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Arrhythmia and blood test
Hello,Would like to ask about my father he recently started to have arrhythmias ( of course we went to see our cardiologist) but I wonder if his blood test can help us to find correct supplements for him or maybe his blood test can tell us why he has arrhythmias or in general would like to ask your opinion . My father has high blood pressure. This is what we saw in his blood tests: vitamin D is 205( but in laboratory the ratio is more then 75 this is normal),he has high ALT, high Alkaline Phosphate , high Homocysteine, high Glucose and High chlorine, high total cholesterol and high LDL. Thank you so much for your help.
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11 Replies
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Hi – heart arrhythmias can be caused by a number of different root cause factors so without knowing anything else about your father’s health history and lifestyle habits, I will share the most common reasons and try to connect them to the few markers you’ve shared.
But first, please read through the possible root cause factors for high blood pressure in this Symptom Dictionary handout because you’ll see it overlap with the reasons below.
First off, it seems blood sugar dysregulation might be a major player in his case given the high glucose, LDL, and liver enzymes, which as you know can occur over the years as a result of a diet that is high in sugar/simple carbs (i.e. flour & baked goods, sweet foods, desserts, alcohol, etc) and/or chronic stress.
It would be wise to measure his fasting insulin if it wasn’t measured, along with his HbA1c and fasting glucose – all at once to get a better picture of his blood sugar status. HOMA-IR is another marker to check for insulin resistance.
With higher blood sugar levels, the body will have a much higher need for magnesium. It takes 56 molecules of magnesium to process 1 molecule of glucose, and low magnesium can lead to arrhythmia. In fact, this is a good article on the role/potential of magnesium in various types of arrhythmia.
Ideally, measure RBC magnesium level first, so he can monitor levels along with symptoms. But with or without testing, it’s generally safe to start supplementing at a low dose (~200mg) and increasing slowly if there is no kidney disease. Either a magnesium glycinate or taurate form (twice daily with food) would be good options.
A lack or imbalance of other electrolytes may contribute to all types of arrhythmia as well as high blood pressure. Ensure sufficiency of potassium in particular, especially via potassium-rich foods. You can find more information on how to increase potassium in the Mineral Balance course HERE. For low dose supplementation, he can consider filtered water with added electrolytes too.
You didn’t mention his stress levels, but all forms of arrhythmia are aggravated by overall high levels and/or surges of stress hormones.
• Poor stress management. Meditation, yoga, avoiding intense exercise and getting enough rest and sleep may help. Consider scheduled time blocks of mindful breathing (~5 min.) that can help to activate a parasympathetic nervous system mode. Daily gratitude journaling may also help to reduce his stress hypervigilance. He may also benefit from 100-300 mg of L-theanine, a calming amino acid that is helpful for increasing the inhibitory effects of GABA. Calming adaptogens such as holy basil or ashwagandha are also worth considering.
• Cortisol imbalance. A urinary with salivary CAR (cortisol awakening response) adrenal assessment would be very helpful to understand if his cortisol levels are high or low and what his curve looks like. In the interim, consider a methylated B-complex with adequate B6 (ideally in the P5P form).
• Genetic impairment in the ability to metabolize catecholamines, epinephrine and norepinephrine (COMT SNP). This could lead to higher levels remaining in circulation to exert their effects on the heart and other tissues.
• Adrenaline surges in response to specific triggers. Helping him identify what these are could be instrumental in reducing occurrence/severity, and often there are multiple ones at play. • Does he have episodes after eating? Perhaps there are food sensitivities. Food journaling or food sensitivity testing (combo IgA/IgG or IgG with complement) could help identify them. Note: Not sure if you saw, but we’re having the owner of KBMO come talk to us in December and they’re offering our members 35% off the test as part of the experiential learning opportunity. He might want to consider getting a KBMO food sensitivity and gut barrier (leaky gut) panel done. The deadline for ordering is Friday, November 10 to be able to get his results in time before the Dec 7 call.
• Does his heart race in the middle of the night? Perhaps blood sugar dips are causing adrenaline surges. Balancing blood sugar levels is going to be key.
• Are they sporadic? Perhaps toxins like mold or EMFs are causing adrenaline surges based on physical location.Consider reviewing the work of Steven Sinatra, MD who has written extensively about the use of magnesium, CoQ10, D-ribose, L-carnitine and omega 3s for arrhythmia and other cardiovascular issues. Check out this article and his book, The Sinatra Solution.
Finally, consider reducing his intake of stimulating food and/or beverages like caffeine (e.g. coffee, soda, tea), chocolate, MSG, and sugars/sweeteners. These substances increase the stimulatory hormones that he likely needs to reduce.Hope this helps give you both areas to explore and consider.
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Thank you so much, it is very helpful!
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let us know if you have any clarifying questions…
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I would like to ask about high Homocysteine what should we do about it ? Thanks
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sure – high homocysteine is indicative of methylation issues which could be due to MTHFR mutations, or vitamin B12 and protein absorption. The recommendation to supplement with a methylated B complex would be helpful in this situation as well.
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thank you
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last question what brand of methylated B complex better to purchase, my parents are in Ukraine so they can buy only from iherb. Thank you
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they’ll have access to Thorne and Seeking Health brands on iHerb
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Yes Thorne they can buy
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@Bernadette Abraham would like to say thank you for your recommendations and help, after talking all this supplements my father doesn’t have arrhythmia anymore! Thank you so much!
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@Iryna Klevetenko Yay! You’ve made my day!! I’m so glad to hear he’s now doing better! He’s lucky to have you taking care of him. ❤️
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