If you’re looking for possible causes of atrial fibrillation (AF) you’re a Functional Medicine type of person! In functional medicine we look for the root of the problem. I think you will be surprised at what has been found to cause atrial fibrillation.
Atrial Fibrillation | Problem Defined
Atrial fibrillation is when the heart starts beating to its own tune and ignores what the brain is telling it. The result of this can be serious. Blood can pool and clot as a result of the heart not pumping correctly, and 15% of time this results in stroke.
Symptoms Include:
- Rapid, racing, pounding or fluttering pulse, or it can feel too slow
- Dizziness, lightheadedness
- Fainting
- Confusion
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Breathing difficulty
- Tightness in the chest
What are 5 Causes of Atrial Fibrillation?
1.) Inflammation
There is a link between AF and inflammation. Blood tests, like C-reactive protein that measure inflammation in the circulatory system, are often elevated in patients with AF. Inflammation in the body is always caused by something. It doesn’t just magically appear for no reason. I will go over the common causes of this kind of inflammation in a second. The point I want to make now is that this inflammation causes changes in the atria of the heart and contributes to the AF (source, source).
Because of this, I screen every patient for signs of inflammation. Inflammation is never good. It contributes to every health problem I can think of. So when I have a patient that tests positive for inflammation, I want to find and fix the source of the inflammation.
2.) Infections
When there is an infection in the body one of the results is inflammation. It doesn’t matter whether the infection is from a virus, bacteria, parasite, fungus, etc., there will always be inflammation. However, two pathogens have been found to be specifically connected as a cause of atrial fibrillation.
Helicobacter pylori (H-Pylori) is a bacterial pathogen that can take up residence in the upper GI tract and cause ulcers. If that weren’t enough, researchers have found a strong link between AF and H-Pylori. I screen every patient with AF for H-Pylori. The best test is a stool analysis that looks for the DNA of H-Pylori. This test is very sensitive and specific. In fact, it is able to identify certain strains of H-Pylori that are more resistant to certain treatments, allowing us to use the correct treatment protocol.
Chlamydia pneumoniae is another bacteria that is suspected as a risk factor in developing AF. The connection is the same. C. pneumoniae infection causes inflammation, which gradually damages the atria of the heart, leading to AF. I can test for and treat C. pneumoniae, which is different from acute pneumoniae.
3.) Intestinal Health
The GI tract is constantly exposed to a whole host of pathogens that come in the food and fluids we eat and drink. Because it is not uncommon for the gut to be vulnerable to infection, these pathogens can cause intestinal infections. Common things that I see responsible for making the GI tract vulnerable to infection are antibiotics, diet, stress, and hypochloridria. Hypochloridria is a condition where the stomach doesn’t make enough acid or a result of acid-blocking medications. When the stomach digests weakly, it fails to destroy pathogens with its natural acids, allowing them to survive and infect the intestinal tract.
Furthermore, these pathogens damage the lining of the GI tract and can cause Leaky Gut Syndrome. This results in toxins circulating in the blood from the gut, and that triggers the immune system, which in turn causes inflammation.
The intestinal tract is BIG and when it’s inflamed the body becomes inflamed. This inflammation is obviously not only bad for the gut but also everywhere else in the body including the heart and circulatory system. For that reason, this makes it another cause of atrial fibrillation in a lot of people.
4.) Food Sensitivities
Food sensitivities are a result of the immune system deciding that it doesn’t like a certain food and treating that food like its a pathogen. This results in….you guessed it–INFLAMMATION! Testing is key here. Given the numerous potential sensitivities and the varying severity of each, trying to eliminate foods on your own can be frustrating. A food sensitivity test will show what foods are safe for you, and which ones you are mildly, moderately or severely sensitive to.
5.) Nutrient Deficiencies
One of the tests I run on every single patient is vitamin D. To my continued amazement most people test very low. Insufficient vitamin D is a huge problem for the body, hurting the immune system, hormone balance, neurotransmitter balance and poor inflammation control. Truth is, if you are low in vitamin D, your health will suffer–it’s just a matter of time.
Additionally, insufficient or unbalanced fatty acids will cause inflammation. If a person is eating foods high in pro-inflammatory fatty acids (soy, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, safflower, and mixed vegetable oils, fatty meats like burgers, hot dogs, bacon, bologna, ribs, etc.) or not eating enough foods high in anti-inflammatory fats (olive oil, nuts like almonds and walnuts, fatty fish like salmon) their biochemistry will become pro-inflammation. The role of nutrition in Functional Medicine is crucial to mitigating a potential cause of atrial fibrillation.
Start Today! A Functional Medicine Approach
The key to helping AF from a functional medicine approach is finding the source of the inflammation in the body and fixing it. I hope that one of the takeaways you got from this article is how one thing like inflammation can be caused by many different things. Furthermore, one thing like inflammation can cause many different things like AF, brain fog, eczema, leaky gut syndrome and hormone imbalances.
For our bodies to work well they need all the parts to be healthy. A problem in one area will affect the rest. If you or a loved one is suffering from AF and would like to get to the root of the problem I’d love to help. I work with patients all over the US. Please contact our office with any questions!
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