-IBIS-1.5.0-
tx
cardiovascular system
arrhythmia
nutrition

dietary guidelines

therapeutic foods:
• foods that tonify the Heart, Five Phases, foods rich in Magnesium and Potassium, Hawthorne berries

fresh juices:
• carrot (Walker, p. 140)
• carrot and spinach (Walker, p. 140)
• carrot, cucumber, and beet (Walker, p. 140)

avoid:
• fruit (Zeff)


supplements

• 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
• 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
• Coenzyme Q10 (for VPBs) (Fujioka,1983) 10 mg three times daily
• taurine (Chazov, 1974) 1-5 g per day, not useful in ventricular tachycardia, useful in preventricular tachycardia due to epinephrine or digitalis toxicity
• 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

» 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