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Thoughts On Palpitations

When helping people fast on water only for two or more weeks at a time, it's relatively common to run into palpitations.

Often times, such palpitations go away once electrolyte-rich foods are introduced during the re-feeding process - half watermelon and half celery juice is the formula that I rely on most for this purpose (an infinitely healthier and more effective electrolyte-replacement drink than Gatorade or anything else you'll find in a pre-packaged bottle).

Where palpitations continue even after electrolytes have been replenished, once common arrhythmias and cardiovascular disease have been ruled out via an EKG, I have often had success using an old school cold water trick that I learned from a mentor in the late 90's.

The trick is this: dunk your head in the coldest water that you have access to for 10 to 15 seconds. If you can't tolerate this amount of time, then even a few seconds can sometimes jolt the electrical activity of your heart back to normal.

Variations of this method include dunking just your face for 30 seconds, or your hands for a full minute.

Sudden exposure to cold water almost immediately affects the output of your autonomic nervous system, which can restore proper nerve signalling and conduction throughout your heart.

This isn't to suggest that you self-treat palpitations and arrhythmias; if you have any concerns about the regularity of your heart, you should consult with your family physician and then possibly a cardiologist.

Sometimes, palpitations come about because of malnourishment, over-exposure to stimulants, or serious anxiety. In these and all other cases, it's best to identify and address the root cause(s), but the cold water trick described here can often provide harmless temporary and sometimes lasting relief.

Hope this tip comes in handy to loved ones some day.

 
 

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Comments

Thank you so much for this information. I take cytomel, which has a side effect of palpitations. Your tip on using cold water can be very helpful.

I have suffered with arrythmia/palpitations since I was a teenager, I am 40 now. I recently discovered that low potassium could contribute to this. In my case, it was indeed my dilemma. It is difficult to get the recommended dose of potassium but I have found that coconut water helps me to achieve a higher intake. The upside, it seems I only need one 8 oz. cup a day to keep them from occurring.

Thank you, as a "Floxed" victim, damaged by the antibiotic Levaquin, same as Cipro and Avelox,,,palpitations are a huge part of my life, now. Thank you for your hint of relief,,,and please never use this meds, ask for something else, 100,000s have become disabled, very sick victims..please research the side effects, very sad, but very true, no treatment, no cure, very sad...FDA has received over 50,000 complaints...

I have been having heart palpitations on and off for a couple of years now. When I first experienced them, I was scared and went in to urgent care where they performed tests and sent me home with a monitor for 24 hours. They found nothing wrong but wanted to send me home with a prescription for antidepressants. I did not take them, but did my own research finding that peri-menopause can bring them on. I will try the cold water next time and see if it works for me. Thanks.