<<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*