Check out the image above. Each spike represents a heartbeat. (contraction of the bottom two of four chambers) The top line is atrial fibrillation. The bottom line is normal. The normal beats are perfectly regular and slower. In atrial fibrillation, the heartbeats are much faster and completely irregular. It feels like something flopping around in your chest. It is an unpleasant symptom for me.
This is not the first story I've heard of people not getting (in your case, without persistence) needed treatment quickly. Imagine if it were a plumbing situation, or something to do with electrical wiring. Someone would come within 24 hours. Second response, I'm sorry you are having this dangerous occurrence, and glad you may have found the cause and can likely reverse what has happened. All the best.
Thanks for your comment. There is a new law that holds employers responsitble to see that their employee health plan provides care that is effective and reasonably priced. We have a long way to go but violations lead to fines and hopefully that will lead to a system that serves patients better.
You know I am an RN and this is just so sad to see patients fall through the cracks. Also Primary Care practices are short staffed and as a result suffer from poor communication.
Jun 30, 2023·edited Jun 30, 2023Liked by William H Bestermann Jr MD
A-Fib occurs in nearly everyone’s life time. Some people have it occasionally then recover spontaneously. Some people will have more frequent occurrence, some will develop “permanent” A-fib. The problem is what causes A-fib? Why some people recover spontaneously, some recover after some seemingly unrelated treatments for other diseases, some never recover even after repeated Pulmonary Vein Isolation treatments? We are beginning to discover the mysterious factors by applying the systematic computational electrophysiology studies using Multifunction CardioMatrix Technology Platform. We are establishing a large database to monitor millions of people 24/7/365 to sort through these classes of people to fundamentally understand what causes A-fib and how we can prevent it, or to reverse it entirely. Stay tuned!
Jun 30, 2023·edited Jun 30, 2023Liked by William H Bestermann Jr MD
From our database, accumulated over more than two decades, up to 69% of "A-Fib" patients suffered recurrence post repeated Pulmonary Vein Isolation procedures within the first year. I believe the EPs are flying blind "treating" A-fib without understanding the root causes and how to prevent A-fib. It is time to solve this puzzle. We must stop making patients go through the excessive wild goose chase, or "the late stage sickness seeking profiteering kabuki dance theatrics of the legacy allopathic medicine," Bill.
As you have said so many times, it is all metabolic. It is all molecular biology. Atrial fibrillation is like other complications of cardiac remodeling. It is usually associated with atrial enlargement and atrial scar formation. Rapamycin reverses these remodeling factors that come with cardiovascular diseases. Metformin also directly inhibits the mechanistic target of rapamycin. We should expect it to reduce atrial scarring and enlargement which would help atrial fib.
Other top candidates are heavy metal poisoning, viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic infections, bad drugs, smoking, alcohol, and several chronic exposures to stress. We will sort these out, but it is a tall order, Bill.
Ionizing radiation exposures during space travels, high altitude sickness, and deep sea diving accidents can lead to severe mitochondrial dysfunctions or deaths. These will lead to all kinds of cardiovascular disorders, including A-Fib.
Our quality of care has been broken for a long time. Sadly, you have to personally witness that. How do we make changes so patients (laymen) wont have to experience what you went through?
That is the challenge of course. I think Vestra and the Southcentral Foundation are on to something. The people served should run the system and the health plan. Then it will serve them. No the system is designed to serve the system.
Bill: I’m so glad you told your a fib story today, as my situation roughly corresponds to yours, with recent increasing frequency of a fib episodes and increasing length of time before sinus returns. I have started taking 50 mg of metoprolol twice daily, and that has helped significantly. However, the beta blocker has side effects that are a nuisance. My cardiologist is taking only a month to schedule me in for an appointment (!) and so by end of July I’ll have the opportunity to show him the evidence for metformin and, I hope, we’ll give it a try. Thanks again.
Metoprolol does not do a good job of keeping you out of atrial fib. It does control the rate so that you are not as symptomatic. Check out this article.
I just went back to get a monitor put on and even though they made the appointment when I was there last, they did not have an appointment listed for me when I got there. They said I canceled it. I know I did not. We must move to a more patient-centered system
This is not the first story I've heard of people not getting (in your case, without persistence) needed treatment quickly. Imagine if it were a plumbing situation, or something to do with electrical wiring. Someone would come within 24 hours. Second response, I'm sorry you are having this dangerous occurrence, and glad you may have found the cause and can likely reverse what has happened. All the best.
Thanks for your comment. There is a new law that holds employers responsitble to see that their employee health plan provides care that is effective and reasonably priced. We have a long way to go but violations lead to fines and hopefully that will lead to a system that serves patients better.
You know I am an RN and this is just so sad to see patients fall through the cracks. Also Primary Care practices are short staffed and as a result suffer from poor communication.
A-Fib occurs in nearly everyone’s life time. Some people have it occasionally then recover spontaneously. Some people will have more frequent occurrence, some will develop “permanent” A-fib. The problem is what causes A-fib? Why some people recover spontaneously, some recover after some seemingly unrelated treatments for other diseases, some never recover even after repeated Pulmonary Vein Isolation treatments? We are beginning to discover the mysterious factors by applying the systematic computational electrophysiology studies using Multifunction CardioMatrix Technology Platform. We are establishing a large database to monitor millions of people 24/7/365 to sort through these classes of people to fundamentally understand what causes A-fib and how we can prevent it, or to reverse it entirely. Stay tuned!
That is all great news.
You bet, Bill.
From our database, accumulated over more than two decades, up to 69% of "A-Fib" patients suffered recurrence post repeated Pulmonary Vein Isolation procedures within the first year. I believe the EPs are flying blind "treating" A-fib without understanding the root causes and how to prevent A-fib. It is time to solve this puzzle. We must stop making patients go through the excessive wild goose chase, or "the late stage sickness seeking profiteering kabuki dance theatrics of the legacy allopathic medicine," Bill.
As you have said so many times, it is all metabolic. It is all molecular biology. Atrial fibrillation is like other complications of cardiac remodeling. It is usually associated with atrial enlargement and atrial scar formation. Rapamycin reverses these remodeling factors that come with cardiovascular diseases. Metformin also directly inhibits the mechanistic target of rapamycin. We should expect it to reduce atrial scarring and enlargement which would help atrial fib.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4796007/
Other top candidates are heavy metal poisoning, viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic infections, bad drugs, smoking, alcohol, and several chronic exposures to stress. We will sort these out, but it is a tall order, Bill.
Ionizing radiation exposures during space travels, high altitude sickness, and deep sea diving accidents can lead to severe mitochondrial dysfunctions or deaths. These will lead to all kinds of cardiovascular disorders, including A-Fib.
Our quality of care has been broken for a long time. Sadly, you have to personally witness that. How do we make changes so patients (laymen) wont have to experience what you went through?
These are exciting times Khanh. This initiative is starting in Nevada. It can be the beginning of an answer to your question.
https://williamhbestermannjrmd.substack.com/p/taking-the-first-steps-with-health
That is the challenge of course. I think Vestra and the Southcentral Foundation are on to something. The people served should run the system and the health plan. Then it will serve them. No the system is designed to serve the system.
I am hearing this from everyone. Also dental care. The system is truly broken.
We can have a system that serves us all better. Thanks for your help
I, too, am glad that you figured it out and are feeling better. That had to be very concerning - and the wait for an appointment is unconscionable.
Thanks Janice. It is always great to hear from you. We are both working for a system that serves us all better. I appreciate what you are doing
Bill: I’m so glad you told your a fib story today, as my situation roughly corresponds to yours, with recent increasing frequency of a fib episodes and increasing length of time before sinus returns. I have started taking 50 mg of metoprolol twice daily, and that has helped significantly. However, the beta blocker has side effects that are a nuisance. My cardiologist is taking only a month to schedule me in for an appointment (!) and so by end of July I’ll have the opportunity to show him the evidence for metformin and, I hope, we’ll give it a try. Thanks again.
Metoprolol does not do a good job of keeping you out of atrial fib. It does control the rate so that you are not as symptomatic. Check out this article.
https://academic.oup.com/europace/article/18/11/1698/2437522
I just went back to get a monitor put on and even though they made the appointment when I was there last, they did not have an appointment listed for me when I got there. They said I canceled it. I know I did not. We must move to a more patient-centered system