Heart palpitations

# 770

Posted: 21/04/2009 09:04

Hi Nick, I think the Irishhealth has only been up and running for about 9 years so those contributing since 2001 are seasond posters rather than "newbies". I can't imagine tho' that anyone would think contributers from all over the world aren't welcome as other opinions can make a valuable contribution. But . . . back to topic, if that is the social attitude to brastfeeding in Canada then it seemas it is very very like Southern Europe in that regard and Ireland has a lot to learn to from that. It's refreshing too to see your attitude to doctors - as a partners in your health rather than demi-gods. Of course GPs aren't expert at anything - learned and all as they are on general medicine (the clue is in the title:-) - that afterall is why we have consultants in specialised fields. GPs however do not attend patients in hospital - otherwise their practice would be woefully neglected. This is what we have NCHDs for. The system must be very different in Canada, I'm guessing.

I think that knowledgeable and helpful as you are on palps and I'm sure, many other things, your knowledge of geopgraphy is shockingly ignorant. In the eyes of anyone in the world who has some knowledge of European geography - tho perhaps that does not apply to Canadians :-), Ireland and Britain are two entirely seperate countries, both geographically, as is obvious and in terms of legal jurisdiction - just like the Netherlands and Germany or France and Switzerland are seperate countries, altho we are all EU members. Thinking that that they are all one is exactly the same as ignorant Europeans thinking that the U.S. and Canada are all the one and being a U.S. citizen is exactly the same as being a Canadian.

# 769

Posted: 20/04/2009 23:25

Nick!.. what am I doing wrong? I cannot find Lucidboomer anywere. I put it up there in seach.. nothing.  Where does one do a search on members? Thanks!

# 768

Posted: 20/04/2009 18:23

Uh oh!! LOL.. I see geographical fur flying.  Who cares where we are all from?  We now 'know' each other and are in the position to help one another.. that is all that should count!  My email is below Nick.. I just checked..but I will try to find yours!

Later!

# 767

Posted: 20/04/2009 17:45

Great posts above. I have been on Mag for 3 weeks now and i have noticed big improvements but my palps are no tall gone. I still get great fits every day. there are improvements as they feel less stong. I also have benn getting little fits of SVT. How long have others had to wait for results to improve. I an trying to be patient as the pharmacist (a friend of mine) stated it can take up to 6- 8 weeks to see any improvments. ALso i am taking 600 mg a day. (is that enough ? ) I still fell muscle twitches and spasms all over my body so im sure it may still be mg deficiency, but ive had a tough week(i attributed it to alcohol, skiing and hot tubbing but im not sure what to think) I am also considering going off the inderal 60 mg i have been on for 3 years for migraine prevention.

Should i still be taking a multivitamin like centrum at night ?

any thoughts would be great

# 766

Posted: 20/04/2009 16:13

Well, back from a nice weekend of rest and relaxation.  I see the group is busy!  I'd like to address a point right off.  The name of this group is Irishhealth.  However, I detect that some people here are under the fantasy that the title of the group means that it is a group OF the Irish, FOR the Iish and BY the Irish.  I would like to point out a couple of things.  Some of you have only been around since 2001 or so.  You are what we call "newbies" in the internet business.  If you look in the address bar of your browser you will see "WWW" in front of Irish Health dot com.  That stands for WORLD WIDE WEB.  Irish Health is NOT a website just for Irish men and women.  Secondly, Irishhealth has a following of 131, 605 people.  They come from all over the world and contribute greatly to your forum.  And finally on this point... If it were the intent of the group moderators to restrict the discussion to just folks from Ireland, then foreign IP addresses would be restricted.  Ohh.... I guess I do have one more point.  My daughter in law is a geneologist.  She's done our family tree back to 1504.  I may live in Canada, I am originally from Ireland.  My family is WALSH and I guess I don't have to tell the Irish in this group what that means.  I'm from Tobercurry in county Sligo.

Anonymous - regarding your post.  I understand what you say about the past.  There is nothing we can do to fix was has gone on.  But what we DO have control of is the NOW.  Women here in Canada breast feed where ever they happen to be when the baby wants it!  It is very common to have the woman next to you in the restuarant breast feeding.  Same when you are on the bus or train... or in a store. 

Since we are in control of our personal affaires, the food we choose, the lifestyle we choose is all our responsibility.  When I go to see my doctor, I am not going to see some guru or god... I am going to have a chat with some guy who has finished med school and has ten years in family practice.  It hardly makes him an expert any anything!  I look at doctors as my though they were my personal health analysts.  They work for me and I will listen to what they say, but I will have the final say on what goes on.  And I say this only because they are somewhat handicapped.  They cannot afford the time to research and study medicine and health the way I do.  They have to one patient every 15 minutes all day long and then they have to attend their sick patients in hospital, dress some wounds, fix broken bones, remove debris from bodies, diagnose viruses and diseases... by the time they get home their tired and need some rest! 

Regarding Susan Boyle.  You say ... Not one of ours...?  You seem to thing there is a seperation between YOU (Ireland) and Britain?  I hate to be the one to break your bubble but YOU ARE ALL ONE (in the eyes of the world)!  And demographically you must know that Ireland was populated by foreigners after 1066.  Invaders from the Norse, Wales and Scotland.  In fact, my name "Walsh" means litterally that - Foreigner!  So what's a Irishman?  We have the same problem here in Canada.  We have one Province - Quebec - that used to think it was special.... that IT represented Canada.  That whole issue is worn now.  Canada will be a muslim nation by 2020.

And finally... some of you have expressed an interest in communicating by email.  For some reason the group moderators won't print contact information.  So all I can say is that I am willing to communicate by email.  To find me just use google and look for lucidboomer.  I have 25 or more email addresses so any of them will get to me!

Cheers,

Nick M. Walsh (http://phdrops.net)

# 765

Posted: 20/04/2009 14:16

I can't speak for others of course, but I have no problem with fungal infection in the gut. Altho I know that for people with hashimotos - autoimmune hypothyroidism that candidas is more common but thankfully I don't suffer with it. I have heard of psylum - and that its good for poeple who cannot take digestive fibre in their food - for example after surgery. I have suffered with constipation but only as a hypoT symtom which was resolved with medication (thyroxine). Leaky Gut Syndrome is not a recognised medical condtion here - from the perscrptive that there is no medically recognised scientific study evaluating its existence as a medical condition. In relation to inflammation in the gut and attempts to dignose and cure it, I would reckon to be very careful that any measures taken don't imflame the gut further and also in removing the damaging fungus, to make sure to replace any of the good bacteria which are killed in the process.

# 764

Posted: 20/04/2009 13:50

I sure hope Nick can 'hear' me applauding his posts!  The BEST.  So, with all what you went through with doctors, what was their final diagnosis? Head Scratching?  Idiots.. Ugh.. I have such little faith with these greedy people. Not all, but.. at least the ones I run into.

Has anyone gotten diagnosed with AFib?  It seems to me, if it were as serious as they made it out to be, I'd be long gone. It seems controllable. Nick, I wish you would write my email. I don't want to take up space on here... I just have a few questions.

Thanks...

# 763

Posted: 20/04/2009 11:41

I was curious and so checkd who Susan Boyle is and great and all as her talent may be, it seems that she is a Scotswoman - so we cannot claim her as ours.

# 762

Posted: 20/04/2009 09:51

Ah, I see what you mean now Nick, Thanks. The docs perform all the routine tests, rule out the more obvious causes and then perscribe somethig to cure the palps - without ever actually finding out what's causing the palps. This, like my earache example, would be like a doctor continuously perscribing anti-biotics (which a doctor should never do, of course) for re-occuring ear infectiosn without ever finding out what was actually causing them to re-occur. It remind me of the almost constant reports I hear of docs in the U.S. treatign all of the symtoms of hypothyroidism - raised cholesterol, depression, fatigue, and countless more without ever testing for and treating the cause - hypothyroidism.

Oooh Ireland of the 60's and  70's was waaay behind Canada or the U.S  (you over-estimare us:-) so my parents, like the vast number of their generation, weren't using any illegal /recreational drugs and they were non-drinkers at the time - altho for fetal alcohol syndrome, alcohol intake would need to be way way higher that the safe limit anyway, I know. You're right of course about nutrition and so little was known then about the effects of folic acid and smoking during pregnancy. By circumstances of gestation and birth I was also referring to mental health and things like the maternal care and birth services in Irish hospitals (which may well have been far behind that in Canada or the U.S.) and also the ability and speed of doctors to recognise and treat certain conditions before they severely impact that childs life. In fact before the impact of things like a sterile environment and recognition of its importance and certain medical interventions at birth, the infant (and maternal) mortality rate was enormous - that of course was 100+ years ago. The slow decline toward disease or dysbiosis surely depends again, on both the lot you were born with, combined with your environment anf the ability of medical personal to quickly recognise and treat those conditions which lead to disease and illness.

With regard to formula feeding - you are way way to dismissive there, I'm afried Nick. Why? Because 1.) doctors in the 60's and 70's actively DIScouraged women from breastfeeding - becuase of concerns about their own nutrition resulting in poor quality breast milk or maybe for other reasons. 2.) Statutary protection for maternity leave was so ABYSMAL (and still is in the U.S. - tho I don't know about canada) as to make it impossible for any women to breastfeed past a couple of weeks 3.) the 60's and 70's were the first generation of Irish women who had fought for and hard won the right to control their own fertility - the links with no breastfeedign should be obvious and 4.) for some women, even now, with midwidfery and lactation consultant care, it is simply not possible for them to breastfeed. Yes, the baby food industy may well have an impact - I can't argue with that - but again, where legislative protection for maternity leave is so ABYSMAL as to fail to protect a womans time with her child after birth, then of course convenience food is going to become neccessary. So if you're lookinh for someone to blame for that I suggest that instead of thinking of laying the blame at the door or mothers - or father (both having responsibility for the are of thir child) , you should look to your legislators to action that - as we have done both here and the UK. On the question of amalgam, certainly some people are sensirive to it, without doubt and it is only now that such testing is available. Some dentists in the 60's and 70's certainly were uninformed and also some countries simply did not have governments with enough intelligence to invest in dental care - so dentists were forced to use cheap amalgam materials. Tho there are are some denal caries which simply are not suitable for white fillings. You are entitled to your anger, that is undeniable.

I've no idea who Susan Boyle is - we don't have the UK channels ourselves and I have no interest in tabloid journalism but given that she's on "Britain's Got Talent", I would venture to suggest she's not in fact "ours" at all - but most likely Bristish (the hint is in the name of the show! :-)

# 761

Posted: 17/04/2009 18:18

Hi every one, I totally agree with Nick, Also We can add all the envirment pollution that was created by us (Human) at the top of all this. Nick is this true? do most of us on this site have a problem with Fungus in the Gut ? Psyllium, being a non-digestible fiber, is one of the three things known to bind fungal poisons, or mycotoxins (the other two are charcoal and cholestyramine, a drug. A.V. Constantini, Fungal Bionics). Psyllium, as a fiber also regulates the bowels, relieving both constipation and diarrhea. It is imperative that, as you kill off fungus, it leaves the body via the bowels.  People with gut problems (constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, reflux, etc.) can almost be assured that they have an “inflamed” or leaky gut. Psyllium hulls greatly assist in “sealing up” the gut. Once the bowels are moving and the gut is sealed, one can absorb and assimilate nutrients from their food like they should.

# 760

Posted: 17/04/2009 16:31

Hi Anonymous,

I am happy to explain.  I apologize for my perculiar Canadian vernacular.  It can sometimes confuse those not from here. 

You asked, "Could you explain what you mean by the term - 'if you can't see it or feel it, it doesn't exist'? Does this refer to scientific method of empirical evidence or am I missing something?"

What I mean by that is this.  If I, or any number of my peers, were to go to the doctors here or in the USA to complain about palpitations, we would all get pretty much the same treatment.  The doctor would do the usual tests... blood pressure, heart rate, talk about your diet, etc.  He or she would send you for a treadmill test.  When the results come back normal the doc would then put you on a Holter monitor for 24 or 48 hours.  They might even give you an echo-cardiogram.  Assuming that my palps are typical of what has been discussed here for the past 6 years, then the docs will have ruled out mitral valve prolapse or other phyiscal issues.  The doctor will give you the lecture about cutting down caffeine and other stimulants including alcohol. 

So after all that it will come down to what our doctors do best.  They assess a condition and assign a chemical to erase that symptom.  In this case I was prescribed Propafenone (Rhythmol).  The result was that my palps vanished!  So... Here I sit (five years ago) as a good little trained citizen thinking that my palps are gone.  Yeah!  The Doctor is satisfied that we need not go any further with this... after all... the chemical has fixed the problem.  So here is where modern Alopaths lose their way.  They think that "problem" was that I had palpitations.  DEAD WRONG.  The "problem" was that I had something going on in my body that manifest itself in palpitations. 

So that is where that use of "can't see it of feel it...." comes from.  Since, after taking the chemicals, I no longer have palps, most doctors will deem the problem no longer exists.  NONE will admit that.  And some will get angry as even the suggestion.  That's their little internal moral battle.  I can't help them with that.

In regard to my statement that we are born with the tank full.  Allow me to explain.  You are, of course, absolutely correct that congenital defects relating the family history, the drugs your parents used, the alcohol (fetal alcohol syndrome) the presence or abscense of vitamin (folic acid!!!) are all critical to you start in life.  But having said that... no matter what your baggage claim says.... the day you are born is the day you have the least dysbiosis.  It is the time in your life when, if you are have all of your endocrine systems working for you and all the enzymes doing what they are supposed to do... your body will be best able to normalize itself.  This is nature.  It is the way we were designed.  Othewise infant death rate would be enormous.  But once you are here (born), you begin the slow decline toward Dis-ease.  Toward Dysbiosis.

Why?  Because your mom thinks (or obviously doesn't think) that its ok for aunt Suzy to smoke in the same house as you.  It's ok for you to be put on bottled milk because .... well breast feeding is just too difficult with your schedule and all.  Because your mom buys processed food!  She spoon feeds you baby food for  jar bought from a store!  Ya... it's convenient.  Seems ok.  WRONG.  Your dysbiosis is starting.  In your teen years you Dentist puts "Amalgam" fillings in your teeth because he's too stupid to keep himself up to date with technolgy.  Now you're in big trouble.  Mercury will leech into your body for years and years and years and heavily contribute to palpitations.

If I sound cynical or angry... I AM!  The FDA in the US has just been forced to stop allowing big pharma funding Doctors' holidays and sabatical leaves. 

It's a new world out there now.  When your own Susan Boyle can pull off 15 million viewers in 48 hours from her "Britain's Got Tallent", and when our own Ashland Kutcher can raise 1 million followers in 4 days after challenging CNN to a race..... YOU HAVE TO KNOW that the landscape has shifted.  Through social networks and groups like this one (Irish Health was one of the first to recognize this trend) then the people regain control of their destinies.  And the medical profession is going to be completely re-developed.

NickAKA Lucidboomer

Nick M. Walsh (http://phdrops.net)

# 759

Posted: 17/04/2009 11:16

Wow, I think our discussion thread has been taken over by North Americans? :-)

But given the great info from your posts Nick - last one at 20:05 was very informative, then this is no bad thing at all .

I do envy you the Starbucks tho'. The interestign thing is, caffiene (just the regular non-starbucks kind :-) has never affected me either.

# 758

Posted: 17/04/2009 08:26

Great post Nick. Could you explain what you mean by the term - 'if you can't see it or feel it, it doesn't exist'? Does this refer to scientific method of empirical evidence or am I missing something?

As regards the idea that we are all born with a full tank of health? In an ideal world yes? But in the real world we are born with inherited conditions, congenital abnormalities and health limitation influenced by the circumstances of our gestation and birth. I think tho' that medcine  - well medcine here anyway, holds as its aim, getting to the cause of the illness and treating it along with the symtoms so that the symtoms don't just re-occur when the perscription is finished - just as there is no point in taking an aspirin for an earache without finding and treating the cause.

# 757

Posted: 16/04/2009 20:05

Hi BeachWalker,

Nice Bloood pressure! 

I started researching this back in 2003 when I thought I was dying.  You know the feeling.  Every episode I thought I was a gonner.  After some years of it, the fear turned to anger.  That shift in anxiety help a bit, but I knew there was more to it.

Through many thousands of emails back and forth with various people I started databasing their symptoms.  These kind folks diarized their diets for me and gave me a very detailed look at their lives and lifetyles.  Evenutally I began to see patterns.  Back then I didn't fully understand the importance of "dysbiosis" and so my work was much harder. 

I wrote under the name "Lucidboomer" for most of this time and covered a lengthy list of risk factors that lead to heart palpitations.  Not everyone hast he same risk factor.  This was the hard part. 

But I found that eliminating all fish products, including fish oil, was one the key factors in me and at least a dozen others who have beaten this thing.  I've consulted with a "mixed martial arts" professional and an NHL hockey player who have both successfully put palpitations behind them.

Next is the Vitamin D link.  All my data indicates that anyone north of the 35th parallel will be deficient of vitamin D.  Specifically D3 is the one.  Cholecalciferol.

Persons who are overweight need more, as do persons of color.   So being of color and overweight is the highest risk factor.  In 2008 I moved to 8,000 IU per day.  This plays a HUGE role in the correcting of dysbiosis since Vitamin D3 is implicated in the management of over 200 enzymes and 2000 different processes that take place in our bodies.  My wife is 5'6" 135 lbs. and takes 6,000 IU daily.

I also take Aloe Gel.  NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH ALOE JUICE!  Despite my clear indications on this I still get people who buy juice then complain about loose stool.  It has to be the Gel.  The Gel contains some very useful digestive aids that help reduce inflammation to the lining of the stomach and intestines.  This plays a siginificant role in reducing palps.  I drink one ounce a day mixed with any kind of juice.

I am also careful of my wines.  Cheap wine that's cured with metasodium bisulfate is bad.  Get good wines.

Caffeine has no effect.  Doctors always think that palps are caused by caffeine.  The first thing that every single one of them will tell you is to discontinue caffeine.  CRAP!  They are wrong.  I drink about 6 cups from Starbucks every day and have no palps!

The key is to get dysbiosis under control.  When you do that.... you have no idea how well you will feel!

I take a good vitamin (Rainbow Light Advanced Nutritional System) and I take extra magnesium (900 mg daily). 

When you read those books you will see that the food we eat is not as bioavailable as it once was.  Microwaving changes the molecular structure of your food and the host of chemicals they put on and in things does the same.  The result is that you get about 1/5th of the nutrition you need for the same quanity of food that would have sufficed 50 years ago.  So... the body craves more .... and we get fat.... and move into a state of dysbiosis. 

Search Lucidboomer if you want to find more or be in contact.

Nick.

Nick M. Walsh (http://phdrops.net)

# 756

Posted: 16/04/2009 18:28

Nick, If you want to get on the Aspartame crusade, I can put you in touch with Betty Martini... a real spearhead with this ... she is on Coast to Coast radio a lot.. this is a popular broadcast you can get on your computer.. See if you can watch Sweet Misery as well... google it.

You can reach me at willow200@aol.com.

# 755

Posted: 16/04/2009 18:10

NICK!! wow. you HAVE been on here a long time!  What I love, as seasoned blogger! ...So you say Twinings Eng tea is good... safe?  What other ones?  I am even SO afraid of herbal... Going to go and read all your posts so you don't have to repeat yourself to me about palps!

# 754

Posted: 16/04/2009 17:49

Great post Nick... and just what was it that you did for palpitations. I just did a BP check for the heck of it. BP was 125/74...pulse 90 (gulp) and there was a little zig zag line indicating an irregular heart beat. I just took COQ10.. I am going slow at this.. I would have loved to have taken a magnesium but it says not to take within 2 hours of taking a med... and I have to take PTU for the thyroid soon. Always something!

I want to pick up the two publications you mentioned..good reads huh? AND..I found aspartame in Gas-X...so be careful...

# 753

Posted: 16/04/2009 16:27

Hi SSFAR, thankfully I'm not caffiene sensitive  - just need to stay away from the aspartame, altho saccarine doesn't effect me but your post reminded me of something my grandmother used to say. She used to read the ingredients on the back of a packet of anything that looked what she termed 'fancy' (i.e. the junk we used to eat as kids) when we'd offer some to her  - and say, "well if I can't spell it, I'm sure as God not going to eat it" !!

# 752

Posted: 16/04/2009 16:11

Hi All,

Excellent posts recently.  I've been here since 2003 and have had discussions on this topic with probably a dozen folks via email over the years.  I met a guy ... a fellow IT tech in South Africa recently.  He was interested in how I beat palpitations.  When we found he could not get Aloe Gel or GASX or A really good multi-vitamin over there, I couriered a package to him from my home here in Canada.  This fellow and others I have met on this group .. I have found to be really nice people.  I met an airline engineer from the USA who was working in France.  I met a woman living in Ireland (my homeland) who was suffering this thing badly. I met several from the US and the UK. 

There is one emerging pattern that I want to bring up now.  It is one that Beachwalker just touched on.  That is the situation in regard to the medical system and the bodies that govern or affect it.  Specifically the FDA.  I read two book recently.  One is "Cracking the Metabilic Code" by Dr. James Levalle, and the other is "The Gabriel Method" by Jon Gabriel.  What I have extracted from those books and from my 4 years of medical training and past 6 years of researching palpitations is this:

The medical "business" is at a crossroads right now.  Driven by promises of wild profits, the big pharmas use every trick in the book to get YOU onto something.  I recently interviewed a retired pharmaceutical engineer.  His stories would make you cry.... then want to pick up a baseball bat!  The hipocratic oath is a once reviered mission statement for doctors.  It's now a museum piece. 

Yes... big pharma can make some symptoms go away.  And in North America, americans are trained from birth to believe that if you don't feel it or see it... then it does not exist.  So by early teens, most americans see the pill as the cure.  This is exactly what pharma wants.  Well trained citizens. 

They want to genetically modify you food so that only "thier" stuff will grow.  In Canada and the US some large chemical conglomerates have actually sued citizens for growing natural corn and wheat! 

So when I read the last post on aspartame, it reminded me of my next mission in life.  This situation has to change and it has to start now.

The essence of the books I read is this:  We all start out life with a full tank of health.  From very early however, a "Dysbiosis" starts to develop.  Dysbiosis is where one chemical change sets off a chain reaction that ends up affecting hundreds of other chemical reactions in the body.  Once this starts, it is very difficult to get out of.  It's too easy to take one of their pills to make a symptom go away.  But before long... you have several other symptoms.  Now the chain reactions have started.

It we are to survive and retain our health it will be up to each of us to take a stand.  You need to study this stuff and educate yourself against this mess.  And when you do this you need to get the word out. 

This is a battle we all cannot afford to lose. 

Nick

Nick M. Walsh (http://phdrops.net)

# 751

Posted: 16/04/2009 15:44

There is indeed Beachwalker. If you like a nice coffee-type drink and want to avoid both caffiene and anything that has been decaffienated, you might like to try something called 'Barley cup' - which i understand has no caffiene or a herbal tea if you prefer.

I have told my friend why I avoid aspartame but to no avail. If it does have a cumulate build-up and she does become sensitive to it at any point, I hate to think of the effect, as she has been using it for years, decades now I think of it - since her teens. Is there any testign that can be done to determien whether it is being stored and if so, how much, like thier is for the toxicity of certain chemicals?

Sometimes I think medcine is a science of elinimation and trial & error.

# 750

Posted: 16/04/2009 13:51

Beachwalker...Welcome back! I agree with you totally on the Aspartame/diet sugars deal. My hubby will NOT get off of the stuff. The docs keep giving him meds for this, that and the other thing. I think his problems are because of the diet sugars. He's diabetic and will not change his way of thinking.

The docs gave me beta blockers for the palps, too. I was slightly hallucinating with them. That was scary. Stopped them. I am just diet controlled by my own hand and lots of prayer for guidance...it's working.

Anonymous is right on track with the decaf stuff! Those decaffing things are nothing but poison. I noticed I am not bad with taking regular coffee and tea in very moderate amounts. I will go so far as to say that any prefab foods and additives are poison to the system. I am off of the additives and I feel great! Except for the odd day when we have to go to someone's house to eat, I should say. We rarely go to a restaurant, either. The arthritis in my back has subsided, too! Great perk! Staying off of pork is also helping the arthritis. I am so achy when I eat pork. When I eat foods with additives, I get a bad taste in my mouth and my hubby tells me I have really bad breath. It may sound harsh, but I'm glad he tells me stuff like that so I can figure out what I did to deserve it.

Take care, all of you! I wish you health and peace of mind. This stuff can make you paranoid. I know I am!

# 749

Posted: 16/04/2009 13:05

I had NO idea there was any sort of chemical process that went on to decaf tea. I don't know WHAT I was thinking. As far as your friend goes... I have read that the aspartame has a cumulative effect..stores itself up in the body tissues, and usually will do it's damage by the time it's found out.

I can't help but wonder what these doctors do when people come in with all these maladies and have no idea what is causing them.  They can just treat the symptoms...and as I found out..that can be far worse. I just know that the US FDA (jokesters who accept bribes) failed aspartame 8 times before it was passed.  Wing nuts over there. Money talks.

Stay well!!

# 748

Posted: 16/04/2009 08:50

Hi BeachWalker, I'm avoiding aspartame, altho OI have a firend who takes 'diet' everything - loaded with the stuff, to avoid gaining weight ands it never affects her, Everyone is different I guess. I just wanted to say, about your tea - be very careful with decaf tea / coffee - the chemicals used to decaffienate them can have a far worse effect, I have found, than any caffeine. I know in certain instanceas the cemical used to decaffienate is a derivative of Tuolene - a dry-cleaning fluid! No Thank you. Just thought it might help,

# 747

Posted: 15/04/2009 15:53

Back again!  Oh boy.. have I been up one side of a roller coaster and down the other!

I am thinking I am on to something with my problem.  I have Graves Disease as I have posted.. palps are a common occurence with that.. not to mention menopause.  So.. Back in January, I discover I am VIOLENTLY allergic to Asparatame.  I go to the docs (4 now all together) in the middle of these 'attacks'.. can't breathe.. hardly can walk... They all diagnose me A Fib.

So I am put on Atenolol..25 mgs the beta blocker. And I am STILL A Fib when they test me. But I KNOW I am still going through the withdrawal of the Equal, Splenda, NutriSweet etc.. they are not giving this a chance to get out of me! 

As of last night, I cut back the Atenolol to half a pill, what's that 12 mgs? ... Still take my PTU for the Graves... did NOT take tea this morning as NewDoc suggested.. and guess what.. no palps today as of yet.  Normal pulse.  I am thinking the Beta Blocker is NOT needed in the first place and creating symptoms I don't have!  The tea was no help either. the decaf tea. 

So people.. pay attention to these meds that are suppose to help.. sometimes I think they do the opposite... And God.. what every you do.. get away from Asparatame.. it's in EVERYTHING... even Advil!! 

# 746

Posted: 09/04/2009 11:58

FANTASTIC post KatieRoo - We could be twins :-). You describe a similar situation to me. I am also hypothyroid and it is autoimmune (hashi's) so I will be on meds for life - synthetic thyroid hormones to eplvce with my gland can no longer produce. I also have coretisol issues in that my body cannot regulate the cporto-adrenal balance the emits them in the wrogn ratos, so sometimesI can produce enough cortisol for sevrla people but little or no adrenalin. I take perscribed corto*-blockers to correct this. They are a little hard on the stomach but better than the efect cortisol woud have on my liver if it wasn't dealt with. Sounds like you have a great Endo.

# 745

Posted: 09/04/2009 02:29

This was me a year ago.  For two years I suffered palpitations (PVCs) every 3 to 6 beats, mixed in with severe episodes of night time tachycardia. Complete work ups, several trips to ER, stress tests, echos, blood work, nothing.  All normal.  Told to try to live with it. I was offered beta blockers.  But I didn't want to treat the symptoms, I wanted to find the reason.

Finally, an endocrinologist traced the problem to something called Hashimoto's (autoimmune low thyroid), but not even very low. Not low according to the standards. Actually pretty normal.  Anyhow, the point is, the Hashi's is an autoimmune illness. When you're having an undetected autoimmune response for years, it taxes the adrenal glands.  So he tested my adrenals (AM Cortisol test) and bingo, that was the problem.  Here is what I learned.

Mildly low cortisol (nothing that registers unusual on tests) can make the body use its backup system in response to stress. Guess what that is? Adrenalin. My AM cortisol was 11 and 13. Doc likes to see it between 16-22.  They don't tell you anything is wrong with you until it is like below 4, and then you have full blown Addison's Disease.  ANYHOW

He put me on a dessicated adrenal gland supplement just to make up for what my body wasn't making, and literally that same day my palpitations went away, and for days I just slept and slept like a baby. But a good sleep, like I hadn't had in a long time.  I guess the adrenalin stopped coursing through my veins.

After a few months on that, he started me on the thyroid replacement meds.  He said if adrenals are fatigued, you must treat them first before thyroid to avoid an adrenal crisis.  Now I'm pretty much palpitation and tachycardia free.  I still get them around my period, but I don't even care.   I also am soooo much more relaxed, more like my old self.  I'm going places and doing things again, and I laugh a lot. I had started to develop phobias and panic attacks, and avoided movies or going out. I'm sure you can relate. When your heart isn't beating right, it is hard to act normal.

After my thyroid levels are completely normal, the autoimmune symptoms should calm way down. They already are heading in that direction. Then my adrenals can heal and I can come off the adrenal support, hopefully with no palps. 

So I would encourage anyone suffering from these dibilitating palps, to go to a really great endocrinologist, someone willing to treat subclinical adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism. Have then run AM Cortisol. If you're on the lower end of the spectrum, something is taxing your adrenals. Find out what it is: maybe Hashi's or another autoimmune illness, or an undetected infections etc. Get the adrenal support you need, and take care of the underlying problem, and hopefully the palpitations will go away.  Best of luck to you. I feel your pain, truly.

THere are charts online for charting your body temperature several times a day as a way to tell if you're having adrenal fatigue issues or thyroid issues. You could start this right away while you're waiting for your endo appt. Adrenal fatigue your body temp is all over the place, and low thyroid only it is generally just low.

ONE MORE THING -- sugar!  Adrenals and thyroid play a big part in helping your system manage sugar in your system (keeping it even).  With adrenal fatigue you tend to get more hypoglycemia and palps when hungry, AND palps after eating when sugar is high.  Try keeping blood sugar steadier with smaller more frequent meals, lower in carbs and very little sugar.  I don't know why there is a blood sugar / palp connection, but there seems to be.

# 744

Posted: 30/03/2009 16:34

Jevans

Check into taking some magneisuim supplements or google it. I am currently trying it as I think it is my cause

# 743

Posted: 30/03/2009 03:35

Hi. I just joined your group after stumbling around looking for answers on HP's. I'm sorry to repeat what so many others have already said, but.... I can't believe there are so many others like me...

I started having them around 1996 after my Dad passed away. Panic attacks also started. The first HP was so strong that I thought my heart was coming through my chest. No pain, just thump-thump bang! Then had "mild" ones every day thereafter.

Few weeks later went to Dr. and he had me wear halter monitor. Guess what, no HP that day.

Said it was stress. Prescribed Ativan. Helped a little with the panic attacks. The HP's stayed with me over the years with the occasional severe one. I started to suspect alcohol as a trigger for both HP & panic. In 2006 I did Atkins diet and lost 50lbs. Did not drink alcohol at all for almost 6 months and felt good.

My Mom passed away in November 2007 and I went off diet, ate what I wanted and drank. Now have bloat on top of anxiety and HP.

Originally, the HP's would bother me for weeks at a time, then go away for about three weeks then return. When their bad, they occur (on avg.) about 4-5 per minute. Then nothing for a few minutes, then maybe a few every couple of minutes.

Last month, they disappeared for two solid weeks. What sweet relief. Now their back again and just this last week I have been bloated for hours at a time. I do know that when I belch, the pressure and HP go away for a little bit. Acid-reflux? But when I am bloated, I can't belch for anything. Antacids (gas-x) help a little.

Candida maybe? Did spit test in the glass and it was positive. I'm confused, worried, baffled, you name it.

Funny thing is that last week was bad with HP and bloat. I needed a few hours of "relief" so I had a few drinks Saturday to see what would happen and as I suspected, the alcohol relieved every symptom, especially the bloat and HP. About an hour after I stopped drinking the HP's returned.

I also noticed that I do not get the HP while sleeping. When I wake up in the morning, I am okay. Is it possible that they are ALL anxiety related? I am a worrier, especially about the HP's.

I'm sure you've heard this story before but now I have to research HERE on some remedies.

Thanks for the great site.

# 742

Posted: 11/03/2009 17:11

Kazak

You are not alone lol

I hate that i feel different at times, but I have tried just to accept that I may never go back to how i was.

When i work out i usually feel good as long as Im getting my HR up. Usually after a good run or a Hockey game i feel great but they do reappear a few hours later. When i rest or sleep i rarely get them which is wierd because i see others have the oppposite effect.

The wierd feeling i get sometimes in my chest is similair to Gastric feelings. My Dr also stated it was likely anxiety but Ive come to the opinion that Drs may not fully understand as they dont suffer from them or at least none that ive met.

I always had anxiety my whole life, even as a kid. My mom had it bad when i was young and I beleive its mostly enviromental but there has to be some genetics involved there to. But my anxiety level went through the roof after my Cardioversion and it lowered weeks after. But then the palps started 3 weeks after and It went even higher. It has slowly decreased to the point now where i dont get all worked up like I did. I didnt want to go on Ativan or anything else as I wanted to deal with this on my own. Im still working through it but the worst part is the OCD checking of my pulse all the time even when I know whats happening. Yep there just palps same as always but i just cant get over it lol So the palps are causing my anxeity but I too also questioned if a lifetime of minor anxeity has caused this. Or Alcohol or intense training in the heat (Football, Runs, Sports) Or Over running, or lack of sleep. Gaining weight after high school and then dropping 35 lbs in 3 months or Protein shakes and heavy weight training to put on good weight. I dunno, there are so many things I have done over my life that may have contributed. But at the same time This may just be another genetic thing and no matter what i did it was going to happen to me.

I also enjoy talking on this site, it helps . Later

# 741

Posted: 10/03/2009 23:44

To Jeremiah

Thanks for response. i too have been suffering from pvcs/pacs for the past two months. Im 20 and feel like this has knocked me on the head. i have worn holter monitor and had ecgs which show my heart is fine, and the ectopic beats which have appeared have been diagnosed as benign. Yet, i dont feel right and often feel weak, sometimes as though my legs are going to buckle and cause me to collapse. I reglarly exercise and have continued to do so after these started. However, I find that they disappear for the rest of the day following exercise but come back as strong the next day. I too get that weird feeling in my chest which my doctor puts down to anxiety, but im not too sure, i have been feeling very anxious since this happened but cant figure if the anxiety is a direct result of the skipped beats or vice versa. Mine are impossible to predict and usually happen out of nowhere while Im at rest and geneally when Im NOT stressed or worried about anything. I have a lot of things happen in the past, family issues etc, and feel that maybe this could have built up in my system over the years and this is how my body is reacting, but im not too sure its just my hypothesis. You say that you are a paramedic, which I imagine can be stressful, do you think this may have contibuted to an onset of palps which you have. My doctor may be putting me on some form of anxiety medication but im not too sure if this will helpful regarding ectopics. I have also been researching beta blockers but apparently thay are only helpful in controlling low/high pulse rate and are ineffective in dealing with skipped beats, what do you think on these? i also have good and bad days... a good day would be one or two while a bad day could be eighty or ninty. Do you think the number you get has decreased since thay began? I often pray that mine will disappear as quickly as they started but am not too sure if this will happen. Sometimes, friends and family don't understand what its like (i would have been the same 2 and a half months ago) but is re-assuring to be able to talk to you and others who are in the same position. I Feel it help a lot. Peace.

# 740

Posted: 09/03/2009 16:52

Hey Kazak

I had my 2nd opinion In Jan. He was the best Cardiologist Where I live. He did an assessment and listened to all my complaints. Great bedside manner. He assured me once again that they are in fact harmless IF all the right screening has been done. He said he was going tolook back in my tests and verify we didnt miss anything. He went over my holter, ECG, bloodwork and echo and everything was normal. I had another thyroid test done just to make sure. Everything is normal in there books. He also made an interesting comment I thought where he said even if there is something underlying we may never find it or it may not come out for years so stop trying to find something wrong. I have also try to stop check my pulse as much as it just dumps adrenaline and everything gets intesified. I still have good days and bad days. I caught them on a 3 lead ecg the other day at work for the first time and they are PAC's which are less harmfull then PVC/PJC's. I actually get 2 different kind of PAC's. Its really wierd but Im finally beleiving im not having little runs of Afib. It really in some way has to be related to indigestion or something. I take the odd Gavisgon but i dont feel i want that to be the solution all the time. I get allot of acid reflex especially with fatty salty foods. I have started to alter my diet even better then before and I am going to try to eat allot of prebiotic yogurt and breads now.

I have done some weight training in the last couple months and im back jogging and playing sports. I actually played well in a big tourny last weekend in Hockey and felt great. But im not through it yet and I guess im kind of resolved that I may have this the rest of my life. My anxiety levels have dropped substantially but i still get frustrated. But im working through it the best I can. Any advice or info from anyone is helpful. This site is my fallback right now because I often start feeling sorry for myself because im only 25 and should be in my prime physically but i feel old and damaged. I often wonder why me ? But when i see there are others out there it puts me in perspective. AND the biggest thing i fall back on is There are MANY MANY worse things out there and this is liveable. Hope this helps

Jeremy

# 739

Posted: 09/03/2009 16:30

BeachWalker...thanks for the info. I appreciate it. I may try the Truvia for my hubby if it becomes necessary. I still don't like the idea of a chemist adding stuff to food. Otherwise, Whole Foods has the stevia here. But I'll be more likely to trust Truvia after your information. Like I said, I'm going to try to scare up some stevia seeds to plant.

I wouldn't bother replying to the manufacturer. I think that would be enough information. The only question I would have, if I did, is if the erythritol (sp?) is chemically manufactured or if it is naturally extracted.

I'd like to take time to mention to those who are newer here than I am, Nick is a good guy. Listen to him.

# 738

Posted: 07/03/2009 20:03

hi there

heart palps can also be caused by an irregular rhythm

# 737

Posted: 07/03/2009 06:28

Thanks Nick, I will do that. Also I have hard time staying a sleep, I wake up every three to four hours and some nights I can not go back to sleep.

# 736

Posted: 06/03/2009 22:57

For Jeremiah (25/12/2008)

I read your comment and I'm in a very similar position to yours. If you are reading this could you give an update on how you are doing since?

# 735

Posted: 05/03/2009 20:35

Hi Jess,

That much won't hurt you.  Remember.. it is a food.  In the drug form (ie GAS-X) you might have some issues.  But this does tell us one very important thing.  Your issues are directly related to your digestive processes.  You have way too much inflammation happening.

You should be taking Probiotics (minimum 12 Billion cells), turmeric powder, stay off all fish products, stay away from MSG (Chinese food) and eat foods of a more natural source.  Processed foods are not good.  They taste great.. but will not help you.

Once you get your diet under control, you will be fine.  I've said it before here over the years... be particular about what kind of wine you drink too.  Cheap ones tend to have chemically induced aging.  Metasodium bisulfate is what they use and it is an antagonist to this condition.  

Finally, make sure you take a good multi-vitamin and get some extra chelated magnesium.  I take an extra 1000 mg per day.  I've been palp free for nearly two years.    An I had them three or four times a day for 3 years!

Nick.

nickatlucidboomerdotcom

Nick M. Walsh (http://phdrops.net)

# 734

Posted: 05/03/2009 16:45

...and... stress seems to kick it up... big time.

# 733

Posted: 05/03/2009 16:44

Lou....sounds like that LAF to me... I'm no doctor but I think I may have it too. I had an attack today of racing heart...pulse...sick to my stomach.. light headed... lasted about a half an hour...then as quick as it came, it left. There is a site by some man named Larson I think... I will look it up and post it. He has some great recommendations for supplements one should take...and what to do in the middle of an 'attack'.  Have you even been diagnosed with A-Fib?

# 732

Posted: 05/03/2009 16:22

This question is for Nick, Two ounces three time a day of Alo gel is not working for me, but taking Four to Six Ounces three time a day works fine for me. The question is, is it healthy to take this much?

# 731

Posted: 05/03/2009 13:21

I was diagnosed with a murmur when I was quite young. I regularly get palpitations, not necessarily in times of stress or physical exertion, sometimes they just come on me all of a sudden. At times they are so bad I feel like I need to swallow really hard just to keep my heart in my chest!