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← Return to Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia
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Let's be clear: There is NO established understanding of what causes incident/onset atrial fibrillation. Moreover, there are NO established cures, medical or surgical, for atrial fibrillation (& that includes...catheter ablation: virtually everyone who has catheter ablation experiences post-ablation relapse of atrial fibrillation; & cardiologists are only too happy to follow-up the first ablation...with a second & a third, which is often the case...as the atrial fibrillation almost always returns; at $80K to $90K per catheter ablation, one can readily understand the attraction interventional cardiology in the form of catheter ablation--which takes about an about and 50 minutes to complete, might have for many cardiologists).
Note: Many electrophysiologists agree that ablation for AF is beneficial in some cases but disagree about when this invasive procedure should be performed in the trajectory of the patient's condition.
So I turn to someone, a cardiologist, who has pioneered the Conservative Medicine Movement (you can read their declaration in "The American Journal of Medicine;" see below for link to full declaration), John Mandrola (an electrocardiologist), on the subject of addressing...& more importantly...managing atrial fibrillation (with an unacknowledged nod to now-deceased Dr. Stephen Sinatra): https://www.drmcdougall.com/education/lectures/john-mandrola/ (a short video).
When considering incident AF (including my own, which was caused by the booster C19 mRNA vaccine, following incident myocarditis), three concepts/words come to mind...LONG before I will ever consider...interventionist cardiology: Lifestyle, diet, & supplementation.
Here is the URL to Dr. Mandrola's Web site: https://www.drjohnm.org/about/. His Web site includes links to all of his published research & articles on Medscape.
Worth noting that Dr. Madrola is a...physician-scientist, which makes a very big difference in understanding & epistemology (scientists create knowledge; physicians consume/apply it) & is Medscape's Cardiology editor (he also pens a monthly column on cardiology & cardiological research for Medscape).
Here's "The American Journal of Medicine" declaration on Medical Conservatism, which I surmise to be in no small part inspired by what he has observed in...rising tide of interventional cardiology: https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(19)30167-6/fulltext.
All the best!
Replies to "Let's be clear: There is NO established understanding of what causes incident/onset atrial fibrillation. Moreover, there..."
I thought I WAS clear, and used the term 'semi-permanent' when describing the relief that ablation affords a heavy majority of AF endurers. Ablation is loosely successful when the patient has been free of palpitations and assessed AF for a period of one full year...only. And yes, it is true, that almost all patients must endure the return of AF in time, and that is due to the progressive nature of the disorder. However, while AF can't kill a person, it can sure as aitch make them miserable to the point where their anxiety, suffering, and other associated conditions make them impossible to support and to live with. It does shorten lives because of the heightened risk of heart failure and stroke. Apixaban has a growing track record of being safe and easily tolerated by the heavy majority of users, and I'm not talking about a whopping 80%, it's more like 95%. It cuts the risk of stroke from untreated AF to 10% of the estimated risk. Not so shabby, wouldn't you agree?
When I urged the OP to acquaint him/herself with the function of the Vagus nerve, I was passing on what I learned from a discussion in affibbers.org where the purported role was being discussed, and it made sense. Since some people report that soothing the Vagus nerve helped to reduce their paroxysmal AF, it seems reasonable to pass this on, certainly in view, as you say, of the fact that there is NO establishment of the causes of AF.
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Excellent. Thank you so much. I have had 3 ablations but unfortunately still have afib. I was with my cardiologist today who said maybe now I just have to accept the afib rather then trying 4th ablation. Encouraged me to do even more exercise and try some relaxation techniques. All great advice. I am taking blood thinner and betablocker so really I have to be accept my afib and continue to live a happy & healthy life.