Heart palpitations are electrical disturbances in heart rate. Palpitations present as feelings of your heart racing, skipping a beat or pounding in your chest. The causes of palpitations are many, including stress, anxiety, exercise, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia, caffeine, alcohol, anemia, medications, dietary deficiencies, low blood oxygen and heart attacks.
Please consult your health care provider before taking any supplement, especially if you are experiencing heart palpitations.
Magnesium
According to the health care provider's manual "Advanced Cardiac Life Support," magnesium is used as the standard of care in the treatment of the ventricular arrhythmia known as torsades de pointes. When ventricular fibrillation -- which is a deadly abnormal hearth rhythm -- is associated with torsades de pointes, medical practitioners administer to the patient 1 g of magnesium intravenously. Magnesium is also used to prevent the recurrence of rapid heart rates and torsades de pointes, a French term for "twisting of the points."
Potassium
Low plasma levels of potassium, called hypokalemia, result in dangerous heart palpitations, according to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine." In hypokalemic conditions, the heart muscle becomes irritable and begins firing spontaneous electrical impulses, producing the palpitations. Maintaining normal dietary levels of potassium can prevent heart palpitations caused by low potassium levels.
Hawthorn Berry
Indigenous to North America, Crataegus laevigata, or hawthorn, is a flowering shrub that has been well studied in terms of its cardiovascular effects, especially in connection with the treatment of atrial fibrillation and other heart conduction abnormalities. Atrial fibrillation is an arrhythmic condition that causes heart palpitations. According to "Integrative Medicine," hawthorn berry has been used to treat electrical conduction abnormalities for more than 200 years.
According to the "Physician's Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines," hawthorn increases the membrane permeability of cardiac cells, allowing calcium to flow freely. This action has been shown to prolong the refractory period in a manner similar to class III antiarrhythmic drugs like amiodarone, which is used to treat ventricular fibrillation.
References
- "Advanced Cardiac Life Support: Provider Manual"; American Heart Association; John Field, M.D., ed.; 2006
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine," 17th ed.; Anthony Fauci, M.D., et al., eds.; 2008
- "Physicians Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines," 4th ed.; Christof Jaenicke, M.D. and Joerg Gruenwald, Ph.D.; 2007
- "Integrative Medicine," 2nd ed.; David Rakel, M.D.; 2007
