PVCs & Nutrition, Anyone have any advice?
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mewilliams11
Posts: 139 Member
I've been dealing with heart palpitations for 15 years now. I've wore a Holter monitor for 30 days twice, many EKGs, Stress test, & Echo performed. All of the tests were normal so I was diagnosed with benign palps. However, about a month & a half ago my palps have changed & I'm now experiencing frequent PVCs, sometimes every 3rd beat for hours at a time. On bad days I can have greater than 1000 pvcs.
A few weeks ago I had an appt. with a leading cardiologist who recommended that I try 500mg of Magnesium, drink plenty of water, & to limit my carb intake to 20% & to avoid sugar & white foods. I've been taking the mag & drinking water, but I'm admittedly a carb addict so I've struggled a little with that part.
Starting today though I am determined to limit sugar & carbs & get at least 30 minutes of cardio in daily. I'm hoping that if I stick to his orders then maybe I will see a decline in my symptoms. Does anyone else suffer from PVCs & found that you can help control them through nutrition? Are there certain foods that you've found that trigger them? (Besides caffeine, chocolate, etc..)
The change in pattern has me concerned so I'm willing to try anything. If my symptoms haven't improved in a few weeks then the Dr. recommends running tests & then maybe prescribing me a beta blocker, which I'd like to try & avoid if at all possible.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated because they are driving
A few weeks ago I had an appt. with a leading cardiologist who recommended that I try 500mg of Magnesium, drink plenty of water, & to limit my carb intake to 20% & to avoid sugar & white foods. I've been taking the mag & drinking water, but I'm admittedly a carb addict so I've struggled a little with that part.
Starting today though I am determined to limit sugar & carbs & get at least 30 minutes of cardio in daily. I'm hoping that if I stick to his orders then maybe I will see a decline in my symptoms. Does anyone else suffer from PVCs & found that you can help control them through nutrition? Are there certain foods that you've found that trigger them? (Besides caffeine, chocolate, etc..)
The change in pattern has me concerned so I'm willing to try anything. If my symptoms haven't improved in a few weeks then the Dr. recommends running tests & then maybe prescribing me a beta blocker, which I'd like to try & avoid if at all possible.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated because they are driving
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Replies
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Sorry that I do not have PVC, but if you struggle with carbs, you can always lower them slowly. Maybe start with 40% carbs and then drop down 5% every few weeks. One thing to keep in mind, when you drop carbs, you need to increase fast. So switching to full fat dairy, eating plenty of nuts, and lowering startches will be beneficial.
Also, what kind of magnesium do you take?0 -
Call the office and get a referral to a dietitian. They'll get your info from the doctor and work with you on a plan that is right for you.
Do what they tell you to do, not what you find here or on webMD or from friends and coworkers. If you want a second opinion, get it from another cardiologist, for sure. It's great to discuss things with others in the same boat! But don't assume their experience should be yours.
Good luck with staying off the pills! 3 -
Sorry that I do not have PVC, but if you struggle with carbs, you can always lower them slowly. Maybe start with 40% carbs and then drop down 5% every few weeks. One thing to keep in mind, when you drop carbs, you need to increase fast. So switching to full fat dairy, eating plenty of nuts, and lowering startches will be beneficial.
Also, what kind of magnesium do you take?
Thanks for the advice! I'm going to try my best to get as close as I can to that 20% carb intake mark, but if I can't then decreasing gradually by 5% will be my next step!
I am currently taking The Spring Valley Magnesium supplements. I have wondered if my body is absorbing it correctly in this form. I know there's other types of mag but I'm unfamiliar with them & which is best.0 -
Call the office and get a referral to a dietitian. They'll get your info from the doctor and work with you on a plan that is right for you.
Do what they tell you to do, not what you find here or on webMD or from friends and coworkers. If you want a second opinion, get it from another cardiologist, for sure. It's great to discuss things with others in the same boat! But don't assume their experience should be yours.
Good luck with staying off the pills!
I haven't thought about seeing a dietician, but that's great advice. I think I'll call my dr. today & get a referral to one. There's so much info out there & it's sometimes hard sorting through fact vs fiction.0 -
From the research i did for my wifes condition, i found the magnesium taurate is one of the better forms of magnesium as it also has some amino acids so absorption is much faster.1
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Magnesium can have a laxative effect because it is a stool softener.mewilliams11 wrote: »Sorry that I do not have PVC, but if you struggle with carbs, you can always lower them slowly. Maybe start with 40% carbs and then drop down 5% every few weeks. One thing to keep in mind, when you drop carbs, you need to increase fast. So switching to full fat dairy, eating plenty of nuts, and lowering startches will be beneficial.
Also, what kind of magnesium do you take?
Thanks for the advice! I'm going to try my best to get as close as I can to that 20% carb intake mark, but if I can't then decreasing gradually by 5% will be my next step!
I am currently taking The Spring Valley Magnesium supplements. I have wondered if my body is absorbing it correctly in this form. I know there's other types of mag but I'm unfamiliar with them & which is best.
One can get magnesium through the skin via gels, lotions, or by soaking feet in Epsom salt.
Certainly talk to a dietician. 0 -
I'm sorry to hear of your health problems. I'm glad you've found yourself a doctor who you are happy with.
I recently watched a show called A Perfect Human Diet by CJ Hunt, who is a journal who developed a nearly fatal heart problem at 24. The show explores human history and our diet, and comes to roughly the same conclusion as your doctor. Plus he did "cure" himself of his heart problems. You might find it informative and motivating - I did.
Your prescribed diet is a LCHF one. There is a minority of low carbers around here, so I'm sure you'll find some people with a similar way of eating. Try the Low Carber Daily forum in the groups for advice and recipes; almost everyone there eats 20% carbs or less.
The Atkins diet is about the same as this so if you want recipes or a how to book, it could help. Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions is another book that focuses on low carb, but from more of a health stand point. That book could be informative for you too. Also, Paleo diet books are largely low carb, they could help.
Stating a LCHF diet was intimidating for me. I had issues with carbs too and dreaded giving up pop and candies. I eased my way into it for a week or so by slowly eating through some of my last treats and phasing out the obvious added carbs. I then made the switch to very low carb (5% carbs) over a couple of days. For the first couple of weeks I felt tired and head achy, some people experience that when their body gets used to using fats instead of carbs for energy. Once I got past that, the diet seemed relatively easy to me. Bacon and eggs, heavy cream in coffee, burgers (minus buns), fish, steak, sausages, cheese, nuts, greens, berries and colourful veggies. There are many great foods still left to you, which you may end up being very happy with because carb cravings and appetite often diminish on this diet. The improvements in health can also be very motivating to keep going.
Best wishes. I hope you have great success with it.
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Wow! I actually have PVCs when I eat low carb. That is how I found out I was having them. As long as my carbs stay up, I rarely feel them, but anytime I have gone low carb..bam within a few days they start. That pause in the beat is scary and when you have 100s an hour or more it can really be bothersome. I'm sorry and I hope the magnesium helps.1
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I have infrequent and inconsequential PVCs and my son has frequent PACs that resolve with exercise. We've never been given any dietary advice related to arrhythmias. Obviously, your situation is different and you sound like you have excellent medical care.
I have never noticed dietary triggers. I am aware of arrhythmias that are treated with magnesium.
There are some low carb groups that may have some good advise with regard to starting off on a low carb diet. I think the advise to see a registered dietician would also be beneficial.1 -
mewilliams11 wrote: »
I am currently taking The Spring Valley Magnesium supplements. I have wondered if my body is absorbing it correctly in this form. I know there's other types of mag but I'm unfamiliar with them & which is best.
I use Natural Calm, which dissolves in water. It comes in different flavors and with and without calcium (stevia sweetened). It's not the cheapest, but it's not too badly priced on Amazon. My understanding is that it absorbs pretty well.
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Outside of dietary advice in relation to foods that can influence electrolytes, I've certainly never seen any of the cardiologists recommend low carbs for PVCs. Unless they are symptomatic or very frequent we don't worry too much about it though they might prescribe an anti arrhythmic drug. My only guess with the magnesium is that low magnesium can influence your heart rhythm as well as if it is low your potassium tends to remain low as well which can also cause rhythm disturbances. If your values of those are substantial I really don't know why they would recommend that or low carb. You might ask him for what reason they suggest that. One of the most common causes of PVCs in otherwise healthy people though is caffeine, so you might consider limiting that. I can't find anything that doesn't sound pseudosciency or only anecdotal regarding carbs and PVCs but you might check google scholar. Only semi reasonable thing that they say is possibly related to blood sugar level but unless you are diabetic or hypoglycemic, idk.0
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I do work with acutely ill people though so usually we are mostly concerned with electrolyte levels and iv replacement. Usually it corrects under our circumstances. Also I have seen hypoxemia or low oxygen be an issue where correctly that pretty rapidly improves the PVCs. If you have asthma or a panic disorder that could possibly be a factor you could discuss with your doctor too?0
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TheGaudyMagpie wrote: »mewilliams11 wrote: »
I am currently taking The Spring Valley Magnesium supplements. I have wondered if my body is absorbing it correctly in this form. I know there's other types of mag but I'm unfamiliar with them & which is best.
I use Natural Calm, which dissolves in water. It comes in different flavors and with and without calcium (stevia sweetened). It's not the cheapest, but it's not too badly priced on Amazon. My understanding is that it absorbs pretty well.
I've read several forum posts where people keep mentioning Natural Calm & the reviews are great for it. It seems to be a very pure form of magnesium. I'm definitely going to try it. Thanks!0 -
Outside of dietary advice in relation to foods that can influence electrolytes, I've certainly never seen any of the cardiologists recommend low carbs for PVCs. Unless they are symptomatic or very frequent we don't worry too much about it though they might prescribe an anti arrhythmic drug. My only guess with the magnesium is that low magnesium can influence your heart rhythm as well as if it is low your potassium tends to remain low as well which can also cause rhythm disturbances. If your values of those are substantial I really don't know why they would recommend that or low carb. You might ask him for what reason they suggest that. One of the most common causes of PVCs in otherwise healthy people though is caffeine, so you might consider limiting that. I can't find anything that doesn't sound pseudosciency or only anecdotal regarding carbs and PVCs but you might check google scholar. Only semi reasonable thing that they say is possibly related to blood sugar level but unless you are diabetic or hypoglycemic, idk.
Thanks for your input! My cardiologist said that he wanted me to limit my carbs because limiting sugar would help decrease the palps. I've seen other cardiologists in the past & none have recommended decreasing sugar intake. However, when I started reading about it I came across a lot of articles that suggested decreasing or eliminating sugar could help. I've also seen posts on a few forums where people say that eating sugary foods triggers their palpitations. All my labs are normal, electrolytes good, I'm not anemic, no thyroid issues, & I'm not diabetic. My PVCS are pretty much asymptomatic but when I have long runs of them I feel a little tired.
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I do work with acutely ill people though so usually we are mostly concerned with electrolyte levels and iv replacement. Usually it corrects under our circumstances. Also I have seen hypoxemia or low oxygen be an issue where correctly that pretty rapidly improves the PVCs. If you have asthma or a panic disorder that could possibly be a factor you could discuss with your doctor too?
I don't have asthma or a panic disorder but I do suffer from anxiety issues. I don't take medicine for it & most of the time I can control it with deep, slow breathing.
The palpitations that I used to experience were more of a flip flop feeling in my chest, but with a regular pulse. The PVCS are a new onset & of course my pulse is irregular. I'd like to have a repeat Holter monitor & Echo done since my symptoms have changed. I had both when I was pregnant with my daughter about 2 years ago & everything looked great... still it's hard to ignore the constant skipping!
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Magnesium can have a laxative effect because it is a stool softener.mewilliams11 wrote: »Sorry that I do not have PVC, but if you struggle with carbs, you can always lower them slowly. Maybe start with 40% carbs and then drop down 5% every few weeks. One thing to keep in mind, when you drop carbs, you need to increase fast. So switching to full fat dairy, eating plenty of nuts, and lowering startches will be beneficial.
Also, what kind of magnesium do you take?
Thanks for the advice! I'm going to try my best to get as close as I can to that 20% carb intake mark, but if I can't then decreasing gradually by 5% will be my next step!
I am currently taking The Spring Valley Magnesium supplements. I have wondered if my body is absorbing it correctly in this form. I know there's other types of mag but I'm unfamiliar with them & which is best.
One can get magnesium through the skin via gels, lotions, or by soaking feet in Epsom salt.
Certainly talk to a dietician.
Wow, I had no idea that you could absorb magnesium in those ways. That's definitely worth me looking into & seems so simple. Thanks!
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nvsmomketo wrote: »I'm sorry to hear of your health problems. I'm glad you've found yourself a doctor who you are happy with.
I recently watched a show called A Perfect Human Diet by CJ Hunt, who is a journal who developed a nearly fatal heart problem at 24. The show explores human history and our diet, and comes to roughly the same conclusion as your doctor. Plus he did "cure" himself of his heart problems. You might find it informative and motivating - I did.
Your prescribed diet is a LCHF one. There is a minority of low carbers around here, so I'm sure you'll find some people with a similar way of eating. Try the Low Carber Daily forum in the groups for advice and recipes; almost everyone there eats 20% carbs or less.
The Atkins diet is about the same as this so if you want recipes or a how to book, it could help. Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions is another book that focuses on low carb, but from more of a health stand point. That book could be informative for you too. Also, Paleo diet books are largely low carb, they could help.
Stating a LCHF diet was intimidating for me. I had issues with carbs too and dreaded giving up pop and candies. I eased my way into it for a week or so by slowly eating through some of my last treats and phasing out the obvious added carbs. I then made the switch to very low carb (5% carbs) over a couple of days. For the first couple of weeks I felt tired and head achy, some people experience that when their body gets used to using fats instead of carbs for energy. Once I got past that, the diet seemed relatively easy to me. Bacon and eggs, heavy cream in coffee, burgers (minus buns), fish, steak, sausages, cheese, nuts, greens, berries and colourful veggies. There are many great foods still left to you, which you may end up being very happy with because carb cravings and appetite often diminish on this diet. The improvements in health can also be very motivating to keep going.
Best wishes. I hope you have great success with it.
That show sounds very intriguing & I'm going to Google it & see how I can watch it. I tried the Keto diet before I started having the pvcs & I struggled with it. The biggest thing for me was trying to incorporate enough fat. There's only so many eggs, bacon, & cheese that I want to eat. Don't get me wrong, I ate some delicious food but I got bored quickly with the lack of variety. Plus I misses eating fruit & other veggies that were off limits. Overall, I think eating all food groups is best & more sustsinable... for me anyways.
I'm no where near my 20% mark, but I have been doing better than before. At least I'm more mindful of foods & not eating processed, sugary things. I may try the LCHF diet again at some point because I did lose 15 pounds in 3 weeks. I will just dread getting past the sluggishness & the headaches...that part is no fun!
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pollypocket1021 wrote: »I have infrequent and inconsequential PVCs and my son has frequent PACs that resolve with exercise. We've never been given any dietary advice related to arrhythmias. Obviously, your situation is different and you sound like you have excellent medical care.
I have never noticed dietary triggers. I am aware of arrhythmias that are treated with magnesium.
There are some low carb groups that may have some good advise with regard to starting off on a low carb diet. I think the advise to see a registered dietician would also be beneficial.
I hope that my pvcs become less frequent. Having had palpitations since I was 24 (now 37), I know how they can plague you relentlessly for days, weeks, months & then suddenly disappear. I sympathize with everyone who gets these because they are super annoying!
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mewilliams11 wrote: »nvsmomketo wrote: »I'm sorry to hear of your health problems. I'm glad you've found yourself a doctor who you are happy with.
I recently watched a show called A Perfect Human Diet by CJ Hunt, who is a journal who developed a nearly fatal heart problem at 24. The show explores human history and our diet, and comes to roughly the same conclusion as your doctor. Plus he did "cure" himself of his heart problems. You might find it informative and motivating - I did.
Your prescribed diet is a LCHF one. There is a minority of low carbers around here, so I'm sure you'll find some people with a similar way of eating. Try the Low Carber Daily forum in the groups for advice and recipes; almost everyone there eats 20% carbs or less.
The Atkins diet is about the same as this so if you want recipes or a how to book, it could help. Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions is another book that focuses on low carb, but from more of a health stand point. That book could be informative for you too. Also, Paleo diet books are largely low carb, they could help.
Stating a LCHF diet was intimidating for me. I had issues with carbs too and dreaded giving up pop and candies. I eased my way into it for a week or so by slowly eating through some of my last treats and phasing out the obvious added carbs. I then made the switch to very low carb (5% carbs) over a couple of days. For the first couple of weeks I felt tired and head achy, some people experience that when their body gets used to using fats instead of carbs for energy. Once I got past that, the diet seemed relatively easy to me. Bacon and eggs, heavy cream in coffee, burgers (minus buns), fish, steak, sausages, cheese, nuts, greens, berries and colourful veggies. There are many great foods still left to you, which you may end up being very happy with because carb cravings and appetite often diminish on this diet. The improvements in health can also be very motivating to keep going.
Best wishes. I hope you have great success with it.
That show sounds very intriguing & I'm going to Google it & see how I can watch it. I tried the Keto diet before I started having the pvcs & I struggled with it. The biggest thing for me was trying to incorporate enough fat. There's only so many eggs, bacon, & cheese that I want to eat. Don't get me wrong, I ate some delicious food but I got bored quickly with the lack of variety. Plus I misses eating fruit & other veggies that were off limits. Overall, I think eating all food groups is best & more sustsinable... for me anyways.
I'm no where near my 20% mark, but I have been doing better than before. At least I'm more mindful of foods & not eating processed, sugary things. I may try the LCHF diet again at some point because I did lose 15 pounds in 3 weeks. I will just dread getting past the sluggishness & the headaches...that part is no fun!
Keto isn't for everyone, or even most LCHF people. LOL
I've never craved much fruit so it works well me. It would drive my oldest son insane within hours, he loves his veggies and fruit.
If you do get into LCHF again, I've been told that supplementing your potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium, along with lots of water, can prevent the sluggish and headachy symptoms.
Best wishes. 0
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