Library

Here you can find a summary of linked content that in my eyes is informative for the reader of this blog and hopefully can help to understand how things work together with Atrial Fibrillation (AFib, AF). (Note: As I follow a holistic approach, parts of the content maybe not directly related to AFib.)

Please always remind the Disclaimer as a condition for using this blog.

Important AFib related Studies:

• PREVEntion and regReSsive Effect of weight-loss and risk factor modification on Atrial Fibrillation: the REVERSE-AF study. (Click here for a source)
  One of the most important studies made in the last years regarding AFib comes from australian researchers. The study shows how important and powerful a weightloss can be for reversing or improving AFib. The research was led by the Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders at the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. Thank you for this masterpiece of scientific research, we need more of this.

• Comparison of the ATRIA, CHADS₂, and CHA₂DS₂-VASc stroke risk scores in predicting ischaemic stroke in a large Swedish cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation. (Click here for a source)
  Better stroke risk prediction is needed to optimize the anticoagulation decision in atrial fibrillation (AF). This study has determined that the ATRIA score is superior to the CHA2DS2-VASc score. This study was done by: Sara Aspberg, Yuchiao Chang, Adriano Atterman, Matteo Bottai, Alan S. Go, Daniel E. Singer, Comparison of the ATRIA, CHADS₂, and CHA₂DS₂-VASc stroke risk scores in predicting ischaemic stroke in a large Swedish cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation, European Heart Journal, Volume 37, Issue 42, 7 November 2016, Pages 3203–3210, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehw077.

• Benefit of Anticoagulation Unlikely in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and a CHA₂DS₂-VASc Score of 1 (Click here for a source.)
  This study is a retrospective study that figures out that, based on the examined data, the stroke risc of AFib patients with a CHA₂DS₂-VASc score of 1 seems to be (much) lower than previously reported. This supports the assumption that patients with a score of 1 might have more risks than benefits by taking anticoagulants. This study has been done by: Leif Friberg, MD, PhD, Mika Skeppholm, MD, Phd and Andreas Terént, MD, PhD. (The scientists are settled at the Karolinska Institute, Department of Clinical Sciences at Danderyd Hospital, Department of Cardiology at Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden and the Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden)

AFib related Risk Prediction:

• CHA₂DS₂–VASc Score (Click here for a source)
  The CHA₂DS₂VASc score is an update of the CHADS₂ score and the most known and commonly used scoring index in Western medicine for stroke prediction for people having an AFib condition. This index is also very helpful to determine (or having a discussion basis with your doctor) if it is really necessary to take anticoagulants or not. Like all scoring models, this model is only an approximation of reality. Note: Another helpful perspective of this score is often not mentioned: What if I follow the strategy lowering my scoring parameters to one or even to zero myself by lifestyle changes e.g. if I can reduce my blood pressure naturally? (Interesting fact: Taking blood pressure agents does not lower the score, even if the blood pressure is “under control”. See scoring model for more information.)

• ATRIA Score (Click here for a source)
  The ATRIA-Score is another approach in stroke prediction in Western medicine for people having an AFib condition. In contrast to the CHA₂DS₂VASc score, the ATRIA score weights the age and history of past strokes more strongly. The knowledge of this score might be helpful to get into discussion with your doctor making a better decision if taking anticoagulants is really necessary. There is a study existing that has determined that the ATRIA score is superior to the CHA₂DS₂VASc score. Like all scoring models, this model is only an approximation of reality.

• HAS-BLED Score (Click here for a source)
  The HAS-BLED-Score determines the bleeding risks for a people with AFib who are taking anticoagulants. The knowledge of this score is very important because it shows that taking anticoagulants is not of no risks. Knowing this score might help to get into discussion with your doctor making a better decision about if taking anticoagulants is worth the risk. Like all scoring models, this model is only an approximation of reality.

Interesting Books:

• “How I cured my AFib” from Jay Clarke,
  (Independently published (20. August 2019), ISBN-10 : 1687486107)
  You can also find this book as a Kindle Edition on Amazon, it is one of the best publication on AFib I have read the last two years. It is written from a patients perspective, easy to understand and it makes hope that there is a real “light at the end of the tunnel”. Jay Clarke has cured himself from AFib and this without the standard suspects “Ablation, medication, etc.” . Only mentioning this possibility is something you nearly never find in any internet sources. While the most offered treatments are symptomatic only he shows it is possible to find a cure based on a close to nature approach using common sense. Thanks Jay for your great little book.

• “Slick AF: The AFib Rabbit Hole” from Kristian Davidson,
  (Independently published (13. Oktober 2019), ISBN-10 : 1699527881)
  This is another little Book whose author describes how he got out of his AFib state naturally. Some people might say he uses “rough” language to describe this path, but from the perspective of someone who has experienced the dark side of the Western medical system, I can understand him. I think this book is another indicator that AFib is not (in general) an incurable disease, as some “authorities” claim.

• “Life on hold” from Kevin J. Kauffman, (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1. Edition (23. August 2014), ISBN-10 : 1496199766)
  This book is not really about a natural cure for Atrial Fibrillation (AFib, AF), but it does show some very interesting insights into the AFib journey that the author experienced as he “trekked” through the Western medical system to find support for his new condition. The book has its own humor, which makes it very entertaining to read, except for the fact that the author went through a very tough time.

• “The Magnesium Miracle (Second Edition)” from Dr. Carolyn Dean,
  (Ballantine Books, ISBN: 9780399594441)
  This book shows some very interesting insights of how magnesium works inside of the human body and what kind of malfunctions (especially regarding the heartfunction) might appear if the intake of this mineral is much too low (what it often is in our “modern society lifestyle”). The information about how a sufficient ammount of magnesium can be integrated into a healthy life style is shown in this book. (The author is a little bit focussing herself on her own magnesium product line, but the reader can benefit on the given information anyway.) There is also an ebook available.

• “You are the Placebo.” from Dr. Joe Dispenza,
  (Hay House Inc., ISBN 978-4019-4458-2)
  This book is not a specific book to AFib, but it is showing a general approach and many examples of self healing by using the self curing abillities of the body and mind. It is providing hope what makes it an important “Buddy” on the journey. I really like this book and the other works of “Dr. Jo”.

• “Deadly Medicines and Organised Crime – …” from Peter C. Gøtzsche,
  (CRC Press, ISBN-13: 978-1-84619-884-7)
  I wasn’t sure if I should place this book here, because of several reasons, but at least I decided to list it up. This book shows some insides given by the author, Peter C. Gøtzsche, the cofounder of the Cochrane Collaboration, to the world’s business of prescriptive medicine. Some people might put it on the “conspiracy book”-list, but I have read many posts of people, including myself, who were regretting deeply their intake of medication because of seeing it as the possible real cause of their AFib condition. No matter if their self diagnosis is really true or not, I think if someone decides to read this book, it should not be done with regrets or hate like: “Why I have taken this or that medicine?”. In my eyes, it is better to see ther authors statements as another opinion that provides you the possibility to make a better informed decision for the future.

• “Der Hund, der Eier legt” from Dr. Hans-Hermann Dubben, Dr. Hans-Peter Beck-Bornholdt, (Rowohlt Taschenbuch, ISBN-978-3-499-62196-3 )
  Unfortunately, this book seems to be available only in German, but it is a really great treasure of examples of failure, error, abuse and fraud in the interpretation of statistical data in medical research, but also other scientific disciplines. The authors provide many practical examples while also explaining how the calculations were made, so that the examples can be followed by everybody who has a little knowledge in mathematics. This book is very helpful if you want to correctly classify and understand scientific studies, press reports and their results yourself. This book makes you much more aware of things like: “When a pharmaceutical company sells its anticoagulant drug with the argument that it reduces the risk of stroke by up to 60%, that sounds like a lot at first glance. But if the estimated risk of stroke for a given patient’s risk profile is only 0.5% per year anyway, then a further 60% reduction only leads to an overall risk of 0.2%. To make it even clearer: Making an already small risk even smaller in exchange for significant side effects could be a bad deal. Another word play from commercial spots that is often used is the phrase ‘… up to 60%’ what means it could be also 0%.”

• “The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush” from Andreas Moritz, (Ener-chi.com; Updated Revised Edition (1. Oktober 2012) ISBN-978-0984595440)
  Andreas Moritz describes in his book how the body can be hindered from ridding itself of harmful substances due to various negative external and internal influencing factors. The book aims in particular at a practical procedure that can be carried out by oneself, with which the main cleansing organ, the liver, can be cleansed by oneself, in order to be able to better help the body in its detoxification. Moritz attributes a large part of the diseases of civilization to a disturbed liver function. The book is especially interesting for people who have already developed gallstones and are looking for a natural cure. But the hypothesis that a large part of all diseases are based on a disturbed liver function makes it, in my eyes, also interesting for further considerations on the topic of healing Atrial Fibrillation.

• “Peaks and Valleys” from Spencer Johnson (Atria; Reprint Edition (29. November 2014), ISBN-978-1501108082)
  Spencer Johnson explains, embedded in a story of a young man, a life concept about how to deal with ups and downs in life in a successful way. This book and the concept it describes is very interesting, because curing AFib might be exactly based on this kind of mindset.

Meditation Practice:

• Yoga Nidra (Multipe Sources)
  For calming down my nervous system and n better dealing with my AFib episodes it helped me a lot using a meditation technique called “Yoga Nidra”. It is easy to practice, because it only needs laying down on the Ground and “walking” through your whole body step by step with your mind. I preferred an audio instructed practice, this is the most easy start for beginners. You can find audio courses at YouTube, in your bookshop, etc. . Search out for one that fits to your needs. (From works of Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn this kind meditation practice is also known as the “body scan”-Meditation.)

• Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) from Jon Kabatt-Zinn (Multiple Sources)
  MBSR is an eight-week evidence-based program that offers an intensive training to assist people with stress, anxiety, depression and pain. It was developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the 1970s by Professor Jon Kabat-Zinn. I did such a training myself and I think it is a good way to get started with a more healthy lifestyle supported by an easy to learn meditation practice. In my personal experience this is very a helpful “supporter” on my journey in curing myself from AFib. You dont need to be on a “spiritual path” to do that training. It is offered all over the world in nearly every bigger city I think.

Helpful Webpages:

• Medical blog about AFib from Dr. John Mandrola (Click here)
  This medical blog/website is one of that kind I like, because it comes along with some more thoughts and information than like “go for ablation and/or take a full meal of pills every day”. Dr. John is a cardiac electrophysiologist and it seems to me that he went through a transformation himself from being just “anyone” else in the system to someone who starts asking the right questions, not only as a doctor, also from a patients perspective.

• Drug Interaction Table from Dr. David A. Flockhart, MD, PhD (Click here for a source)
  The knowledge of the “Flockhart Drug Interaction Table” could be very helpful if a drug interaction is supposed or should be prevented (for example when taking drugs for AFib and/or depression treatment etc. is considered). The purpose of this table is to show possible drug interactions metabolised via the so called cytochrom P450 system of the human body. Drug metabolism via the cytochrome P450 system has emerged as an important determinant in the occurrence of several drug-drug interactions. A greater degree of interaction predictability has been achieved through the identification of P450 isozymes and some of the drugs that share them. Cytochrome P450 enzymes can be inhibited or induced by drugs, resulting in clinically significant drug-drug interactions that can cause unanticipated adverse reactions or therapeutic failures. The table is actually hosted by the Indiana University School of Medicine and if used for own purposes should be referenced as “Flockhart DA. Drug Interactions: Cytochrome P450 Drug Interaction Table. Indiana University School of Medicine (2007).”

Helpful Organisation:

• Tibetan Center e. V. (Hamburg/Germany) (Click here)
  This center is located in Hamburg /Germany and offers many different opportunities courses, seminars and also personal support to get closer to inner peace, health and a new mindset based on the buddhist way of life. These kind of centres are existing at many places of the world and it might be an approach to get to know another way of thinking, especially in difficult life situations, or even before things get out of balance. I found it very helpful to go there and to get to know a new perspective on life.

• Plum Village France founded by Thich Nhat Hanh (Click here)
  Plum Village is Europe’s largest Buddhist monastery and was founded by the Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. I have experienced this center as a very beautiful and peaceful place, I went there one time in total desperation and found lovely people around. The center offers a huge bandwith of different events like teachings, retreats etc..