eating principles:
low sugar, low fat diet
diet high in whole complex carbohydrates
protein 12-15% diet
low cholesterol/cholesterol foods
low sodium/sodium-restricted diet
vegetarian cleansing diet or short fasts
Fasting, General Sample Diet, General Guidelines for Eating, Sample Vegetarian Diet
therapeutic foods:
foods that tonify the Heart, nourish the Xue (Blood) and Yin (tachycardia), Yang (bradycardia), calm the Shen (Spirit)
flax seed oil, okra, hawthorn berries, millet, buckwheat, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, bananas, potatoes, asparagus, apples, honey in small amounts (Airola, p. 101)
avoid:
meat, alcohol, hot sauces, spicy foods, fried foods, fatty foods, rich foods, salty foods, sugar
supplements
CoEnzyme Q10 30-75 mg
Copper and Zinc (may cause PVCs if ratio incorrect) 15 mg Zinc with 0.5 mg Copper
Magnesium aspartate (DeCarli, 1986) 500-600 mg per day, see also below regarding digoxin
Magnesium: supplement "several hundred" mg per day if patient is on thiazide medication or digitalis to prevent weakening of cardiac muscle caused by the drug's excretion of Magnesium
v Potassium, see also below regarding digoxin
Calcium, see below regarding digoxin; if patient is taking verapamil, Calcium supplementation in small doses only to reduce hypotensive effect (see below)
L-carnitine (DiPalma, 1975) 3 g per day
taurine (Chazov, 1974) 1-5 g per day, not useful in ventricular tachycardia, useful in preventricular tachycardia due to epinephrine or digitalis toxicity
» drug interactions:
Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium and thiazides: thiazides, such as chlorthiazide (Diuril, Aldoril, Diachlor) and hydrochlorthiazide (Hydrodiuril) increase urinary excretion of Sodium, Potassium and Magnesium; depletion of Magnesium interferes with functioning of cardiac muscle
Calcium and digoxin (Lanoxin): small increases in plasma Calcium increase digoxin toxicity. (Whang, et al., 1985; 145 (4): p. 655); Note: avoid high calcium foods for two hours before and after taking this drug
Potassium, Magnesium and digoxin (Lanoxin): Potassium and Magnesium deficiencies lead to arrhythmias in patients on digoxin
Calcium and verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan): Calcium interferes with the hypotensive effect of this drug which is intended to act as a Calcium channel blocker; if patient is taking verapamil, Calcium supplementation in small doses only to reduce hypotensive effect
footnotes