Conventional medication or emergency treatment is the starting point for controlling any heart irregularity. Arrhythmia can be life-threatening. Once things are assessed fully and a cardiac specialist’s view is obtained it may be beneficial to consider an Integrated medical approach for longer term care.
Ongoing conventional care is predominantly about maintaining heart rhythm as close to regularity as possible with or without drugs. A specialist will talk to their patient about various medications and a therapy called ablation – pinpointing an area of the heart that may be causing the incorrect electrical signals with an electrical impulse. As an irregular heartbeat runs the risk of forming a blood clot which can travel to the lungs, brain or around the body, most patients will be recommended ‘blood thinners’. Since 1954 the drug of choice has predominantly been Warfarin, and many who are well controlled on this may still be on this and will be recommended its use for life.
Through the last decade, several new oral anticoagulant drugs, including dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban have been developed and touted as being equivalent to, or more effective than, warfarin in preventing strokes. These are less likely to have adverse effects, but optimum levels cannot be monitored as can be done with warfarin. Each cardiologist or GP will have their preferences.
Complementary medicine does not disregard the need for conventional therapy however from an integrated point of view, it is important to not only treat the acute problem but also consider the underlying cause. These include infections, toxicity, nutritional deficiency and stress.
If conventional medication is helping the acute symptom picture then it is better to use drugs than herbal medicines. However, in cases where medication or procedures such as ablation are not resolving the problem, an opinion can be obtained by a doctor trained in medical herbalism.
In addition, natural therapies can be applied to complement drug function or
protect from the potential damage of conventional therapy. Natural therapies helps support the detoxification of medication and increases healing response post-procedure.
A search on Google Scholar for ‘Natural treatment arrhythmias’ provides just under 300,000 published papers on environmentally associated causes and natural therapies that have undergone studies. https://tinyurl.com/3yt6x3tw
If one searches ‘Arrhythmia’ with any of the following sentences there is ample evidence to support the exploration of many avenues:
- Environmental Toxic Screen (pesticides, industrial waste, recreational drugs etc)
- Toxic metal screen
- Essential Fatty Acid Profile
- Mineral Profile
- Vitamins B12 and D
- Co Enzyme Q10
- Antioxidant profile
Recommended Investigations
In reviewing possible underlying causes for the development of arrhythmia, I generally recommend tests (done through blood and urine samples) for certain deficiencies, toxins and mitochondrial health. These, along with trauma and chronic stress, have been associated in the medical literature with A.fib and other arrhythmias.
That said, a broad approach to replenishment can be offered as can enhancing detoxification through nutritional approaches and detoxicants meaning tests are not essential.
Mitochondrial function
Mitochondria are small ‘organelles’ found in all cells in the body (except red blood cells). They combine oxygen with nutrients, especially glucose and certain fatty acids, to produce molecules called ATP which are acted upon in the cell matrix to release energy that runs cells metabolism.
Heart and nerve cells contain 4000-6000+ mitochondria per cell, so any dysfunction is generally an issue. Mitochondria can be damaged by infection, toxins, nutritional deficiencies or chronic stress.
For those with a scientific background, you might choose to look at this paper:
Emerging evidence indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction can adversely impact cardiac electrical functioning by impairing the intracellular ion homeostasis and membrane excitability through reduced ATP production and excessive reactive oxidative species (ROS) generation, resulting in increased propensity to cardiac arrhythmias https://tinyurl.com/bdzh3rvv
Toxicity and Nutritional deficiency
Identifying levels of toxins such as heavy metals, environmental pollutants, mould and yeast toxins as well as establishing an individual’s detoxification capability can be tested.
Establishing nutritional status especially of essential cardiac nutrients can be undertaken.
Arteriography.
It is possible that an area of the heart, deprived of oxygen and nutrients, can affect the conduction of the electrical impulses. There is potential benefit in testing the patency of heart arteries and perfusion of blood through the heart muscle. This can be done through a non-invasive technique called Arteriography. Information on that test can be viewed on my website here: http://www.drsharmadiagnostics.com/arteriograph.htm
Examples of Recommended Supplementation
There is also evidence that supplementation with the following may help or improve the response to treatment and the condition in general. This must be discussed and prescribed by a professional as an adjunct to conventional therapy and should not be considered an alternative option to conventional care
Magnesium
CoQ10
Blue/Green Algae (to absorb chemical toxins and heavy metals)
Zeolite
Vitamin B12
Vitamin D (equivocal evidence)
Not everybody needs to undergo investigations and not everybody needs to take large quantities of natural supplementation. Each individual has to be considered on their own merits and prescribing is based on their specific situation to allow an individual program to be designed.
Dr R. Sharma