Atrial Fibrillation

What is it?

• Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib)  is a type a arrhythmia that causes the upper two chambers of the heart (the atria) to quiver (fibrillation). Because of this, a couple of things happen

  1. The larger chambers of the heart (the ventricles) are less effective at filling.

  2. The atria do not empty completely. Since they do not completely empty, the blood in these chambers can become stagnant and can form clots. These clots can break free, exiting the heart and cause damage at downstream organs (most notably the brain and this is called a stroke or CVA). For this reason doctors will generally prescribe a blood thinner medication so that clots do not form.

  3. Rapid heart rate. Not all people who have A-Fib will have a fast pulse, but over time it can present. If it does, it is important that we return the heart rate to a normal speed so that your heart can pump effectively without excessive wear on your heart (it's not the same as when your heart rate Increases with exercise, which is good for your heart).

How Is It treated

• First line treatment is always lifestyle modifications because of the absence of any side effects. These modifications include:

  1. A low sodium whole food plant based diet

  2. Adequate hydration

  3. Incorporating movement/exercise into your daily routine

  4. Stopping (or at least greatly reducing) the use of alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, drugs and other medications that can cause arrhythmias.

  5. Practicing stress management techniques such as meditation, sleep hygiene, breathing exercises, and working to foster healthy relationships with friends, family, and work.

• Second line treatment incudes pharmaceutical medications. Some things to know are:

  1. There are a WIDE variety of different medications with different side effect profiles

  2. Contrary to what many people are told by their doctors, you DO NOT have to be on these medications for life

  3. If you are on more than one medication or you are having side effects, then we can work together to find a different regimen that is custom tailored to your body.

Third line treatment generally Involves some type of procedure.

• Your doctor may have talked to you about ablations or Watchman devices. We can discuss these options more in person.