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
No Way Am I Having an Ablation! Seeks Alternative Treatments
PublishedAugust 17, 2018
Saul Lisauskas of Encinitas, CA, was 62 years old when he first detected something wrong with his heart. After his A-Fib was diagnosed, he started to note his episodes were associated with stress and getting angry, along with dehydration, too much caffeinated coffee and foods containing MSG.
Saul Lisauskas
He was disappointed by doctors who offered only drug therapy with no advice about nutrition and the benefts of an improved, healthy diet. He decided to educated himself on the topic: Saul wrote:
“I read a few books on the subject of food and the interaction with our body. The best book was The China Study. It will give you an education about food, its sources and dangers.”
Looking for Alternative Treatments: A Vegetarian Diet
While avoiding his A-Fib ‘triggers’, he decided to go vegetarian but eating fish (a pescetarian) to reduce exposures to foods laced with unhealthy chemicals. (As a bonus, he lost 20 pounds in 3 months.) He was feeling better, but his A-Fib was still active. In his A-Fib story, Saul shares:
“The cardiologist explained to me that the real solution lay in having an Ablation procedure. I was willing to do anything to avoid that surgery.
“I was willing to do anything to avoid that surgery [catheter ablation].”
But with time, my A-Fib episodes increased along with longer periods of activity and stronger symptoms.”
During my ordeal leading up to my Ablation procedure, I was taking various meds in order to control my A-Fib.
However, the meds would make me dizzy and slow down my heart rate to dangerous levels to the point that such levels in fact were counterproductive. My system would compensate by sudden increases of adrenaline and consequently place me in A-Fib mode.
Consequently, I had a pacemaker installed to prevent low levels of heart rate.”
After nearly 8 years since his A-Fib diagnosis, Saul writes about his decision to have a catheter ablation:
“I was getting tired of and frustrated with all these meds.
After too many episodes of A-Fib forcing me to go to the ER, I capitulated against the Ablation surgery and had it done.
Today I am feeling well and doing my daily activities. …I feel that I may be cured well enough not to have to have another ablation.”
― Saul Lisauskas, Encinitas, CA, A-Fib free with pacemaker and catheter ablation
Since his ablation, Saul writes that he remains cautious not to run the risk of stress, dehydration, too much caffeinated coffee or getting angry.
When asked if he had any ‘Lessons Learned’ to share, Saul offers these insights:
”Doctors do not have a solution for everybody with A-Fib…We need to carefully educate ourselves as we follow the doctor’s recommendations and observe how our body reacts. Do not follow blindly the doctor’s recommendations.”
Saul certainly did everything he could to avoid having an ablation—identifying what triggered his A-Fib, a vegan diet with fish and all kinds of meds.
Saul certainly did everything he could to avoid having an ablation.
His experience with meds was unfortunate. The meds Saul was taking slowed his heart rate to the point where his doctor had to insert a pacemaker to keep his heart rate normal. It’s crazy to think about it. If this happens to you, talk to your doctor about changing meds (or change doctors).
Unfortunately, once the heart starts to produce A-Fib signals, it’s hard to turn them off. Saul faced the decision that many people have to make. He bit the bullet and had a catheter ablation―with successful results. He’s now A-Fib free!
What’s the Best Treatment Options For You?
A-Fib is not a one-size-fits-all disease. Your Atrial Fibrillation is unique to you. Along with various treatments, you may need to address concurrent medical conditions (i.e, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, sleep apnea). Likewise, you may need to make lifestyle changes (e.g., diet, exercise, caffeine, alcohol, smoking).
In addition, your heart is a resilient muscle that tends to heal itself, so you may need a repeat procedure.