Lone Atrial Fibrillation Towards a Cure

Book excerpt: Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been called the arrhythmia of the millennium. Millions of people suffer from lone atrial fibrillation (AF without underlying heart disease), and many don't even know they have it. There is no universally effective pharmacological treatment for lone atrial fibrillation (LAF) and relevant surgical procedures are expensive and not always successful. I experienced my first LAF episode in 1989 and fairly early on in my afib "career" I realized that if anyone was going to help me it would have to be myself. So I embarked on an intensive study to find out everything I could about LAF and to come up with effective ways of dealing with it. I perused several weighty tomes on cardiac arrhythmias, located and read over 600 peer-reviewed medical articles dealing with the subject and gained much valuable insight from the more than 15,000 postings on my web site bulletin board and the responses from hundreds of afibbers who participated in four major LAF surveys. The results of my research are presented in Lone Atrial Fibrillation: Towards a Cure. The book is a useful manual for novice and veteran afibber alike; it debunks the mystery, myths and confusion surrounding LAF by providing the facts about the disorder liberally interspersed with personal "journeys" of fellow afibbers. Lone Atrial Fibrillation: Towards a Cure clearly describes the mechanism and known and potential causes of LAF; it discusses and assesses the various medical treatment options, both drug-based and surgical, and also covers alternative ways of dealing with LAF. It delves into the vital importance of diet in controlling episode severity and provides a detailed 10-step plan for managing LAF. It is my sincere hope that the book will help instill a feeling of hope and solidarity in the reader. You are no longer alone in the battle with "the beast".