I do know HIM. There is no way that he would not be right at the cutting edge of progress in this area.
Let us know what you learn.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: GERD and Heartbeats posted by David Harrison on May 13, 1998 at 11:52:43:
I too have experienced irrigular heart beats with GERD
My doctor says it can't be caused by this but when I am having GERD symptoms I also experience the problem with my heart. It is very distressing and if you have any information I would appreciate hearing from you.
In Reply to: Re: GERD and Heartbeats posted by jody on May 22, 1998 at 14:43:32:
Dear jodi,
They do NOT cause each other. The same thing causes both. Do you see the distinction? Just treating the symptoms does nothing about the underlying causes which is why so many docs get so rich treating them.
Use the archives and read about GERD and cardiac dysrrhythmias. Then read the references suggested. You will finally have a leg up on resolving all of this. Link to :
archives.
Walt