<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
There certainly are many of us dealing with heart problems, CD, and how
to treat! I will add
that my husband's gut is much better since we added supplements, even
though he'd been on a strict gf diet for several years!
Thanks to everyone who replied!
Karen
Here is my original question:
My husband has celiac, and has started having heart arrhythmias even
though he is only 40. His heart was monitored for 2 weeks, and his MD
said to see a cardiologist. I've been reading up on this, and it seems
likely that mineral deficiency caused by celiac is a likely cause of the
heart problems, and we are trying to settle on vitamin, herb, and other
supplements to help.
What advice and experience can you offer for getting a proper diagnosis
and treatment? We prefer to avoid standard medications because of the
problems/side effects they cause. We are wondering- is it possible to
find a cardiologist who will consider his celiac/malabsorption and his
young age? Is there a better option?
<><><><>
Here are some of the replies:
___________________________
One lady realized
that she had been taking Alleve for 2 years -- 2 tablets per day. After
listening to the news, she stopped taking Alleve immediately and she has
had
no more episodes of chest pain after 2 days. It will be interesting to
see if Alleve is at the root of the
problems.
________________________
400 mcg folic acid and 1000 mcg vitamin B12. Solgar (vitamins) is gluten
free.
__________________
I found that I had heart troubles, with heart palpitations. There were
times that my heart skipped every three beats. Then they could not find
anything wrong with my heart after an electrocardiogram, echocardiogram
and
stress test, yet I had all these heart related palpitations and pressure
in
my chest and diaphragm. It turned out that it was all stomach/intestinal
problems. I am now on a special diet (since the GERD medication made it
worse) that has no sugars or starches. I have no more heart
palpitations.
The doctors did not even understand the relationship between the stomach
and
the heart. A gastro told me that the stomach acid was irritating a nerve
that goes from the stomach to the heart. If they cannot find a heart
related problem, try a sugar/starch free diet for a few months to see if
it
goes away. I have been GF for 12 years.
______________
Be sure to have him take Magnesium.
___________-
I was 38 and I had been GF for 7 yrs. (and am still) I don't know if my
symptoms were similar or not, but almost 2 yrs ago, I would get "heart
flutters" which seemed like an on and off type of subtle heart
arrhythmia. My doctors brushed it off. I finally found a better doctor
and figured that, along with other symptoms: sensitive to heat and cold,
sleeping problems, trouble losing weight, easily angered, etc. wondered
about a Thyroid condition. She tested me for Hypothyroidism and I was
positive. I have been on Levothroid (GF) for almost 2 yrs and feel much
better. Celiacs have a tendency to also have thyroid problems.
_______________________
Your husband is young and if it was a mineral/electrolyte imbalance
his MD should have been able to detect that easily with blood work.
I would encourage him to see the cardiologist for a good
evaluation/consultation. Then decide how you want to handle his
treatment. There are things that could cause heart beat
irregularities that relate to the function of the heart muscle. At
his age you probably need to look at the cause and then consider the
alternatives. Just be clear to the cardiologist that you need to go
in steps. Step 1 is the evaluation and the other steps follow.
_______________
Do a web search about "L-Carnitine" or "carnitine and heart" and another
search on "CoQ10". They have found that celiac children are deficient in
L-Carnitine, probably because of malabsorption. Common sense would say
that adult
celiacs would be deficient as well. They just haven't done enough
research
yet! Anyway, the carnitine is especially CRITICAL for proper heart
function, as
it is found mainly in muscle tissue.
I wasn't diagnosed with celiac until I was 39, almost 4 years ago.
Just
this fall, a rheumatologist tested my blood levels of carnitine, and they
were
very low. She said she is finding a LARGE number of patients (and
remember
that she only has a couple celiac patients) who are deficient. She
herself
started taking Carnitor (prescription form of carnitine) and CoQ10 a few
years ago,
because her family has a history of heart problems. It has helped her
tremendously. Anyway, while I don't have heart problems, a carnitine
deficiency in
my case has led to a severe fatigue. I have only been taking it for 3
weeks,
she said that her patients notice the improvements in about 6 weeks, so
I'm
hoping! Research on the net seems to confirm the 6 week time period for
results.
So while you may get lots of advice on things to have checked, this is
frequently overlooked! There are two or three different carnitine tests
that can
be done, ask for all of them.
The CoQ10 is a coenzyme, it helps the body use the carnitine, again
it's
critical for muscle functioning, and the heart is a muscle!
______________________
During the past 10 years my doctor often said I had a irregular
heartbeat. As soon as I was diagnosed (the reason for the diagnose was
extreme anemia) I started taking iron supplements and the heart problems
went away. Have his iron count checked. I found out doc's do not
routinely check for anemia.
______________
Magnesium and Potassium deficiencies can cause
arrhythmias in celiacs. I've had irregular rhythms
(44 yrs old) and my daughter (16 yrs old) also. After
being on a gluten-free diet our occurrences went down
dramatically.
_________________
Your husband might have more luck seeing an MD who is also a nutritionist
(tho I imagine finding one who is also a cardiologist is probably
unlikely), but perhaps you could see a cardiologist AND a doctor
knowledgeable about celiac/nutrition. Also, consider Naturopathic
doctors, as some of them are very good and well trained in nutrition.
You can find a Naturopath in your area online, btw, and the site I was
directed to by Valerie Wells here at this forum (do not remember the site
addy) also told what each Naturopath was trained in and his specialty(s).
If I can find the site, I will send it to you. Do remember that not all
Naturopaths are well trained and some fall into the quack category, just
as some MDs fall into the quack category. :)
I have an energy problem that is directly attributed to long-standing
L-Carnitine deficiency, which also affects the heart. This was caused by
celiac disease. So this is a supplement that would be worth considering
for your husband. Be aware that it is expensive in the quantities he
would need (3 to 5 grams). Be careful where you get L-Carnitine,
however. It can have gluten in it and some supplement companies do not
know gluten-free from fruit and nuts. I got ill from this once for over
2 months--we thought I had the flu and it just was not going away; but
instead, it was a gluten reaction from the carnitine capsules.
I *think* that B12 and iron deficiency can also affect the heart. (I was
very deficient in these, due to celiac disease.) I know, for sure, that
CoQ10 deficiency affects the heart and I also had this deficiency from
celiac disease. CoQ10 is very expensive, as well, and your husband would
need to take at least 200mg/day of this. However, CoQ10 is
multifunctional and helpful for many problems--it is a powerful
anti-oxidant, so it is particularly good to take for no particular
reason. Vitamin E is important to the heart, as well. I do not know
whether I was deficient in vit E, but I now take 600 mg, as it is an
important anti-oxidant. There is a great book out called, "Prescription
for Nutritional Healing" by Phyllis and James Balch. You can usually
find this in any bookstore, however, look for the most current edition,
as they republish it every couple years.
naturopath sites:
http://www.acam.org/
http://www.naturopathic.org/
*Please provide references to back up claims of a product being GF or not GF*
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