Miles Hassell, MD
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Know anyone with atrial fibrillation?
You
might – atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heart rhythm disorder we are seeing more
and more frequently. AF carries a high risk of stroke, and there are many
treatments to lower this risk and reduce symptoms; the most common treatments
include anticoagulants to make the blood less likely to clot. While these blood thinners reduce stroke
risk, they have their own dangerous side effects (including, not surprisingly,
a bleeding risk), often require frequent blood tests for monitoring, and do not
completely eliminate the stroke risk. Happily, our chance of developing
AF is much lower if we choose to eat well and stay active. There is also
good news for those who have atrial fibrillation and are overweight: if you
make sensible food choices and do moderate exercise to achieve at least 10%
weight loss, and maintain those habits, you are 76% more likely to
have AF disappear without using drugs or other interventions! This is
based on the results of a 5 year study of 355 overweight patients with AF,
published last month in the Journal
of the American College of Cardiology.[1] It reminds us that good lifestyle choices are
critical in treating disease as well
as preventing it. Using lifestyle medicine, people can often not
only reverse AF and many other diseases, but also avoid the cost and side
effects of drugs and medical procedures. What a deal!
Miles Hassell, MD
Miles Hassell, MD
