Emotionally, both great trauma and extreme excitement cause the heart to flutter or skip a beat. Medically, atrial fibrillation or abnormal heart rhythm is caused by damage to the regular working of the electrical impulses created by the sinoatrial nodes in the upper chambers of the heart. It changes the regular, systematically functioning heartbeat to a rapid, disorganized one, resulting in the loss of synchronization between the upper and lower sections of the heart. While atrial fibrillation itself is not a serious condition, the complications arising from it like heart attack and stroke are fatal. This makes administering timely treatment for the condition important. There are many ways to treat atrial fibrillation medically in a hospital environment, but we will explore the alternative treatment options for the condition here.

  • Being healthy, maintaining a fit body, and avoiding obesity are important to prevent atrial fibrillation. Shedding excessive weight by following a healthy diet pattern and exercising regularly is quite simple but an effective alternative prevention method for atrial fibrillation.
  • Lifestyle changes are safer alternatives in comparison to taking medications for an illness as it can make people dependent on the medicines for life and also cause unwanted side effects at times.
  • Stress could be a major factor that triggers atrial fibrillation in people, and yoga is an ideal choice to minimize the risk from this factor. Physical postures performed along with the right breathing techniques and meditation significantly reduces anxiety, stress, and depression, relaxes the nervous system, lowers high blood pressure, and reduces the frequency of atrial fibrillation episodes. In fact, yoga goes a step further to positively improve the overall mental and physical health of the person who practices it every day.
  • Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese remedy that uses pressure or needles to rectify physical symptoms of illnesses in the body, must be performed by a well-trained and certified expert. This is seemingly a helpful treatment method for atrial fibrillation. By stimulating the various nerves through the acupuncture points, masters in this field of medicine communicate with the brain, try to restrain a hyperactive heart and calm it down, promote smooth blood circulation, and strengthen a few organs like the liver, kidney, and heart.

Avoiding the causes that give rise to atrial fibrillation is important, and one can do the following to ensure this:

  • Limit the intake of gluten, salt, tobacco, certain kinds of cheese, fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines, meat, and trans fats.
  • High levels of vitamin D should be avoided, along with drinking alcohol, consuming caffeinated drinks, and ingesting marijuana.
  • Stress and poor-quality sleep patterns must consciously be changed. This would, in turn, lessen the occurrence of palpitations and arrhythmia.

While the above-mentioned alternative approaches to treating atrial fibrillation are not substitutes for medical intervention and following the doctor’s advice is vital, getting their approval and having these as supplementary treatment options might be helpful in ensuring a faster recovery.