Arrhythmia
According to Dr. Rath’s Cellular Medicine, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) most often develops as a result of a chronic deficiency of specific micronutrients in the heart muscle cells causing insufficient bio-energy production in so called “electrical heart cells” responsible for the generation and timely delivery of electrical stimuli to the heart muscle. Dysfunction of these cells can result in irregular heartbeat. Therefore the primary approach to normalizing heartbeat should include a supply of specific micronutrients critical in biological energy production in the cells, such as vitamin C, B vitamins, Coenzyme Q10, lysine, magnesium, calcium and potassium among others.
Regulation of heartbeat
The human heart at rest beats approximately 60-80 times a minute (86,400 times daily) and contracts approximately 100,000 times daily pumping about 10,000 liters (2,642 gallons) of blood through the cardiovascular system. The electrical impulse that makes the cardiac muscle beat originates in the specialized cells located in the sinus node. These specialized cells form of a type of living pacemaker which spontaneously generates a rhythm of the heart’s regular contractions and transfers the tempo to the rest of the heart muscle.
Arrhythmia, manifested by irregular heart contractions is a disorder that often develops independently and can occur at any age. It often appears after a heart attack or in patients suffering from heart failure. Worldwide more than 100 million people suffer from this problem, which can vary in its severity
How to recognize arrhythmia
Arrhythmia is caused by disturbances in the creation or conduction of the electrical impulse that is responsible for a regular heartbeat. There are many types of arrhythmias and some of them are harmless, while others carry a risk of a sudden death.
Arrhythmia can develop as a consequence of coronary heart disease, a heart attack, excessive use of alcohol, smoking, viral infection, or thyroid disease. Arrhythmia can be triggered by certain pharmaceutical drugs, by a mineral imbalance and excessive physical strain. In many cases the underlying cause of arrhythmia is unknown and is medically defined as “paroxysmal arrhythmia.”
Episodes of heart palpitations, or racing or irregular heartbeats, can be accompanied by drowsiness, dizziness, confusion and speech disorders. Serious symptoms can worsen existing diseases (i.e., angina pectoris and heart failure). In extreme cases arrhythmia can result in sudden fatal cardiac arrest.
Conventional approaches
Unfortunately conventional medicine does not look into micronutrient deficiencies as the underlying cause of impaired function of the heart’s electrical cells. Its therapeutic options are confined to treating the symptoms of disease. Beta-blockers and other drugs are used to normalize heartbeat, however their most frequent side effect is … arrhythmia. Slow form of arrhythmia with long pauses between heartbeats is treated by implanting a pacemaker. In more severe cases part of a cardiac muscle is burned (cauterization) in order to block disruptive electrical impulses.
The Cellular medicine approach in arrhythmia involves biological synergy
Cellular Medicine focuses on the causes, prevention and natural correction of many health problems at the level of billions of cells building our bodies. All cells require sufficient amounts of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other nutrients to function optimally. Most of these nutrients are biocatalysts of thousands of enzymatic reactions taking place in every cell and, if they are not provided in optimum amounts, the cells and consequently the organs start to malfunction, leading to diseases.
According to Cellular Medicine, in most cases irregular heart rhythm can develop as a result of a long-term deficiency of micronutrients that are needed to generate optimum quantities of biological energy required by the “electrical” heart cells. Therefore, the most effective approach to maintaining healthy heart rhythm is by assuring that these micronutrients are provided regularly and in optimal amounts.
Cellular Medicine has introduced the synergy-based approach as the most effective way of correcting micronutrient deficiencies while assuring metabolic balance in our body’s cells. The use of a single nutrient can lead to either unmasking an underlying deficiency of other micronutrients or causes shift in metabolic balance towards an undesired level. The synergy approach is established on the fact that all cellular functions in the body are based on synergy and the cooperation between nutrients is the basis of metabolism. Therefore in our research we focus on defining and testing synergistically acting essential nutrient teams as the most effective way to assure balanced cellular metabolism.
Key components of nutrient synergy for maintaining optimum heart health
Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12 and biotin are important energy carriers in cellular metabolism. Vitamin B1 is critical for the optimum function of the cardiac muscle cells. People who are taking diuretics are particularly affected by a shortage of B vitamins and other water-soluble micronutrients.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is the key component in the energy formation cycle in the mitochondria, the biological power source of the cells. An optimum supply of CoQ10 is especially important for the cardiac muscle cells because of their high demands for bioenergy. Muscle tissues are the richest source of this nutrient, therefore vegetarians are at risk of CoQ10 deficiency. CoQ10 also has antioxidant properties.
Carnitine can be produced in our body cells from the amino acids lysine and methionine. Lysine is not manufactured in our body and since it comes only from diet, its deficiency is likely. In addition, carnitine production requires vitamin C, iron, vitamin B6 and niacin. Carnitine is essential for transporting fatty acids into the mitochondria where they are burned for energy. Its role is very important because fatty acids are the primary energy source for the heart muscle.
Vitamin C is needed for carnitine production and is an important mediator of energy production in the cells. Vitamin C is the universal antioxidant in the body protecting cells and all metabolic components against damage from oxidation.
Vitamin E protects cell membranes and fatty components against damage from free radicals. Excessive free radical production has been associated with aging, tissue damage and various diseases.
Taurine is an amino acid produced from cysteine and vitamin B6. Especially low taurine levels have been detected in people after suffering a heart attack. Taurine is highly utilized by the heart and helps to stabilize cell membranes. It is also very important for optimum heart function and maintaining regular heartbeat.
Clinical confirmation of the benefits of nutrient synergy in arrhythmia
The health benefits of the micronutrient synergy approach in patients suffering from arrhythmia were confirmed in a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial in 131 patients. In this study the patients took the specific micronutrient composition in addition to their standard medication for a period of six months. The results achieved were statistically significant, which means that they were not due to chance.
The results of the clinical study showed that the synergistic action of specific cellular nutrients, especially vitamin C, CoQ10, the B-complex group, the amino acids lysine and carnitine, as well as calcium, magnesium, and other properly balanced nutrients, decreased arrhythmic episodes after six months of their use. About half of the patients (48% of study participants) were free of arrhythmic episodes, and approximately 70% of the participants experienced an improvement in their health condition. Even patients with more advanced stages of the disease showed improvements in this heart condition with longer use of the cellular nutrients.
The synergistic action of cellular nutrients also showed a significant effect in improving the general well-being of the patients, their vitality, and mental health status. (Total score: 90 in the vitamin group versus 47 in the placebo group.)