The drugs that are given to 'control' CHF CAUSE depletion of thiamine, potassium and magnesiumVentricular tachycardia from magnesium deficiency doesn’t respond well to shocks from a defibrillatorBoth thiamine and potassium deficiency require adequate levels of magnesium in order to effectively supplementThese same nutritional deficiencies also lead to other common heart abnormalities like Atrial Fibrillation that is a big problem as wellAnd the only way that doctors have found to predict which patients will be the most prone to congestive heart failure death is by doing an electrocardiogram test for a condition called Long QT Syndrome. And Long QT syndrome is affected by- guess what- deficiencies of thiamine, potassium and magnesium.
Why the Electrolyte Imbalances
Simple. The drugs.
The vast majority of congestive heart failure patients take a class of drugs called 'diuretics' or 'water pills' on a regular basis. These diuretics, mainly in the form of a drug called Lasix or Furosemide, help to get rid of the extra fluid that these patients are prone to by having them urinate more. But by increasing the amount of fluid urinated day in and day out.
It is well-known that Lasix tends to deplete potassium and most of the time, these patients take extra potassium and have their blood potassium levels drawn regularly.
But what doctors don't tell you, probably because they don't know it, is that these drugs also deplete thiamine and magnesium. But because thiamine levels are NEVER tested and serum Magnesium Levels are very poor indicators of magnesium status, doctors who check the blood magnesium levels along with the potassium levels have a FALSE BELIEF that the magnesium level is normal and both thiamine and magnesium are ALMOST NEVER given on a routine basis.
"therapy with potassium salts alone may
fail to restore normal serum levels of potassium or
normal sinus rhythm, whereas magnesium administration
corrects not only the hypomagnesemia and the hypokalemia
but abolishes the accompanying tachyarrhythmias as well"
'Sudden Unexpected Deaths in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure: A Second Frontier'
And magnesium is almost never replaced EVEN THOUGH it is well-researched that replacing MAGNESIUM also improves POTASSIUM without even having to GIVE potassium and that sudden congestive heart failure death almost ALWAYS occurs because of these deficiencies, CHF patients still are given large quantities of potassium without magnesium- when they SHOULD be getting the OPPOSITE.
A regimen of magnesium could ALSO help to prevent the NON LETHAL, but still serious complication of the abnormal heart rhythm called Atrial Fibrillation that Heart Failure patients are ALSO prone to at high levels.
"... magnesium chloride administration
reduces the frequency of ventricular arrhythmia
in patients with symptomatic heart failure."
Effect of acute magnesium administration
on the frequency of ventricular arrhythmia in
patients with heart failure
More Drugs
So, despite that patients really need Thiamine and Magnesium, the 'standard of care' for most patients to prevent sudden congestive heart failure death are drugs called 'antiarrhymatic' drugs that are intended to keep the heart rhythm smooth and prevent these rhythm issues. Only one problem with this:
These drugs make the problem WORSE
"Although conventional antiarrhythmic agents are
widely prescribed as a nonspecific approach to
prevent sudden death in these patients...these
agents frequently serve to exacerbate the heart
failure state and the underlying ventricular tachyarrhythmia."
'Hormone-electrolyte interactions in the pathogenesis
of lethal cardiac arrhythmias in patients with CHF
So, we have very good evidence that Thiamine Deficiency and Magnesium Deficiency cause the Prolonged QT Interval heart rhythm disturbances leading to congestive heart failure death, yet doctors give drugs instead of nutrients- and the drugs make the problem WORSE!
Yes, folks, this is modern medicine at work!
But I'm not done giving you reasons why not replacing magnesium when it's needed is a really bad idea. The type of ventricular tachycardia from magnesium deficiency is 'special'.
Shock Resistant Ventricular Tachycardia
Remember, we talked above about defibrillators 'shocking' ventricular tachycardia into a normal rhythm? In most cases, this works pretty well if the person is shocked very soon after their heart stops- except in the case of ventricular tachycardia from magnesium deficiency.
I've written about it more HERE. Although it's in a different context, it's still the same concept.
But the long and the short of ventricular tachycardia from magnesium deficiency is that you must URGENTLY infuse intravenous magnesium or defibrillators are useless. The problem is that time is short and by the time it is realized that magnesium is what is needed, too much time has passed and death from congestive heart failure is the typical result.
What else they do instead of giving magnesium
In This Article From the American Heart Association they summarized the current wisdom and teachings from many, many studies on this subject and went into great detail about all that I have discussed above. So, you would think that their conclusion as to how to prevent congestive heart failure death would be to simply give an extremely safe nutrient with almost no Magnesium Side Effects- to everyone with congestive heart failure- particular if they are taking diuretics, right?
Wrong.
Instead, they believe:
"The most successful approaches to the
control of arrhythmias in the future for
patients with congestive heart failure may
be endomyocardial resection... or the use
of an automatic implantable defibrillator."
'Sudden Unexpected Deaths in Patients with
Congestive Heart Failure: A Second Frontier'
Lets summarize this conventional medicine logic
- Thiamine, Potassium and Magnesium deficiency is the CAUSE of most congestive heart failure death
- Diuretics cause loss of thiamine, potassium and magnesium
- Antiarrhythmia Drugs make the problem worse
- Magnesium ALONE corrects potassium AND magnesium deficiencies
- Lets do surgery to fix the arrhythmias
Do you see a problem here or is it just me!?
Endomyocardial Resection?! That's HEART SURGERY to fix a problem of MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY! And they wouldn't even need to give PILLS to help them, magnesium can be given as Magnesium Oil that is absorbed right through the skin- no pills even needed!
But doctors are not
JUST missing thiamine and magnesium deficiency in Congestive heart failure, they are also missing the Vitamin D, Selenium, antioxidants and the
Benefits Omega 3 Fatty Acids can have on the heart failure and the heart rhythm! Keep reading to find out more.
Next --->
Nutritional Causes of CHF --->
Magnesium Fact
You Don't Need Pills or Food to
Get Plenty of Magnesium
Just Rub Dr. Mercola's Magnesium Oil Right Into Your Skin
For a Quick Magnesium Supplement
It Really Works!
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