Thanks for sharing your own experience :-)...no, Health Fair doesn't do EKGs but they do the ECG & the echocardiogram, which (together) are supposed to be comparable.
EKG and ECG are both abbreviations for electrocardiogram. But health fair ECGs are generally only one lead. You would be better off with a full 12 lead ECG.
You told Spudlydoo awhile back "not to worry unless the pulse drops below 60" which hit a couple buttons for me. My typical resting rate is around 38 bpm and I have been concerned for some time since I am generally sedentary (also have had a history of arrhythmia). I'm a writer with the best of intentions to begin an exercise program, but lacking the time to do so.
Last week I went to the local Health Fair bus and got the comprehensive women's package (my main reason for going, besides a general check-up, was that I have always been told my low bpm was not a problem, but I've known instinctively it must be and that I am just not getting the right answers). The girl testing me flicked her machine a few times then picked it up, saying something must be wrong with it for the numbers to be that low. I told her it wasn't the machine that was the problem, but me, that they are usually extremely low (although a few years ago heart rate was around 45-50 so obviously heading in the wrong direction). The blood test info won't be available for a few weeks but when they were doing the ultrasounds and other testing they said everything looked fine.
A recent thermography had indicated there might be something going on in the right carotid, which made sense since it supplies blood flow to eyes, and mine have always been bloodshot, blurry and a bit pressurized which I always contributed to computer overuse. But the HF people said they didn't see anything unusual in the ultrasound, so that was a little disappointing (when you are hoping for a shred of an idea why you are struggling, bad news often seems better than no news). My blood pressure is normal at 116 over 73 so it appears the problem is the electrical function?
Anyway, was hoping you might have a few thoughts on where I should dig deeper to get this fixed, since I heard a scary statement recently about 30 being the point of coma (!!!)...is this all stemming from my body handling stress so poorly or is it simply a matter of getting my circuitry fixed up with omega 3's or something else I am overly deficient in?
Surprisingly, the HF people did not recommend any immediate action since I have had this for what I assume is many years (first learned of it around 7 years ago).
Thanks for any ideas...although I have generally been in good health (adrenals still in recovery, although I went from exhaustion to minor depletion over the past several years) at 51 I know my reserves are not what they used to be. Especially since I had years of super high stress from some personal events as well as working at an investment firm for about 10 years. But I don't want to wait for this time bomb to go off due to neglect so any thoughts would be helpful.
Did you get your blood work back yet? How are your electrolytes? Thyroid? You should also do your basal body temperature to check thyroid function since lab tests often miss hypothyroidism.
Are you having any symptoms such as chest pain , dizziness, fainting or shortness of breath?
If you are on any medications did you check to see if bradycardia is a side effect?
You should really have a full ECG (EKG) as well to make sure there are no node or conduction problems.
ACK...Just lost a good-sized response before being able to post--yeesh--will try to reassemble the main stuff.
First, thanks for responding - I know you're super busy with your other forums these days.
I did get my bloodwork back, and it was generally unremarkable (except a super high HDL number of 511 on the Lipid screening ???) Anyway, here is the rundown:
- Total Cholesterol: 221 (HDL 51 / LDL 55 / Trygs 77)
- Blood Glucose: 65
- BP: 116/73
- Pulse: (1st try: 37, 2nd try : 54)
- BMI: 23.2
- Carotid Screening showed minimal stenosis (1-14%) on both sides w normal velocity
- ECG: Normal but Sinus Arrythmia, Marked Sinus Bradycardia, Non-specific ST-T changes
- Arterial Stiffness: 67, Pulse pressure: 62
- PAD: r arm 127 l arm 137 r ank 135 l ank 139
- Lipid Screening:
- No risk factors for CHD, Stroke, Diabetes, CHF, Metabolic Syndrome, Heart Murmur or Valve Disease
As for thyroid, can't get my hands on my last tests but my T-3 was average to high and I take Maca regularly and Pregnenolone periodically (with OTC thyroid & progesterone oil as well).
I am really against using pregnenolone, progesterone and thyroid hormones. These can cause way too many problems.
Re electrolytes, I do use a good amount of Himalayan salt, I take Potassium Citrate periodically and used to use Nuun electrolyte tabs but never felt much from them. I try to stay up on mag (malate & chloride) and use iodine & companions protocol.
Be careful with iodine as well. Especially with weak adrenals since this puts you at a greater risk of Hashimoto's.
Need to ramp up on the green shakes I used to do more frequently, but I am getting my Omegas and use lots of systemic enzymes and lots of other supps & clean food (raw goat kefir, etc.)
I am also against the use of enzyme supplements. They can shut down your body's own enzyme production. And cellulase and hemicellulase break down the fibers needed to feed the flora and simply increase sugar levels.
Currently taking B6/B12 shots for a 12 wk run to see if they help with energy (I mentioned prior I have adrenal exhaustion in my history but it is much improved, and I do get dizzy upon arising quickly but no chest pain or fainting--just general weakness & fatigue.
Getting dizzy when standing up is orthostatic hypotension and is most often indicative of poor adrenal function. This is from a lack of epinephrine to maintain blood pressure when standing. Epinephrine also speeds up the heart, so this could be the source of your problem if not a node issue or heart block.
Always wondered if I somehow slipped from Sympathetic dominant to Parasympathetic from poor stress processing since I was once super type A and it seems somewhere along the line something snapped and I don't even jump when startled anymore. Very difficult to exercise but I just assume that is just adrenals still objecting.
Again sounds like a lack of epinephrine could be the problem.
Oh well...I'll try to get a full EKG since it does seem likely the malfunction is electrical in nature - just don't want a pacemaker if at all possible. Thanks much for any insights you may have - just seems so strange to put so much into your health and have one area that is a mystery...
One thing you can try is to supplement with the amino acid tyrosine, which helps increase epinephrine production. I recommend 1g three times daily at least 30 minutes before meals.
Supplementing with TMG may also help since it can also help with DNA repair in case there is node damage.