Does your heart race, skip, or do flip-flops? As a cardiologist, I have consulted to thousands with this complaint, often labeled as palpitations.

You can feel these heart palpitations in your throat, chest and neck too. Sometimes, they are dangerous. Most of the time they are not.

Palpitations can be a sign of heart disease. So, if you have palpitations, it’s best to see your doctor immediately. If they come with severe shortness of breath, fainting, lightheadedness or intense chest pain, seek emergency medical attention.

The job of the cardiologist is to find the scary stuff regarding your heart. Here are some questions I ask to decide what the symptoms are from and why they may or may not be dangerous. Please consult with your doctor.

• How long have you had the symptoms? There is safety in time. If you are having symptoms for years, my suspicion for a severe problem is lower than if the symptoms started a few days ago.
• Do the symptoms occur at rest or with activity? Symptoms with activity are usually linked to a more significant issue.
• Do the symptoms occur with food, with stress, with alcohol, caffeine or in a certain environment?
• Do you feel lightheaded or have you passed out? These complaints send up red flags.
• Has a family member died suddenly or at an early age? Alert, alert!

What Causes Palpitations

There are many causes of heart palpitations. Here are some situations that can lead to a feeling of an irregular heartbeat:

• Anxiety, stress, fear and panic attacks. Anxiety is the number one cause of palpitations world-wide. Often, this person does not have any heart rhythm issue when we watch while on monitor.
• Medical conditions like low blood pressure, low blood sugar, anemia, dehydration, fever and thyroid disease.
• Medications like diet pills, asthma inhalers and decongestants. Sometimes, cardiac drugs used to treat irregular heartbeats may make symptoms worse (or even deadly).
• Alcohol and illicit drugs, especially cocaine and amphetamines. The morning after alcohol and/or drug use is often the time when symptoms arise.
• Consumption of foods loaded with sugar, artificial color and flavors such as MSG (monosodium glutamate).
• Many patient’s symptoms resolve after stopping caffeine (including chocolate) in as little as 24 hours.

Palpitations can also be caused by heart disease. Heart conditions linked with palpitations include:

• Atrial fibrillation
• PAC’s and PVC’s
• Cardiomyopathy
• Congestive heart failure
• Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)

To find the cause of a person’s palpitations, I do the following:

• Learn about your medical and lifestyle history.
• Ask detailed questions about your diet and current medications.
• Understand everything relating to your palpitations.
• Conduct a detailed physical examination
• Draw blood and send it to the lab for detailed blood analysis.
• Conduct heart tests like an ECG, an echocardiogram and a heart monitor. The monitor is great. When you have symptoms, the device records the heart rhythm and we get the diagnosis. My favorite is called the Zio Patch. It is a band-aid sized device that sits on the skin of the chest. There, it monitors and records every heartbeat for two weeks. Peel off the patch and drop it in an envelope. It’s that simple.

Possible diagnoses for the above complaints include premature atrial complexes {PAC’s), premature ventricular complexes (PVC’s), sinus tachycardia, supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), or ventricular tachycardia (VT).

Natural Treatment Options for Palpitations

Treatment will depend upon the cause of the palpitations. Sometimes they’re harmless and go away on their own. If that happens, no treatment is necessary.

If your doctor gives you a label of PAC’s, PVC’s or SVT, a cause must be found. If the diagnosis is not immediately life-threatening, take the time to look at food and lifestyle. Here are some things to do:

• Ease stress and anxiety. Try activities like yoga, meditation or essential oils.
• Stop the caffeine, alcohol and illegal drugs.
• Avoid over-the-counter and prescription cough and cold medicines that act as stimulants.
• Eat organic, Paleo foods. Follow the food pyramid of our ancestors. This gives your body the nutrients it needs and takes away what it doesn’t. Obviously, foods loaded with sugar, artificial ingredients, pesticides, MSG, GMO’s, and other toxins are likely culprits when it comes to palpitations.
• Get an appropriate amount of sleep. Our ancestors went to sleep with the sundown and awoke with the sunrise. We would be wise to follow their lead.
• Embrace the sun. Morning sun is critical, but sun throughout the day has benefits as well. The sun makes vitamin D, melatonin, nitric oxide and has benefits science has yet to discover. Sunburn bad, sunshine good. The sun prevents cancer.
• Drinking high-quality water and plenty of it. We suggest installing the Pristine Hydro water revival system in your home to crank up your water and mineral intake. Pellegrino in a glass is another one of our favorites.
• See your chiropractor regularly. Chiropractic care uses the bones of the spine to influence neurologic changes in the body. This includes the autonomic nervous system. When the autonomics are in balance, palpitations often stop.

In short, live the healthy lifestyle. 

Supplements can be very helpful for palpitations. Our Foundation 5 is a great start. Add these products and see if your symptoms improve.

• Super B – Fantastic B complex to crank up the nutrients needed for healthy heart function.
• Magne 5 – Magnesium is often the answer to irregular heartbeats and palpitations.
• Potassium Boost – Another great option to quiet down your ticker.
• Cardio Q – Not many nutrients are more important than Co Q 10 to crank up cellular energy and function.
• Heart Beet – If you want to normalize the heart, give it a blast of nitric oxide and other phytonutrients.

If you are concerned about your health and well-being, we’ve got you covered! Schedule a FREE call with a Drs. Wolfson health coach and get the guidance you need. Just click HERE and pick your coach.