- Overview of A-Fib
- Causes of A-Fib
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- Q & A: Coping with A-Fib
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- 2023 AF Symposium: Reports
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Doctors & patients are saying about 'A-Fib.com'...
"A-Fib.com is a great web site for patients, that is unequaled by anything else out there."
Dr. Douglas L. Packer, MD, FHRS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
"Jill and I put you and your work in our prayers every night. What you do to help people through this [A-Fib] process is really incredible."
Jill and Steve Douglas, East Troy, WI
“I really appreciate all the information on your website as it allows me to be a better informed patient and to know what questions to ask my EP.
Faye Spencer, Boise, ID, April 2017
“I think your site has helped a lot of patients.”Dr. Hugh G. Calkins, MD Johns Hopkins,
Baltimore, MD

Doctors & patients are saying about 'Beat Your A-Fib'...
"If I had [your book] 10 years ago, it would have saved me 8 years of hell.”
Roy Salmon, Patient, A-Fib Free,
Adelaide, Australia
"This book is incredibly complete and easy-to-understand for anybody. I certainly recommend it for patients who want to know more about atrial fibrillation than what they will learn from doctors...."
Pierre Jaïs, M.D. Professor of Cardiology, Haut-Lévêque Hospital, Bordeaux, France
"Dear Steve, I saw a patient this morning with your book [in hand] and highlights throughout. She loves it and finds it very useful to help her in dealing with atrial fibrillation."
Dr. Wilber Su,
Cavanaugh Heart Center, Phoenix, AZ
"...masterful. You managed to combine an encyclopedic compilation of information with the simplicity of presentation that enhances the delivery of the information to the reader. This is not an easy thing to do, but you have been very, very successful at it."
Ira David Levin, heart patient,
Rome, Italy
"Within the pages of Beat Your A-Fib, Dr. Steve Ryan, PhD, provides a comprehensive guide for persons seeking to find a cure for their Atrial Fibrillation."
Walter Kerwin, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
New A-Fib Patient Story: Pill-In-The-Pocket Works, Until It Doesn’t
Our newest patient A-Fib story is told by a retired nurse from Arizona. (Coincidently, her husband had A-Fib, too.) Both are now A-Fib free. Her story begins in an all too familiar way.
I Woke at 2 AM with an Urgent Need to Urinate
My first episode started in September 2006 when I woke up at 2 AM with an urgent need to urinate. My heart was beating so hard that I thought it would come out of my chest. My pulse was irregular, I had chest pain and was dizzy. I was anxious and scared. At the emergency room, just before I was scheduled for a cardioversion, to my great relief, I went back into sinus rhythm.
I was discharged with a ‘pill-in-a-pocket’, Flecainide 100 mg, if I got another episode. I thought I would be free from other episodes. But 10 months later I woke up at 1 AM again with an urgent need to urinate. My heart was beating out of my chest and my pulse was over 130 per minute.
But this time I took Flecainide 100 mg and was back in sinus rhythm at 2:15 AM with a pulse of 68.
Why Did I Urinate 10-15 During an A-Fib Episode?
As my A-Fib became more frequent, I wanted to know why I urinated so many times (10-15) during an A-Fib episode. Apparently, when in A-Fib, the “atrial natriuretic peptide hormone” in the atria kicks in and acts as a diuretic to lower the blood pressure and regulate the calcium and salt in the body.
My cardiologist instructed me to eat salty foods such as chips and nuts while in A-Fib and drink plenty of water so as not to get dehydrated. I was also told that my A-Fib episodes were vagal… .
To read more of Lise’ A-Fib story and how she beat her A-Fib for more than three years, go to: Retired Nurse: Over 3 Years A-Fib Free (Husband Had A-Fib, Too).