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Getting to the Heart of the Matter: What You Need to Know About Atrial Fib and Other Heart Rhythm Problems

Jed Diamond, Ph.D. has been a health-care professional for more than 40 years. He is the author of 10 books, including MenAlive: Stop Killer Stress with Simple Energy Healing Tools, Surviving Male Menopause, and Mr. Mean: Saving Your Relationship from the Irritable Male Syndrome. I offer counseling to men, women, and couples in his office in California or by phone with people throughout the U.S. and around the world. To receive a Free E-book on Mens Health and a free subscription to my e-newsletter go to www.MenAlive.com. If you enjoy my articles, please subscribe. I write to everyone who joins my tribe of followers.

After finishing my last book, my son Evan suggested we do something physical together to get in shape. That sounded good to me. Spending hours at a time writing is engaging, but I needed a physical challenge to get my heart going. When he suggested we train for a marathon, I was apprehensive. Ive never run a marathon in my life, even when I was young and in-shape, I told him. Come on Pops, we can train together. Youre in good shape for a guy in his 60s. So, train we did. After six months we were getting ready to run the Avenue of the Giants, a beautiful run through the redwood trees in Northern California. However two weeks before the race, some strange things were happening with my heart. Every once in a while my heart would speed up for no apparent reason, even when I wasnt exercising. Most of us never think much about how our heart beats. During our lives it just perks along, lub dub lub dub, pumping blood through our body. But occasionally things get out of rhythm. Since I was going to be running a marathon I thought I should get checked out by a cardiologist. What I learned was very interesting. He told me there are three basic kinds of heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias): The heartbeat is too fast, too slow, or irregular. Arrhythmias are very common, he told me. Most are completely benign and inconsequential, but some are extremely dangerous and lifethreatening. He set me up for a number of tests to see if I was healthy enough to run the race. I remembered from biology class that the heart is made up of four chambers two upper chambers (atria) and two lower chambers (ventricles). The rhythm of our heart is normally controlled by a natural pacemaker located in the right atrium. The sinus node produces electrical impulses that normally start each heartbeat. While I was waiting for the test results I learned what I could about my heart. From the Mayo Clinic I learned that a normal heartbeat begins when a tiny cluster of cells called the sinus node which sends an electrical signal (1). The signal then travels through the atria and passes through another group of cells called the atrioventricular node (2). From the atrioventricular node, the signal travels through the ventricles (3), causing them to contract and pump out blood. After this, the process starts over again, (4).

Atrial fibrillation (Atrial Fib) is on the Rise

Atrial fibrillation is a rapid heart rate caused by chaotic electrical impulses in the atria. These signals result in rapid, uncoordinated, weak contractions of the atria. The chaotic electrical signals bombard the AV node. Atrial fibrillation may be temporary, but some episodes won't end unless treated. Most people with atrial fibrillation have some structural abnormalities of the heart related to such conditions as heart disease or high blood pressure. Other factors that may contribute to atrial fibrillation include a heart valve disorder, hyperthyroidism or heavy alcohol use. A recent study (July 8, 2013) reported in American Journal of Cardiology, says that the number of people suffering from Atrial Fib will rise dramatically in the next few decades. If current trends continue, the number of Americans who experience it will more than double in the next 16 years, according to the study. In 2010, some five million U.S. adults had been diagnosed with AF, but the study projects about 12 million cases by the year 2030. That's a best guess, said study coauthor Dr. Daniel Singer, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, but the potential range is between 7 million and 17 million Americans diagnosed with the condition. "By any estimate, there are going to be lots of (predominantly older) Americans with AF in 2030," Singer told Reuters Health.

If You Notice Your Heart Acting Strange, Have It Checked

When our hearts are working the way they should we rarely give it much thought. But when we notice something out of the ordinary, its t ime to pay attention. I was glad I saw my family doctor and she referred me to the cardiologist. I had a number of tests including a

cardiac stress test to measure the heart's ability to respond to external stress in a controlled clinical environment. I also had an echocardiogram to check out the structure integrity of the heart. All went well. I was cleared to run I completed my first marathon at age 66 and my heart did just fine. I learned that most heart irregularities never cause a problem. But we should get checked if something is out of the ordinary. Ill see my doctor periodically to be sure everything continues to go well, but he gave me some good advice to follow until then. The best thing you can do, he told me is to improve your diet and expand your exercise routine. He told me to get the book Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. and follow the program. Youre healthy, but youd be even healthier if you lost 20 pounds. Hey, Im on it. I i ntend to be around for the long haul, like my friend Edie, who is 105 this year.