text:
Assalaamualaikum wr wb,
Imagine someone came up to you and gave you 10,000 dollars or more. Obviously you'll be grateful to this person and you would want to repay that person, right? What if that person said all you have to do is remember me? This would make you even happier because it's just so easy to remember such an awesome person that just gave you some big bucks.
Well Allah (swt) gave us more than that. Just our body parts alone cost an incredible amount and yet we take them for granted. Not just that, but we have so many blessings that it's innumerable! And if you were to count Allah's favors, you would not be able to number them; most surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. [Sūrah al-Nahl: 18] Subhanallah!!! But Allah (swt) only asked for us to remember Him by praying, fasting, doing dhikr, etc. "So make remembrance of Me, and I will make remembrance of you. And show thanks to Me, and do not be ungrateful." [Qur'an 2:152] Can you believe that? That's all we have to do. How can we be ungrateful to Allah?! Yet we still refrain from constantly remembering him… But Allah (swt) also gave us restrictions. He told us what was haram and what was halal. Those that are haram actually harm us so we should follow these rules as well. This is also for our own benefit. At the end of the day, remembering Allah, praying, etc. ends up being good deeds that will help us on the Day of Judgment. Now this is also for our benefit!!
Anyways the point I'm trying to make is we should seriously be more grateful towards our Lord, the Most Beneficient, the Most Merciful. It's so easy and it's good for us too. It's a win-win deal. Why not try it?


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This week was all about Master studies.
The task was to make 50 three color value studies, 50 color studies and 3 full master studies. this is a lot!
and of course I had a super busy week, so I didn't got to the goal of 103 drawings. but in my opinion, it doesn't matter. I still learned a lot and felt that I do improve from every thumbnail I did.
here are some of the studies I did this week:
I'm definitely will continue to do this – and I cant wait for week 2!
Till next time

subset: commoncrawl


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My Top 5 Picks: Steve's A-Fib Survival Kit for the Newly Diagnosed
By Steve S. Ryan, PhD. This post was originally published July 15, 2016.
Your first experiences with Atrial Fibrillation have changed your life in a number of ways. As a former A-Fib patient (cured since 1998) I highly recommend these items when first diagnosed with this beast called 'Atrial Fibrillation'.
My Top 5 Recommendations for the Newly Diagnosed
These are the products I recommend (and use) along with a Bonus: a good medical dictionary. These items are available from many online sources, but I've made them easy to order the entire list by making a 'Wish List' on Amazon.com: Steve Ryan's A-Fib Survival Kit for the Newly Diagnosed,(Note: Use our Amazon portal link, and your purchases help support A-Fib.com.)
1. Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium (200 Mg Elemental), 240-Count
Most A-Fib patients are deficient in Magnesium (Mg). While Magnesium (Mg) is one of the main components of heart cell functioning, it seems to be chronically lacking in most diets.
One form of easily absorbed magnesium is Magnesium glycinate, a chelated amino acid. Look for the label 'Albion Minerals' designed to limit bowel sensitivity. Dosage: 600-800 mg daily in divided dosages (meals and bedtime). Read more about Magnesium.
2. Now Foods Potassium Gluconate Pure Powder, 1-pound
Just like magnesium deficiency, A-Fib patients are usually deficient in Potassium as well. We recommend the powder in order to take the recommended dose of 1600-2400 mg per day.
Be cautious of potassium tablets. For example those listed as 540 mg ONLY contain 99 mg of Potassium. Read more about Potassium.
3. Beat Your A-Fib: The Essential Guide to Finding Your Cure: Written in everyday language for patients with Atrial Fibrillation
A-Fib can be cured! That's the theme of this book written by a former A-Fib patient and publisher of the patient education website, A-Fib.com. Empowers patients to seek their cure. Written in plain language for A-Fib patients and their families.
4. Polar FT2 Heart Rate Monitor, Black or Blue
Many A-Fib patients want to monitor their heart rate when exercising or doing strenuous tasks (mowing the lawn, moving equipment, etc.) This is a basic DIY model with a clear, LARGE number display of your heart rate (as a number). Requires wearing the included T31 coded transmitter chest strap.
One-button start. Includes a FT2 Getting Started Guide.
Also look at other Polar models: FT1 & RS3000X. I wore a Polar monitor when I had A-Fib, so it's my brand of choice, but there are many other good brands.
5. Zacurate 500BL Fingertip Pulse Oximeter Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor
Many A-Fib patients also suffer with undiagnosed sleep apnea. A finger Oximeter is an easy way to check your oxygen level. A reading of 90% or lower means you should talk to your doctor as you may need a sleep study.
BONUS: Concise Medical Dictionary (Oxford Quick Reference)
An excellent medical dictionary, the best I've found for patients with Atrial Fibrillation who are conducting research into their best treatment options. Includes occasional illustrations (for fun check p. 276 for the types of fingerprint patterns).
More of My Amazon.com Lists
Besides Steve Ryan's A-Fib Survival Kit for the Newly Diagnosed, see my other Amazon.com lists for supplements, recommended books and DIY heart rate monitors:
♥ By a Former A-Fib Patient: My Recommended Products
♥ For A-Fib Patients: 7 Supplements for a Healthy Heart
♥ For A-Fib Patients: A-Fib Reference Books and Guides
♥ For A-Fib Patients: Recommended Magnesium and Potassium Supplements
♥ Steve's Top Picks: DIY Heart Rate Monitors for A-Fib Patients
Note: Use the A-Fib.com Amazon portal link and your purchases help support A-Fib.com (http://tinyurl.com/Shop-Amazon-for-A-Fib). Learn more at: Use our Portal Link When you Shop at Amazon.com.
The Dangers of Magnesium Deficiency, Especially for Patients with Atrial Fibrillation
Magnesium is a mineral involved in many processes in the body including normal muscle contraction (including the heart), nerve signaling and the building of healthy bones. About 350 enzymes are known to depend on magnesium.
At least 80% of Americans are deficient in Magnesium (Mg). Other Western countries today exhibit similar deficiencies.
Most US adults ingest only about 270 mg of magnesium a day, well below the modest magnesium Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 420 mg for adult males and 320 mg for adult females. (RDA is the minimum amount for a healthy person.)
This creates a substantial cumulative deficiency over months and years.
Magnesium Deficiency and Atrial Fibrillation
A deficiency in magnesium can force the heart into fatal arrhythmias and is central to creating conditions in the heart that cause Atrial Fibrillation.
A-Fib patients, in particular, are often significantly deficient in magnesium. A normal healthy diet rarely meets your need for magnesium.
Therefore, it's often necessary to take a magnesium supplement over several months to restore levels.
Causes of Today's Magnesium Deficiency
Why are so many of us deficient in Magnesium?
Magnesium used to be plentiful in fruits, vegetable and grains, but decades of industrial-scale farming have stripped the soil of minerals like magnesium. One study found that the nutrient content of crops has declined by as much as 40% since the 1950s. It's now almost impossible to get adequate amounts of magnesium from food.
We're not drinking spring or mineral water that's high in magnesium—instead, we're drinking tap water that's devoid of magnesium. As a result, we ingest even less magnesium. Add to that, we're no longer bathing in natural water that is high in magnesium. Our skin can absorb magnesium from our bathing water—which is now missing.
Prescription drugs can lower our magnesium levels, as can the stress of our modern lifestyles.
Over the years, this has caused a magnesium deficient population, especially critical for those with Atrial Fibrillation or other heart ailments.
Magnesium Deficiency and How to Restore Your Levels
What's to do about it? Everyone with A-Fib should understand the role of magnesium in the body and its effects on the heart, and know how to detect if they are magnesium deficient, and how to increase their magnesium levels if they are. Start with these articles:
• Treatments: Mineral Deficiencies
• Cardiovascular Benefits of Magnesium: Insights for Atrial Fibrillation Patients.
Then, take a look at this video with Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of The Magnesium Miracle.
VIDEO: The Best Way to Supplement Magnesium with Dr. Carolyn Dean
For those with magnesium deficient diets, getting nutrients through food is not always possible. Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of The Magnesium Miracle, talks about the external use of magnesium oil and Epson salts and the various powder and tablets to supplement magnesium.
She covers the side effects of too much Mg, and how you can tell if you have a Mg deficiency. (3:39 min.) From iHealthTube.com. Go to video.
A-Fib Patients Ask: Which Brands of Vitamins and Minerals Can I Trust?
Supplements, minerals and vitamins are of interest to many A-Fib patients and are often discussed on this website. So, I wasn't surprised when I received an email from Seila J. with this excellent question about purchasing supplements.
"I don't know what brand of vitamins and minerals to take. Is there a type of organization that inspects them and puts it on the label?"
In general, don't look for much help from the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the U.S. the FDA does not regulate natural products or supplements but does require that supplements be produced in a quality manner and ensure that they do not contain contaminants or impurities and are accurately labeled. Supplements are not allowed to be marketed for the purpose of treating, diagnosing, preventing, or curing diseases.
In the European Union, food supplements are regulated as foods. Learn more at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). In Canada, see the Natural Health Product Regulation. In Australia, see the Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990.
Independent Organizations Test and Certify Supplement Brands
In the U.S., there are several independent organizations that test branded supplements. Supplement manufacturers pay, on a voluntary basis, to get their supplements tested and certified (many supplement brands don't participate so don't carry any of these test lab seals).
The purpose of testing is to verify that the product contains the amount of the ingredient(s) advertised on the label and that it isn't contaminated with dangerous substances, such as arsenic, bacteria, or lead.
ConsumerLab.com (CL) is a leading provider of independent test results and information to help identify the best quality health and nutrition products. CL has tested more than 5,600 products, representing over 850 different brands and nearly every type of popular supplement. Look for specific CL Seals to identify products that have met ConsumerLab.com standards.
CL tests products purchased from retail stores (not products supplied by the manufacturer/distributor). For the full list, see Brands Reviewed and Tested at ConsumerLabs.com.
ConsumerLab.com is probably the most useful site for the average consumer.
ConsumerLab.com is probably the most useful site for the average consumer. Though not every product produced by a specific brand has been tested and approved, the following brands are judged reliable and good choices when selecting a supplement. This is a partial list of the brands ConsumerLab has tested and rated:
Doctor's Best, Dr. Sears, Dr. Whitaker, Garden of Life, iHerb, Integrative Therapeutics, Jarrow Formulas, Julian Whitaker, Life Extension, Metagenics, Natrol, Natural Factors, Nature Made, Now Foods, NutriCology, Nutritional Science, One-A-Day, Optimum Nutrition, Ortho Molecular Products, Perque, Physiologics, Pure Encapsulations, Puritan's Pride, ReMag, Solaray, Source Naturals, Swanson, Thorne Research, TwinLab, VitaCost, Vitamin Shoppe.
Private brands: ConsumerLab also lists retail companies which sell supplements under their house or private brand including:
Albertsons, Costco, CVS, GNC, Herbalife, Kirkland, Kroger, Rexall, Target, Trader Joe's, Walgreens, WalMart.
The Value of ConsumerLab.com Membership: There is much free information on the ConsumerLab.com website. But to access the comprehensive testing reports, ConsumerLab offers membership that gives you instant access to comprehensive, unbiased testing reports including quality ratings and CL's Top Picks. (Testing reports contain information you can't find anywhere else). Cost: $42/year or $69/2 years. Go to membership page.
Other Testing Organizations
US Pharmacopeia (USP) tests and certifies products provided by the manufacturer. They currently have certified only over 100 products which can be found on the USP website. Most products are from NatureMade and Kirkland Signature.
NSF International is an independent, accredited organization that tests and certifies products and writes standards for the food, water and consumer goods industries. Products that earn NSF certification will display "NSF certified" or "NSF listed".
NSF Certification helps confirm that what's on the label is in the product and that the product contains no unsafe levels of contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides. Certified For Sports products have also been tested for banned substances, which is particularly important for college and professional athletes.
The NSF search engine can be checked to see if a particular product is NSF certified. (I wasn't able to find many products with NSF certification.)
Bottom Line About Brands
To select a brand of reliable supplement with the ingredient(s) and amounts as advertised on the label and not contaminated with dangerous substances, your best resource may be the Brands Reviewed and Tested at ConsumerLabs.com. (Read more at ConsumerLab Brands.)
Bonus: Recommended Sources for Reliable Info on Vitamins and Supplements
The three directories we recommend don't sell supplements (or anything else). They just offer information on vitamins, herbs, natural products and supplements.
In our review of each database, we've included a screen shot and a link to our test search. To read our recommendations, go to: Our Top 3 Sources for Reliable, Unbiased Info on Vitamins and Supplements References
Are Your Herbal Supplements Interacting With Your Medicines?
Many people take herbal or dietary supplements along with their prescription medicines. But medicines and supplements may interact in harmful ways!
Some supplements can decrease the effects of medicines, while others can increase the effects, as well as cause unwanted side effects.
The medicines affected have a 'narrow therapeutic index', which means that if the amount of the drug is even a little too low or too high, it can cause big problems.
Warfarin (Coumadin) is one such medicine. When taken with certain herbal supplements, such as Asian ginseng or St. John's Wort (and possibly ginger), you may need to be closely monitored.
St. John's wort, for example, interacts with many types of drugs. In most instances, it speeds up the processes that change the drug into inactive substances, leading to a decrease in drug levels in your body.
Other medicines with a narrow therapeutic index include digoxin (heart), theophylline (asthma), lithium (anti-depressant), acetaminophen (pain killer) and gentamicin (antibiotic).
The herb-drug interaction potential is high for St. John's Wort, Asian ginseng, Echinacea, ginkgo (high dose) and goldenseal; But low for black cohosh, ginkgo (low dose), garlic and kava supplements.
Take an Inventory
If you take any of the described medicines and herbal supplements, use our free Medication Inventory form to make a list of everything you take.
List how often you take them, and the doses you take.
Then ask for a review by your doctor or pharmacist for any harmful interactions. You may find you want to modify your supplement regime.
Do Your Own Research
Learn more about herb-drug interaction potentials at:
• Herb-Drug Interactions: What the Science Says. National Institutes of Health/National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
• About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products" at the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) website (one of our favorites).
How Can I Avoid Arterial Calcium Deposits When Taking Coumadin?
Holly Hannula wrote me about being on Coumadin (warfarin) for 12 years because she has a mechanical heart valve. She's alarmed by a recent scan of her artery walls showing dangerously high calcium deposits, i.e. the amount of hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
Holly's doctors recommended an angiogram (X-ray) and stents to be put in wherever needed and done very soon. She felt that was too drastic, that her quality of life was good and she was active and social. She and her husband declined those procedures.
Her emailed continued:
"The doctors won't or can't change me to a different blood thinner. If I have to take Coumadin for the rest of my life, can I reduce the calcification with vitamin K2 (MK-7)?"
Holly's coronary artery calcium score is 800 which is dangerously high.
A score between 100 and 399 is classified as increased calcification, and any score over 400 signifies extensive calcium deposits. If your score is over 1,000, you have a 20 percent chance of having a serious or fatal cardiac episode within one year of testing. (See table below for all scores.)
A score over 1,000 equals a 20% chance of a serious or fatal cardiac event within one year.
A score over 1,000 equals a 20% chance of a serious or fatal cardiac event within one year.
No wonder Holly is worried!
What are Her Options?
Because she has a mechanical heart valve, Holly doesn't have a lot of options. Treatment Guidelines by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) only include warfarin (Vitamin K Antagonist) therapy and perhaps aspirin. None of the newer anticoagulants are included.
One might think that a newer anticoagulant like Eliquis would work as well as Coumadin if one has a mechanical valve. But right now, this isn't a recommended treatment. (For example, the maker of Eliquis states that it isn't for patients with artificial heart valves.)
My Best Effort for Holly: In my return email, I promised Holly that I would get in touch with Bristol-Myers Squibb, the maker of Eliquis, to see if it could possibly be used in her case.
Tragic Dangers of Warfarin Not Recognized
It's tragic that Holly has such extensive calcium deposits due to having to take warfarin (Coumadin) which works by blocking Vitamin K.
Vitamin K is essential for heart and bone health. Without enough K-2, osteocalcin, a protein that binds calcium to bone, doesn't function. Instead the calcium ends up clogging arteries. See Arterial Calcification From Warfarin: Vitamin K May Reverse it.
What's equally tragic is how few doctors and their patients are aware of this side effect of taking warfarin (Coumadin).
Vitamin K2 Reverses Arterial Calcification!
But, as Holly has already researched and as I described in my article, Arterial Calcification From Warfarin, high doses of Vitamin K2 MK-7 reversed arterial calcification in recent preliminary studies. (MK-7 means the Vitamin K2 also has a Natto component. Natto[kinase] is a known natural blood thinner.)
But what K2 MK-7 dosage should Holly consider? We don't have enough human research yet to give a definitive answer, but we do have some indications.
Animal research: In an animal study, rats were initially fed a six-week diet of warfarin to induce calcium buildup in blood vessels. Some rats were then fed high dose Vitamin K1 or K2 (MK-4) for six weeks. They not only had no further arterial calcium accumulation but, more importantly, had a 37% reduction of previously accumulated arterial calcification. After 12 weeks, there was an astounding 53% reduction.
Doses: Note the distinction between mg and mcg. 1 mg = 1000 mcg
Doses: Note the distinction between mg and mcg. 1 mg = 1000 mcg
Mega dose or RDA? In the above study of rats, the human equivalent of the vitamin K2 dose is in the range of 52,000 mcg (52 mg) to 97,000 mcg (97 mg) per day.
Admittedly, these are high doses compared to the standard daily recommend dosages (90 mcg [0.09 mg] for females and 120 mcg [0.12 mg] for males).
Already approved: In Japan, a 45,000 mcg (45 mg) daily dose of the MK-4 form of vitamin K2 is approved as a drug to treat osteoporosis.
Vitamin K and Dosages
Forms of Vitamin K: Consider a high quality MK-7 form of Vitamin K2. Plus, as they are inexpensive, include vitamin K1 and MK-4 to help inhibit and possibly reverse vascular calcification.
Remember to always take your Vitamin K supplement with fatty foods since it is fat-soluble and won't be absorbed without it.
Remember to always take your Vitamin K supplement with fatty foods since it is fat-soluble and won't be absorbed without it.
to avoid arterial calcification
Although the exact dosage of Vitamin K is yet to be determined, one of the world's top Vitamin K researchers, Dr. Cees Vermeer recommends between 45 mcg and 185 mcg daily for normally healthy adults. LifeExtension magazine recommends 180 mcg.
To Reverse Arterial calcification
To reverse or reduce calcium plaque, you might consider the ultra high doses of 45-50 mg (45,000 mcg) daily, which is based on the research with rats. But only under your doctor's supervision!
It's most important that Holly should NOT make any changes to her treatment plan without consulting with her doctor first.
No Overdosing on Vitamin K
You need not worry about overdosing on K2—people who have been given a thousand-fold increase over the recommended dose over the course of three years have shown no adverse reactions (i.e. no increased clotting tendencies).
Advice for Warfarin Users
If you are taking warfarin, your goal should be to maintain the highest healthy levels of Vitamin K to counteract the effects of warfarin on your arterial and bone health.
If you change from warfarin to a NOAC, your goal should be to restore your arterial and bone health from the effects of warfarin by maintaining the highest healthy levels of Vitamin K.
Additional reading about Vitamin K To learn more about the types of Vitamin K, see our article, Vitamin K―Protection Against Arterial Calcification & Cardiovascular Disease.
On a personal note: I've had a CT scan which revealed calcium deposits in my heart's arteries, especially in the "widow maker", the Left Anterior Descending artery (LAD).
After writing this article, I've decided to take 45 mg (45,000 mcg) of Vitamin K2 daily.
For Your A-Fib—Try Magnesium Oil to Raise Your Level
A deficiency in the mineral Magnesium is central to creating conditions in the heart that cause Atrial Fibrillation. Therefore, anyone in A-Fib is almost certainly Magnesium deficient. (See our recent post, Got A-Fib? You're Almost Certainly Magnesium Deficient.)
Tips for Increasing Absorption of Magnesium
One of the easiest ways to increase your level of Magnesium is by applying topical Magnesium Oil. One benefit is it doesn't cause loose bowels or diarrhea like oral tablets can. And it's handy. It comes in a spray bottle.
We ran across this advice on the website of LL's Magnetic Clay, the company that makes Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil ($18). To increase absorption of magnesium oil through the skin:
• Increase the area of application
• Increase the amount of time the application is left on the skin (at least 20 min.)
• Increase the frequency of application
• Varying the location of application, with areas such as the scalp and armpits exhibiting higher rates of absorption
• Increasing temperature of the area of application
• Applying to well-hydrated skin
Practical Use of Magnesium Oil
This advice comes from Patti, who prefers Magnesium Oil to oral tablets. She uses it for muscle twitching. When that happens, she starts her nightly application routine. She uses four sprays of Life-Flo Pure Magnesium Oil ($10) on each lower leg and massages it in. This ensures a large area for absorption.
A total of eight sprays is equal to about 100 mg of topical magnesium. You can wipe off in 20 minutes, but she just showers it off in the morning. (She continues this for 6 weeks or more to rebuild her magnesium levels). A 8 oz. bottle lasts 3–6 months.
To read more about the importance of Magnesium to A-Fib patients, go to our pages:
♥ Mineral Deficiencies
♥ 'Natural' Supplements for a Healthy Heart.
♥ My Top 5 Picks: When You're Deficient in Magnesium & Potassium
Got A-Fib? You're Almost Certainly Magnesium Deficient
Magnesium deficiency is central to creating conditions in the heart that cause Atrial Fibrillation. Therefore, anyone in A-Fib is almost certainly magnesium deficient.
Why? It's now almost impossible to get adequate amounts of magnesium from our diets.
Magnesium used to be plentiful in fruits, vegetable and grains, but decades of industrial-scale farming have stripped the soil of minerals like magnesium. One study found that the nutrient content of crops has declined by as much as 40% since the 1950s.
How to Increase your Magnesium Level
To learn how to supplement your Magnesium go to our pages:
♥ Mineral Deficiencies
♥ 'Natural' Supplements for a Healthy Heart.
For recommended products and brands see Steve's Shopping Guide for a Healthy Heart (and all of Steve's Shopping Guides on our sister site, BeatYourA-Fib.com)
Medicines, Herbs and Supplements: 'Natural' Doesn't Necessarily Mean Safer, or Better
By Patti Ryan, based on an article from the National Institutes of Health
Nature has been good to us. Nature gave us aspirin and morphine, and other medicines derived from plants. The use of plants as medicines has a long history in the treatment of disease, and plants have played an important role in improving our health.
"Natural" vs. "Unnatural"
A lot of people believe that when it comes to medicine, "natural" is better, healthier and safer than "unnatural" or synthetic drugs.
Medicine and supplements: Is "natural" better, healthier and safer?
On the other hand, not all products from nature have been shown to be effective. Some dietary and herbal supplements have failed to show a benefit when scientists have studied them.
For example, several major studies of the herb Echinacea did not find evidence of benefit against the common cold. Studies of ginkgo, including a large study that enrolled more than 3,000 older adults, found that ginkgo supplements don't help prevent or slow dementia or cognitive decline.
"Natural" Medicines Can Have Side Effects Too
Contrary to what many may think, some "natural" medicines can even have serious safety concerns.
For example, kava, a plant native to the islands of the South Pacific, and often used as a dietary supplement for anxiety, may be associated with severe liver damage.
Ephedra, an evergreen shrub-like plant native to central Asia and Mongolia that has been used for centuries for colds, fever, and other conditions, is associated with heart problems and risk of death. (In fact, the U.S. FDA banned dietary supplements with ephedrine alkaloids.)
Free of chemicals? ... But everything is made of chemicals!
Are "Natural" Medicines Chemical Free?
Some people also believe that "natural" products are safe because they believe these medicines are free of chemicals. For many, the word "chemical" has come to mean toxic or synthetic, something to be avoided.
But everything is made of chemicals. The apple on your kitchen countertop, the ceramic mug in your cupboard, and even the air that you breathe. In fact, you are made up of chemicals, too.
Some chemicals in nature are toxic to us—mercury, snake venom, arsenic, and ricin from castor beans. But other chemicals are good for us and necessary for life—like iron and oxygen (but at high doses are toxic and can even cause death).
When Considering a Herbal or Dietary Supplement
It's important to understand that although many herbal or dietary supplements (and some prescription drugs) come from natural sources, "natural" does not always mean that it's a safer or better option for your health.
And a "chemical" ingredient can be beneficial. An herbal supplement may contain dozens of chemical compounds (but all of its ingredients may not yet be known).
Before you add herbals and supplements to complement your treatment plan, do your research! Strive to make informed decisions about your health.
Our Favorite Resources on Vitamins, Herbs and Supplements
Take charge of your health by being an informed consumer. Find out what the scientific evidence says about the safety of a supplement and whether it works. A good place to start is an unbiased, non-commercial searchable database. Here are our favorites:
1. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute/Integrative Medicine: "About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products"
2. Drugs.com: 'MedFacts Natural Products Professional database'
3. The 'Dietary Supplement Label Database' and Herbs at a Glance at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
For a detailed report, see our FAQ: Where can I find reliable, unbiased research and information on specific vitamins and supplements?
Don't Forget: Keep Your Health Care Providers Informed
To use vitamins, herbs and supplements safely, read and follow the label instructions, and recognize that "natural" does not always mean "safe."
It's important to tell all your health care providers about all supplements you take. Be sure to update this information every time you visit your doctors' offices. That way, they can help you avoid harmful interactions.
FREE Download: Keep a List of Your Medications—The Easy Way
Patti wanted to update her list of medications and vitamins, so I just downloaded and printed the Free Medication List form for her.
I thought I'd remind our A-Fib.com readers about the FREE Medication List (PDF) available on our Free Offers and Downloads page.
Keep up with changes to your meds. Because your medications and dosages can change over time, store blanks with your A-Fib records binder or folder. Use one to collect changes (if desired you can later update your computer-based PDF document.)
List of over-the-counter drugs, too. Over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and mineral supplements can interfere with your medications, so you'll want to list them, as well.
Download this FREE Medication List (PDF), complements of Alere, and remember to save to your hard drive.
You can open the PDF and type into the document and then print copies. Or, you can print blank forms and fill-in by hand. Give a completed copy to each of your doctors or other medical healthcare providers.
Keep Your Doctors Informed
It's important to keep your doctor and other healthcare providers up-to-date on all the medications you are taking, the dosages, and for what purpose. Take a copy with you on your next appointment.
My doctor's office has me verify all my medication on each office visit. My up-to-date printed medication list makes this a snap. – Patti
Magnesium Deficiency & Fatal Arrhythmias: Two Videos with Dr. Carolyn Dean
Mineral deficiencies like magnesium (Mg) can force the heart into fatal arrhythmias. Magnesium is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies. It's chronically lacking in most diets. Almost everyone with A-Fib is magnesium deficient.
Two Videos About Magnesium Deficiency with Dr. Dean
We have two videos in our A-Fib Video Library featuring Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of The Magnesium Miracle, talking about magnesium deficiency and calcium overload:
"The Best Way to Supplement Magnesium" with Dr. Carolyn Dean. Getting nutrients through food is not always possible; discusses side effects of too much Mg and how you can tell if you have a deficiency.(3:39) Go to video.
"Importance of Balancing Calcium & Magnesium". Dr. Dean discusses the importance of balancing your intake of magnesium and calcium (2:1); the benefits of both and why you need to have both in the body; the problem of 'calcium overload'. (2:30) Go to video.
Should You Take Magnesium Supplements?
As Dr. Carolyn Dean states, it's hard to get enough magnesium from today's food. Magnesium has been depleted from the soil by industrial scale farming. Therefore, A-Fib patients should consider taking magnesium supplements. (Note: it takes about 6 months of magnesium supplements to build up healthy level of Mg.)
For more about magnesium, see my article: Cardiovascular Benefits of Magnesium: Insights for Atrial Fibrillation Patients.
The Warfarin Myth: A Quiz About Foods and Vitamin K
Taking warfarin to manage your increased risk of clots and A-Fib stroke? Have you been told to avoid foods with vitamin K to prevent excess clotting? To separate the facts from the myths about warfarin and vitamin K, take our 5 question quiz.
A 5 Question Quiz about Warfarin and Vitamin K
1. True or False: Warfarin and vitamin K actually work against each other in your body.
True. Vitamin K helps your blood clot. Warfarin makes your blood clot more slowly. Your INR level is monitored to keep them in balance.
2. True or False: When taking warfarin, you should limit foods with high levels of vitamin K like dark, leafy greens.
False. You don't need to avoid foods with vitamin K. The key is to consistently maintain your daily level of vitamin K.
Don't confuse vitamin K with the K on the periodic table for potassium. One's a vitamin, the other is a mineral.
3. True or False: Vitamin K information is not included on most packaged food nutritional labels.
True. So it's often hard to determine the amount of vitamin K in your food.
4. True or False: To be safe, it's better to maintain a low level of vitamin K in your diet.
False. Don't avoid vitamin K foods. Vitamin K is an important nutrient especially for bone strength, brain function and cardiovascular health.
5. True or False: A vitamin K supplement may actually help stabilize your INR levels.
True. Some experts suggest that a low-dose vitamin K supplement (50-150 mcg/day) may help stabilize fluctuations in INR.
The Facts About Warfarin and Vitamin K
Well, how'd you do on the quiz? Did you learn something? So, if you're on warfarin, you now know the facts from the myths:
• You can eat dark, leafy greens rich with vitamin K
• You need to maintain a consistent intake of vitamin K
• Most nutritional labels won't help when checking for the amount of vitamin K
• Vitamin K is important for bone strength, brain function and cardiovascular health
• A low-dose vitamin K supplement may help stabilize your INR
Misinformation Surrounding Warfarin
Prolific A-Fib blogger Dr John Mandrola (Dr. John M.), posted about misinformation surrounding warfarin patients and vitamin K. He wrote:
"I am so utterly tired of correcting this mistake….Patients on warfarin can indeed eat green vegetables; they should just eat them consistently. I have vegetarians who do beautifully on warfarin. The problem comes when people vary the weekly dose of vegetables."
Reclaim the Benefits of Vitamin K
Safety first. When on warfarin, don't make any changes to your vitamin K intake without first talking to your doctor.
If you and your doctor decide that you can increase your vitamin K intake, the key is to be consistent on a daily schedule. If consumption of vitamin K does affect your INR, your doctor can always adjust the warfarin dosage.
For a practical reference about foods with vitamin K, check out the online 'Vitamin K Finder' at the ptinr.com website.
FAQs A-Fib Treatments: Medicines and Drug Therapies
Atrial Fibrillation patients often search for unbiased information and guidance about medicines and drug therapy treatments. These are answers to the most frequently asked questions by patients and their families. (Click on the question to jump to the answer.)
1. "I have a heart condition. Which medications are best to control my Atrial Fibrillation?" What medications work best for me?"
2. HRT: "Do you have information about Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and if it might help or hinder my atrial fibrillation?"
3. Rate Control Drug: "I take atenolol, a beta-blocker. Will it stop my A-Fib."
4. Antibiotics: "Which antibiotics are less liable to cause an A-Fib attack? How is Clindamycin for dental work? In the past I reacted to Azithromycin and Advil."
Antiarrhythmic Drugs
1. "Is the "Pill-In-The-Pocket" treatment a cure for A-Fib? When should it be used?" ("Pill-In-The-Pocket" makes use of an antiarrhythmic drug such as flecainide)
2. "I've been on amiodarone for over a year. It works for me and keeps me out of A-Fib. But I'm worried about the toxic side effects. What should I do?"
3. "Is the antiarrhythmic drug Multaq [dronedarone] safer than taking amiodarone? How does it compare to other antiarrhythmic drugs?"
4. "My doctor told me about the Tikosyn drug option that I want to consider in getting rid of my 5-month-old persistent A-Fib. That seems like something that should be discussed on your web site."
Blood Thinners/Anticoagulants
Note: August 2015 Update: Aspirin is no longer recommended as first-line therapy to prevent A-Fib stroke.
1. "Are anticoagulants and blood thinners the same thing? How do they thin the blood?
2. "Should everyone who has A-Fib be on a blood thinner like warfarin (brand name: Coumadin)?"
3. "For A-Fib patients, which is the better to prevent A-Fib-related stroke—warfarin (Coumadin), a NOAC or aspirin?"
4. "I am on Coumadin (warfarin). Do I now need to avoid foods with Vitamin K which would interfere with its blood thinning effects?"
5. "Are natural blood thinners for blood clot treatment as good as prescription blood thinners like warfarin?"
6. "I'm worried about having to take the blood thinner warfarin. If I cut myself, do I risk bleeding to death?"
7. "I"ve read about a new anticoagulant, edoxaban (brand names: Lixiana, Savaysa) as an alternative to warfarin (Coumadin). For A-Fib patients, how does it compare to warfarin? Should I consider edoxaban instead of the other NOACs?"
Related question: "My new cardiologist wants me to switch from Pradaxa to Eliquis. if bleeding occurs, is Eliquis safer, easier to deal with?"
Related question: "My heart doctor wants me to take Xarelto. I am concerned about the side effects which can involve death. What else can I do?"
1. "I've had a successful catheter ablation and am no longer in A-Fib. But my doctor says I need to be on a blood thinner. I've been told that, even after a successful catheter ablation, I could still have "silent" A-Fib—A-Fib episodes that I'm not aware of. Is there anything I can do to get off of blood thinners?"
2. "I just had an Electrical Cardioversion. My doctor wants me to stay on Coumadin for at least one month. Why is that required? They mentioned something about a "stunned atrium." What is that?"
A-Fib Stroke Risk
1. "What are my chances of getting an A-Fib stroke?"
2. "The A-Fib.com web site claims that an A-Fib stroke is often worse than other causes of stroke. Why is that? If a clot causes a stroke, what difference does it make if it comes from A-Fib or other causes? Isn't the damage the same?"
3. "How long do I have to be in A-Fib before I develop a clot and have a stroke?"
4. "Is there a way to get off blood thinners all together? I hate taking Coumadin. I know I'm at risk of an A-Fib stroke."
5. "I've heard of people with A-Fib on anticoagulants who still had a stroke. What can I do to make sure I never have a stroke?"
If you find any errors on this page, email us. Y Last updated: Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Return to Frequently Asked Questions
Memorial Sloan Kettering's App of Herbs, Vitamins, and Dietary Supplements
Determining whether herbs, vitamins, and other over-the-counter dietary supplements can be helpful or harmful to you can be challenging.
Our favorite resource is the About Herbs database at the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) website.
The database is continually updated and managed by a pharmacist and a botanicals expert with assistance from other MSK Integrative Medicine Service experts.
You can search by product or by medical condition to find objective and evidence-based information about:
• traditional and proven uses
• potential benefits
• possible adverse effects
• interactions with other herbs or medicines
Download App or Use Web Version
Use the web-based service, or the About Herbs app that's compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch devices and other mobile devices.
♥ Download the free About Herbs app from the iTunes App Store or
♥ Or go to the web-based version.
Your Doctor Needs to Know
If you are using a dietary supplement, keep your doctor or other healthcare professional informed. Why? The active ingredient in the product could interact with—increase or lessen—the effect of other medicines you're taking.
A 'Magic Pill' to Improve Your Chances of a Long, Healthy Life
It's not a pill, nor a medication. Magnesium is the 'magic' pill that improves by 34% your chances of living a long, healthy life—a mineral naturally present in many foods. Magnesium is important for anyone with a high cardiovascular risk (including patients with Atrial Fibrillation).
Insights come from researchers in Spain who carefully monitored the diets of 7,216 men and women between the ages of 55-80 (an age range more likely to develop A-Fib). The people in the highest third of magnesium intake (442 mg/day) were 34% less likely to have died from any cause over a five-year period. And they had a 59% reduced risk of cardiovascular mortality, plus a 37% reduction in cancer mortality.
Why was the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) lowered by ingesting more magnesium? …Continue reading…
Taking Supplements? How to Time Your Daily Doses
Updated November, 10, 2016
If you take several supplements (like I do), you may wonder:
"Should I take them at the same time each day? Or should I spread doses throughout the day? Should I take with meals? Or on an empty stomach?"
The best answer may depend on whether you are taking medication, on the specific supplement and/or on your personal life style.
Start with the 'Suggested Use'
Read the supplement label. Some are fairly specific, i.e., "with or without food", or "with food" or "on an empty stomach"; or specific time (morning or bedtime) or in divided dosages. Make notes for each supplement. Download and use this FREE form to help you keep track of everything.
Do you Have Other Medical Conditions?
If you have diabetes, hypertension or heart disease, first talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Combining supplements with prescription medications, can produce unexpected or life-threatening results.
They may offer advice specific to the combinations of your meds and supplements.
Do Some Reading, Take Some Notes
The best time to take a specific vitamin or supplement may depend on the specific supplement. Do some reading on each at the library or at a reputable website or two. Make notes of the information you find. A few examples:
• Taking a single dose multi-vitamin? It's best to take it in the morning when nutrients are depleted and with or near breakfast so it's broken down, then digested with the food.
• Vitamin D is best absorbed after your biggest meal, usually dinner, averaging 56 percent greater boost than those who take it without food.
• Calcium supplement, don't take along with a multivitamin containing iron. The calcium may interfere with the iron's absorption.
• Magnesium may be best taken in the evening, since Magnesium may support sound sleep.
Healthy Directions, Dr. David Williams
On the website Healthy Directions, Dr. David Williams offers advice about the best times to take vitamins. He lists specific vitamins and supplements and organized them into three groups, those that should be taken before meals, with meals, or in-between meals. See his article for specifics, The Best Times to Take Your Vitamins.
[Healthy Directions offers advanced nutritional supplements and guidance from highly respected integrative and alternative health doctors including Julian Whitaker, MD, Dr. David Williams, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, MD and others.]
My favorite independent research sites
For reliable, unbiased research and information on specific vitamins and supplements, we recommend these three sites (in order or preference). None of the three sell supplements (or anything else). They just offer information on vitamins, herbs, natural products and supplements.
1. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute/Integrative Medicine: "About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products"
2. Drugs.com: 'MedFacts Natural Products Professional database'
3. The 'Dietary Supplement Label Database' at the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Adjust for Your Life Style
You may need to adjust your supplement taking to accommodate work or school demands, family schedules, etc. For example, if you work the swing shift, your "morning" dose may need to be 1 pm, and your 'evening' doze may need to be at 2 am.
Or, if you often skip meals during your work day, taking equally divided doses may become erratic. So, it may be better taking your doses before you go to work.
Bottom Line: Try to be Consistent
For optimum benefit, it may take some effort to work up your supplement schedule. But you don't have to obsess about it. Since these are 'natural' substances (vs. prescription drugs), you usually don't have to be overly careful about when you take them. What's important is do try to be consistent from day to day.
After you work out your schedule, consider using a vitamin/supplement organizer. Check out My Search for the Best 7-Day Medicine/Vitamin Organizer.
For more answers to your questions about mineral deficiencies, see our: FAQ Minerals & Supplements
For more on where to research specific vitamins and supplements see, FAQ Minerals Deficiencies: Reliable Research.
Can You Suppress Your PVCs and PACs?
Are you one of the many A-Fib patients who also have PACs and PVCs? Are your PACs more than just annoying? Do your PACs become more frequent and trigger an A-Fib attack?
Perhaps you're thinking if you reduce these extra beats and palpitations, you may be able to reduce your A-Fib episodes. So, what can you do?
PAC and PVC stands for Premature Ventricle Contractions and Premature Atrial Contractions.
Catheter Ablation Option
In extreme cases where the extra beats are very disturbing and damage one's quality of life, Electrophysiologists (EPs) can perform an ablation for them similar to an ablation for A-Fib. But this is a specialized procedure that not all EPs perform or are willing to perform.
Suppress PACs and PVCs with the "Awesome Foursome" Cocktail
Dr. Stephen T. Sinatra in his book, The Sinatra Solution—Metabolic Cardiology, recommends the following natural "cocktail" for suppressing PACs and PVCs, what he calls the "awesome foursome":
• L-carnitine: A derivative of the amino acid lysine which helps to turn fat into energy. It promotes energy metabolism and enhances cardiac function. Some consider it the single most important nutrient in cardiac health. It reduces PVCs.
Dosage: Daily: 750-2000 mg of L-Carnitine Fumerate (250 to 500 mg three to four times a day).
• Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone): A naturally occurring enzyme, part of the quinone chemical group, that is found in every cell in the body. It produces energy in the mitochondria and energizes the heart. 95% of the body's energy is generated by CoQ10, which generates energy in the form of ATP. It prolongs the action potential and helps maintain sinus rhythm. It improves heart rhythm problems.
Dosage: 100-300 mg daily in divided doses with meals.
• D-ribose: A five-carbon sugar that is a regulator in the production of ATP. The only compound used by the body to replenish depleted energy stores. Ribose increases tolerance to cardiac stress, improves exercise tolerance and physical function, provides cardiac energy needed to maintain normal heart function, increases cardiac efficiency, lowers stress during exercise, and maintains healthy energy levels in heart and muscle.
Dosage: Daily: 7-10 grams of Ribose powder. Take in divided doses with meals or just before and after exercise.
• Magnesium: A vital mineral used by the enzymes that make energy synthesis and recycling possible. Adequate intracellular magnesium is essential to normal tissue and organ function. Low magnesium is associated with cardiac abnormalities, fibrillation, and vascular and muscle spasms, and is seen in cardiac failure.
Dosage: A recommended goal is a minimum 600 mg/day, preferably 800 mg. (For example, 200mg three times a day and 200 mg at bedtime.)
To Learn More About PACs and PVCs
Read the research in my article, Premature Atrial Contractions (PACs) Predict A-Fib.
Read John's personal A-Fib story, PVC-Free After Successful Ablation at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Sinatra's Book on Amazon.com
Use our A-Fib.com portal link to Amazon.com to get your copy of Dr. Stephen T. Sinatra book, The Sinatra Solution—Metabolic Cardiology.
When you use the A-Fib.com Amazon.com link, we receive a small commission on each sale, at no extra cost to you. We apply it toward the monthly publishing costs of this website. Bookmark this link and use every time you go to Amazon.com.
My Search for the Best 7-Day Medicine/Vitamin Organizer
By Patti J. Ryan
Do you struggle with the daily mix of supplements and prescriptions you take? Some are small, but some are horse-pill size! Some you take in the AM, others you take in the PM.
Trying to find the right pill organizer has been a trial for me. Most often the compartments are too small and hard to open.
I Found the Best Organizer
After years of trial and effort, I've FINALLY found a great pill organizer―the EZY Dose AM/PM 7-Day Push Button organizer.
This 7-day organizer has two rows for AM/PM dosages with large letters for the days of the week.
Compartments are extra large―about 1 1/8″ wide by 1 3/8″ deep. That's large enough for those 'horse pill' size tablets. The compartments have rounded bottoms― making it effortless to get the pills out. And the cherry on top? Push button lids―easy open and easy close.
Do you carry your meds with you? The EZY Dose is also compact and portable for carrying in your purse or jacket pocket.
Note: If you take pills four times a day, there's an EZY Dose for you too: 7-Day XL Medtime Planner
Use our Link to Amazon.com and Support A-Fib.com
For my needs, I bought two 7-Day EZY Dose organizers from Amazon.com, so I'm set for two weeks at fill up time.
Use our Amazon.com portal link: Here's a link to get two EZY Dose AM/PM 7-Day Push Button organizers and Free Amazon Prime shipping. (Purchases through our portal link helps support A-Fib.com―at no extra cost to you!)
The EZY Dose AM/PM 7-Day organizer is also available from other retail and online sources.
Is the Supplement BCAA+G a Natural Remedy for Atrial Fibrillation?
In his personal A-Fib.com story, Tom Lisak wrote that his A-Fib disappeared after taking the supplement combination BCAA+G twice a day.
Personally, I take BCAA+G after running and after working out at the gym. (For recommended products: see 'BCAA+G' under 'Natural' Supplements for a Healthy Heart.)
Branched Chain Amino Acids coupled with L-Glutamine (BCAA+G) helps builds muscle. Athletes and weight lifters use BCAA+G to improve exercise performance and decrease post-exercise soreness and recovery time.
Our body doesn't naturally manufacture Branched Chain Amino Acids. They're essential nutrients that the body obtains from proteins found in food. All of your muscles, including your heart, could suffer if you are BCAA-deficient. Continue reading...
My Top 7 Picks: Natural Supplements for a Healthy Heart
By Steve S. Ryan, PhD
While not considered "A-Fib specific" like your medications, these minerals and supplements may improve overall heart health and thereby help your Atrial Fibrillation.
Recommendations for Heart Health
For a detailed discussion of these minerals and supplements along with recommended dosages, see our article, 'Natural' Supplements for a Healthy Heart. Our seven recommendations are:
For a detailed discussion of these seven nutritional supplements, see our article 'Natural' Supplements for a Healthy Heart.
• Taurine
• Coenzyme Q10
• L-Carnitine
• Omega-3 Fish Oils
• Ribose (D-Ribose)
• Hawthorne Berry
Many Sources and My Amazon.com List
These minerals and supplements are available from many reputable retail and online sources. To make shopping easy for you, see my 'Wish List' on Amazon.com. (Note: Use any of these Amazon portal links, and your purchases help support A-Fib.com.)
To get you started choosing brands, tablet size and forms of each supplement, we offer you 2 brands that meets our requirements.
Taurine, along with Magnesium and Potassium, have been described as "the essential trio" for treating nutritional deficiencies relating to A-Fib. Taurine protects potassium levels inside the heart, regulates cellular calcium, and improves heart muscle contraction. Suggested products:
Now Foods Taurine 1000Mg, 100-Capsules; Source Naturals Taurine 1000mg, 240 Capsules
2. Ubiquinol CoQ10 (coenzyme) 100 Mg
Coenzyme's ability to energize the heart is perhaps its chief attribute; improves heart functions and heart rhythm problems. Coenzyme is a naturally occurring enzyme and plays a key role in producing energy in the mitochondria. "Ubiquinol" is a more readily absorbed form.
Source Naturals Ubiquinol CoQ10 100mg, 90 Softgels; Jarrow Formulas Ubiquinol QH-Absorb, High Absorption/Enhanced Stability, 100 mg, 120 Softgels
3. GPL-Carnitine dosage: 500 -1000 Mg
L-Carnitine is a vitamin-like nutrient; a derivative of the amino acid lysine which helps to turn fat into energy. Considered by some to be the single most important nutrient in cardiac health. It reduces the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias and premature ventricular contractions (PVCs).
Swanson Glycine Propionyl-L-Carnitine Hcl Gplc 840 mg 60 Caps; Vitacost GPLC Glycine Propionyl L-Carnitine HCl-GlycoCarn 1000 mg PLC per serving – 60 Capsules
Essential fatty acids like EPA and DHA are considered by some to be natural defibrillators, lessening the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias and A-Fib. Krill Fish Oil 1000 Mg; Essential Fatty Acids (EPA and DHA) make blood platelets less sticky, less likely to form clots (cause of strokes). Some prefer Krill oil to fish oil as it's exacted from organisms living in pristine deep-water seas.
Source Naturals Omega EPA Fish Oil, 1000mg, 100 Softgels; MegaRed Extra Strength Omega 3 Krill Oil 500mg Supplement, 60 Count
Ribose increases tolerance to cardiac stress, lowers stress during exercise, and maintains healthy energy levels in heart and muscle. The heart's ability to maintain energy is limited by one thing—-the availability of Ribose.
Now Foods D-Ribose Powder, 8-Ounce; Doctor's Best Best D-Ribose Featuring Bioenergy Ribose, 250-Gram
Hawthorne Berry reduces tachycardias and palpitations and prevents premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). Hawthorne Berry can energize the heart without prompting arrhythmias. It has a normalizing effect upon the heartbeat. Dosage 300 to 510 Mg
Now Foods Hawthorn Extractract 300mg, Veg-capsules, 90-Count; Nature's Way Hawthorn Berries , 510 mg., 180 Veg-capsules
7. BCAA with L-Glutamine, 1000 Mg
'Branched Chain Amino Acids' (BCAA) are critical to the repair and maintenance of strong heart muscle and function. Be sure to get BCCA in combination with L-Glutamine (though challenging to find). We like the powder form. Suggested products:
MRM BCAA+G, Lemonade, 35.2-Ounce (1000g) Plastic Jar; BodyTech BCAA and Glutamine (13.8 Oz Powder)
Note: Mineral supplements may interfere or interact with your prescription medications, so always consult your doctor before adding any supplements to your treatment plan.
Many Physicians are Not Well Versed in Nutritional Support
Don't expect a lot of support from your doctor. Unfortunately, a great number of doctors are not well versed in recommending or supervising nutritional support. Quite often, they may dismiss your inquiries about nutritional supplements.
You may need to work with (or educate) your doctor to determine the benefit of supplements for your A-Fib health.
Learn about Mineral Deficiencies and Atrial Fibrillation
For an extensive discussion about mineral deficiencies, see our Treatments page: Minerals Deficiencies.
My Top 5 Picks: Steve's A-Fib Survival Kit for the Newly Diagnosed
By Steve S. Ryan, PhD
Your first experiences with Atrial Fibrillation have changed your life in a number of ways. As a former A-Fib patient (cured since 1998) I highly recommend these items when first diagnosed with this beast called 'Atrial Fibrillation'.
My Top 5 Recommendations for the Newly Diagnosed
These are the products I recommend (and use) along with a Bonus: a good medical dictionary. These items are available from many online sources, but I've made them easy to order by making a 'Wish List' on Amazon.com. (Note: Use our Amazon portal link, and your purchases help support A-Fib.com.)
1. Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium (200 Mg Elemental), 240-Count
Most A-Fib patients are deficient in Magnesium (Mg). While Magnesium (Mg) is one of the main components of heart cell functioning, it seems to be chronically lacking in most diets.
One form of easily absorbed magnesium is Magnesium glycinate, a chelated amino acid. Look for the label 'Albion Minerals' designed to limit bowel sensitivity. Dosage: 600-800 mg daily in divided dosages (meals and bedtime). Read more about Magnesium.
2. Now Foods Potassium Gluconate Pure Powder, 1-pound
Just like magnesium deficiency, A-Fib patients are usually deficient in Potassium as well. We recommend the powder in order to take the recommended dose of 1600-2400 mg per day.
Be cautious of potassium tablets. For example those listed as 540 mg ONLY contain 99 mg of Potassium. Read more about Potassium.
3. Beat Your A-Fib: The Essential Guide to Finding Your Cure: Written in everyday language for patients with Atrial Fibrillation
A-Fib can be cured! That's the theme of this book written by a former A-Fib patient and publisher of the patient education website, A-Fib.com. Empowers patients to seek their cure. Written in plain language for A-Fib patients and their families.
4. Polar FT2 Heart Rate Monitor, Black or Blue
Many A-Fib patients want to monitor their heart rate when exercising or doing strenuous tasks (mowing the lawn, moving equipment, etc.) This is a basic DIY model with a clear, LARGE number display of your heart rate (as a number). Requires wearing the included T31 coded transmitter chest strap.
One-button start. Includes a FT2 Getting Started Guide.
Also look at other Polar models: FT1 & RS3000X. I wore a Polar monitor when I had A-Fib, so it's my brand of choice, but there are many other good brands.
5. Facelake Fl400 Pulse Oximeter
Many A-Fib patients also suffer with undiagnosed sleep apnea. A finger Oximeter is an easy way to check your oxygen level. A reading of 90% or lower means you should talk to your doctor as you may need a sleep study.
BONUS: Concise Medical Dictionary (Oxford Quick Reference)
An excellent medical dictionary, the best I've found for patients with Atrial Fibrillation who are conducting research into their best treatment options. Includes occasional illustrations (for fun check p. 276 for the types of fingerprint patterns).
Learn More about…
For more suggestions, see my Amazon.com 'Wish List' By a Former A-Fib Patient: My Recommended Products.
Our A-Fib Support Volunteers: Just an Email Away
After being diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation, it's helpful to talk with someone who knows what you are going through, someone you can turn to for advice, emotional support, and a sense of hope that you can be cured. That's the role of our A-Fib Support Volunteers.
They offer you support and encouragement through exchanging emails and sharing their stories. (Not all Support Volunteers are 'cured' of their A-Fib, but have found the best outcome for their situation.) Learn about our world-wide network and how to contact one or more of our volunteers.


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Yellow Springs High School Section :: Page 7
Teacher opposes nonrenewal
The Yellow Springs School Board approved a recommendation at their meeting Thursday, May 8, to nonrenew the contract of McKinney physical education and health teacher Angela Bussey. During the board meeting, Bussey and her attorney Mark Landers held a public hearing to defend her right to maintain her job.
Fixing the fixtures at YSHS
Yellow Springs High School freshman Lorien Chavez happened to be in the girls bathroom at the high school last year when some cheerleaders from another school walked in. Not realizing she was there, they began commenting on how gross and unkempt the school's main bathroom was.
"When I came out of the stall I looked at them and was like, "oh, I know, we don't like it either,'" Chavez said. "I was really embarrassed."
Yellow Springs High School senior organizes mock crash before prom
About 100 local high school students witnessed the emergency response to a mock crash with serious injuries this week at the school campus.
Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Pirates'— It's the very model of a YSHS musical
For a generation raised on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" action films, the Victorian-era comic opera "Pirates of Penzance" might seem out of date.
With operatic music, jokes that landed before the turn of the 20th century and more dance numbers than sword fights, "Pirates of Penzance" is a different kind of pirate production for these local teens.
Theater review— Players do justice to 'Pirates'
If you are up for a jaunty two hours gallivanting about with pirates, daughters and policemen, find a seat in the center section at Mill Lawns Auditorium for the Yellow Springs High School production Pirates of Penzance.
School board— School of rock replaces 'flex'
An overwhelming majority of Yellow Springs High School students last fall voiced disappointment with part of a new scheduling system that was implemented at the beginning of the school year.
Bit of the Big Easy in Yellow Springs
There's a new sound to be heard around the halls of the Yellow Springs High School thanks to the recently formed street band Sassabrass.
School Forest gives up just three trees this year
Yellow Springs High School School Forest group held its annual Christmas tree sale over the weekend. Due to a poor growth year, just three trees were sold, but fun was had by all.
YSHS stage lights up for second weekend of Almost, Maine
YSHS's fall play "Almost, Maine" continues this weekend at Mills Lawn auditorium.
YSHS/McKinney to open— New staff, new way of learning
This school year students at Yellow Springs High School/McKinney School will plan for the zombie apocalypse, make documentaries, build roller coasters, erect a sculpture trail and work in agriculture as part of the new project-based learning, or PBL, curriculum that begins the 2013–14 school year. Implementing the district-wide mandate will be difficult, but the educational […]


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In 2011 Santander Universities kindly contributed to the development of ESCALA's new website and collections management system. The University of Essex is one of Santander Universities' partners and benefits already from scholarships for postgraduate students and travel bursaries for researchers.From 2011, Santander Universities has made a further long-term annual contribution to the development of ESCALA.
From 2011, Linklaters, the global law firm, has made a three-year commitment to the development of ESCALA's education activities and resources, especially with primary schools.Linklaters has a Colchester office which works with a number of organisations to develop its Community Investment programme through both funding and volunteering projects. The office has an ongoing relationship with a local primary school, where volunteers visit children to help with their reading and literacy skills.
The Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA) is an educational initiative of the Geo Global Foundation devoted to the support of advanced research in the field of Latin American Art Studies. ISLAA plays a relevant role in promoting Latin American art through its distinguished grants and support of lectures, conferences and publications. ISLAA facilitates grants to partnering universities and institutions which in turn award them to selected scholars, professionals and specific projects.
The Geo Global Foundation (GGF) is a US based nonprofit organization that works to support, foster and promote educational projects and initiatives focused on developing and enhancing human capital and culture. To accomplish these goals GGF has embarked on two educational initiatives: the Institute for Global Organizational Effectiveness (IGOE) and the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA). The mission and activities of each project are independent and they both share the purposes of advancing and supporting educational efforts with a focus on Latin America.
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Website by Red Leader


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The morning was quite chilly perfect for staging blooms
Once again Ivor Mace showed the way setting a high standard,
culminating in winning the Gold Cup again.
Fay Seagrave presented Ivor with the Gold Cup.
Some of the members making the most of the sunshine during our visit to Peter Bookers. We would like to thank Peter and Kathy for the welcome they gave and the refreshments.
Our members were very impressed with Ivor's setup and the quality of his plants, nice clean plants, another thing they noticed was the strong stems. They were made very welcome, Ivor hoped he could make a visit in the future to the North-East. A long day out but very worthwhile
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Murder at the Brightwell
by Ashley Weaver
Amory Ames is a wealthy young woman who regrets her marriage to her notoriously charming playboy husband, Milo. Looking for a change, she accepts a request for help from her former fiancé, Gil Trent, not knowing that she'll soon become embroiled in a murder investigation that will test not only her friendship with Gil, but will upset the status quo with her husband.
Amory accompanies Gil to the Brightwell Hotel in an attempt to circumvent the marriage of his sister, Emmeline, to Rupert Howe, a disreputable ladies' man. Amory sees in the situation a grim reflection of her own floundering marriage. There is more than her happiness at stake, however, when Rupert is murdered and Gil is arrested for the crime. Amory is determined to prove his innocence and find the real killer, despite attempted dissuasion from the disapproving police inspector on the case. Matters are further complicated by Milo's unexpected arrival, and the two form an uneasy alliance as Amory enlists his reluctant aid in clearing Gil's name. As the stakes grow higher and the line between friend and foe becomes less clear, Amory must decide where her heart lies and catch the killer before she, too, becomes a victim.
Murder at the Brightwell is a delicious mystery in which murder invades polite society and romance springs in unexpected places. Weaver has penned a debut in the tradition of Jacqueline Winspear.
NOTE: This is the first review for Vacation Mystery Week! It is a re-post from 2017 and I consider Murder at the Brightwell a full length novel. Now for the review…
I discovered Amory Ames through Olive at A Book Olive. (She's also responsible for introducing me to the Iris Cooper series) She has only great things to say about the Amory Ames mystery series and I was in need of a new historical read featuring a snarky female detective. The first book, Murder at the Brightwell, was the perfect choice for my cruise vacation last March!
Amory is unhappy. She's bored, and depressed at her rapidly deteriorating marriage to socialite Milo Ames. A welcome distraction arrives with Gil, the fiancé she jilted to marry Milo. Gil begs her to join him on holiday to help persuade his sister from jumping into a bad marriage. Amory agrees to help. She desperately needs an adventure and a chance at a different future. And then someone gets murdered!
I am hooked on Weaver's Amory Ames series. Our heroine is smart, sharp tongued, and gloriously flawed. I immediately connected with her tendency to overthink everything and her stubborn refusal to backdown from a fight. She begins her investigation with the best intentions, to help a friend, but her quest quickly becomes one of selfish needs as she is desperate to find her own sense of purpose in the world. Thank you Ashley Weaver for not sugar coating Amory's motives! (Seriously..isn't this why we mystery lovers enjoy a good whodunnit?!)
I would recommend Murder at the Brightwell just because Amory is so well written. But…all the main characters are just as fantastically developed! The Brightwell Hotel is the perfect setting with its picturesque beach local. And I found myself guessing at the culprit's identity right up until the big reveal!
Now is Murder at the Brightwell the perfect novel? No. You can tell the historic British story is written by a modern American due to the overall tone. It is what it is. I will also admit to not being a fan of Milo. Don't take this to mean that he was poorly written because that's not the case; his personality isn't one that would mesh with mine. I liked him well enough, just not enough to really root for him to win Amory's affections. I didn't really root for Gil either for that fact. I didn't find the romantic element of the story necessarily engaging. I enjoyed Murder at the Brightwell because of Amory and her murder investigation.
Murder at the Brightwell is the perfect summer read. I definitely recommend the story if you enjoy a strong willed female detective! Let me know if you're also a fan of Amory Ames!


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Fifty years ago this month, the Supreme Court handed down a landmark civil rights decision, the first under the newly seated Chief Justice Earl Warren. Brown v. Board of Education, involving African-Americans and segregated schools, came two weeks later. Unlike Brown, the case called Hernandez v. Texas has been mostly relegated to legal footnotes. But this decision, which protected Mexican-Americans and the right to fair trials and helped widen the definition of discrimination beyond race, deserves more attention.
In Texas and throughout much of the Southwestern United States in the first half of the 20th century, people of Mexican origin were subjected to discrimination and worse. They were forced to use segregated public restrooms and attend segregated schools. Hundreds of them were killed in lynchings. And in Jackson County, Tex., where Mexican-Americans made up 14 percent of the population by the early 1950's, not a single person with a Spanish surname had been allowed to serve on a jury in 25 years. Some 70 Texas counties had similar records of exclusion.
The practice survived legal challenges until Pete Hernandez, a migrant cotton picker, was convicted by an all-Anglo jury in the murder of Joe Espinosa in Jackson County. Seeing an opportunity, a team of Hispanic civil rights lawyers from the American G.I. Forum and the League of United Latin American Citizens filed a suit that finally reached the Supreme Court in early 1954. Ignacio Garcia, a history professor at Brigham Young University who is writing a book about the Hernandez case, said that it marked the first time Hispanic lawyers had argued before the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Warren, in delivering the court's unanimous opinion on May 3, rejected the state's argument that the absence of Hispanics on juries was a coincidence and that in any case, they were represented because Mexican-Americans were legally classified as white. In reversing Mr. Hernandez's conviction, the court held that in excluding Hispanics from jury duty, Texas had unreasonably singled out a class of people for different treatment. The defendant, it said, had been deprived of the equal protection guaranteed by the 14th Amendment, a guarantee ''not directed solely against discrimination between whites and Negroes.''
Today, the Hernandez case is little known even among civil rights experts. It came at a time when the pillars of discrimination were set to topple in quick succession. The Brown decision drew all of the nation's attention and set civil rights priorities along racial lines. Women began to serve on Texas juries in 1954, and their battle for inclusion would continue to be waged in the South for the next decade.
Somehow, the transcripts of the Hispanic lawyers' oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the Hernandez case and other records were lost. As for Mr. Hernandez, he was convicted in Mr. Espinosa's murder a second time, by a jury that included two Mexican-American men. He served his time, and then he disappeared. But the case that bears his name does not deserve the same fate. It ushered in an era of progress and hope whose promises we are still struggling to keep.


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Rebel Heart: From shy bride to passionate campaigner, Diana, Princess of Wales didn't just transform herself—she changed her country
by Catherine Mayer, Time Magazine, August 16, 2007
The British have always been good at silence — at family meals spent wordlessly; intense emotions expressed through a hand on the shoulder — but on Sept. 6, 1997, they surpassed themselves. London, the big, braying capital, was stilled as over a million mourners of Diana, Princess of Wales, kept vigil along the route to Westminster Abbey. The hush amplified the sounds of the cortège as it set out from Kensington Palace: the rumble of wheels on tarmac, the clopping of horses' hooves, and a bell that tolled at listless intervals. But as the procession came into view, turning out of the palace gates onto the public road, a shriek pierced the morning air: "Diana, my Diana!" and then a despairing wail: "We love you, Diana!" Britain's customary stoicism had been overwhelmed by raw, unbridled grief.
It has become commonplace in the decade since Diana's death on Aug. 31, 1997, to say that the festival of mourning which culminated in her extraordinary funeral marked a transformation — the moment when the old British virtues of reserve and silent suffering, of "mustn't grumble" and "could be worse," gave way to publicly expressed catharsis. The People's Princess had unlocked hearts, reordered values, presided at the triumph of emotional intelligence over cold intellect, of compassion over tradition.
The truth is harder to pin down, as tricky as the Princess herself could be. If Diana mattered, her significance rests in a series of interlocking social and political revolutions in a nation with a disproportionate impact on global culture, high and low — revolutions in which she participated, part unwitting catalyst, part canny activist.
This October will see the resumption of the inquest into her death by the British courts, the third inquiry to examine her fatal car crash in Paris. But even before these proceedings are concluded, there is little real doubt that Diana's death was precisely what it seemed to be at the time: a tragic accident.
Ten years on, Diana is still the world's most famous Briton, but many of her own compatriots don't seem sure if she did much more than wear designer dresses and shift a lot of tabloids. So here are a few incontrovertible facts. Diana shook up the British monarchy and speeded its modernization. She helped to tear down prejudices about AIDS. She raised awareness of eating disorders. She coalesced opposition to land mines. These are pretty hefty achievements for a woman of little education who mocked herself for being "thick as a plank." Add to these a more dubious accomplishment — her skillful manipulation of media images — and it's clear why, a decade after her death, Diana remains an inescapable presence in British life: mostly, but not always, benign; a restless and seductive ghost. It's time to peer into the many corners she still haunts.
Modernizing the Monarchy
When 19-year-old Diana asked Charles if he loved her, her churlish fiancé replied "whatever that means." Yet the Windsors thought they knew about love. It looked like patriotism. It was respectful and waved flags. It didn't sob on the streets or scream like a teenage girl glimpsing her rock idol. The quiet affection of the British people for Queen Elizabeth II has barely wavered during her 54-year reign. There was a low ebb early in 1998 — Diana's legacy — but even then the monarch's popularity rating dipped no lower than 66%. It's now 85%.
Of course, there has always been dissent: some 18% of Britons have called for the abolition of the monarchy since MORI, a polling firm, first began gathering opinions on the royals in 1969. That figure seemed as impervious to change as the Queen's fashion sense. Then Diana died and, for one week, republican numbers swelled.
The Queen never gives interviews — a wise policy that has helped to preserve the fraying mystique of royalty. But as her subjects wept on the streets and dying flowers carpeted the sidewalks, Elizabeth's Trappist vow looked either boneheaded or stone-hearted. Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to the Queen, Charles and Diana who was responsible for the media arrangements for Diana's funeral, says it was neither. "The Queen was always going to pay tribute to Diana," he says, but she planned from the outset to make her broadcast shortly before the funeral. "There was a furor because she was at [the Scottish castle] Balmoral and not down with the sniveling mobs in London. [But] William and Harry needed her more than hundreds and thousands of people keeping Kleenex in business."
Yet while the Queen and her immediate family kept their grief to themselves, there was a whiff of revolution beyond the palace gates. The U.S. academic Camille Paglia, speaking two days after the Paris car crash, foretold the fall of the house of Windsor. "With its acquisition of Diana, the monarchy had restored its modernity," she told Salon.com. "Instead its treatment — its mistreatment — of her … may mean the end of the monarchy." Not so. As soon as the Queen walked among the mourners, support for ditching her plunged to historic lows. It was as if Britons had peered into the abyss of republicanism and drawn back in horror. The royals had learned a lesson too, says Robert Worcester, MORI's founder: "The monarchy realized that it stands or falls on public opinion." That realization has informed a program of stealthy reform that has made the monarchy, by almost imperceptible degrees, more professional. The Queen agreed to change the rules on primogeniture to allow her female descendants equal rights in the succession to the throne. Her children took stock and decided they had better justify their existence to the outside world.
Granted, their options for doing so are limited. In her charitable work, Diana set a standard that's hard to equal. She ignored the prevailing prejudices and fears about AIDS to clasp the hands of sufferers, and embraced leprosy patients in Indonesia. Arbiter remembers a visit to a home for the blind where Diana noticed that an old resident was crying: "She asked what was the matter and he said, 'I can't see you.' So she took his hand and put it on her face." Charles still doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve, but it's increasingly evident that it's in the right place. His Prince's Trust organization raises a good deal of money for charities helping young people, and he's gaining respect for his stance on environmental issues, as mainstream thought catches up with views he's propagated for years.
In other ways, too, Diana lives on in her family. Charles has visibly stepped up to the task of rearing their boys, not in the model of his own upbringing, but just as the Princess would have wanted. William and Harry see how much happier their father has become. Charles' visible contentment has also helped to turn around public opinion, once set firmly against Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, his second wife and longtime lover. Just before Diana died, MORI asked in a poll if Camilla should become Queen; only 15% supported the idea. By April of last year, that figure had grown to 38%. Voices in the British press have fulminated at plans for the Duchess to attend a memorial service for Diana later this month; there's some sympathy with this view, but little sign of a real backlash. With no small irony, the ideas the Princess popularized — the pursuit of personal happiness, compassion for human weaknesses — have helped the cause of a woman she detested.
Unbuttoning Britain
Diana had been brought up in about as old-fashioned an environment as was possible in the last quarter of the 20th century, but nothing could have prepared her for the antiquity of palace life. Britain had been postimperial for more than a generation, which meant that the values associated with empire (or with its rulers) had long lost their edge. By the time she married it was already — and especially in London — a place less homogeneous, more multicolored than it had ever been, and far less deferential to the Victorian virtues that the royal family represented. Yet in the royal household, those virtues — and that deference — held sway. The new Princess could not fit in. Her rebellion, inchoate and self-destructive at first, reverberated far beyond the palace walls. Tina Brown, the latest of Diana's biographers, relates asking former Prime Minister Tony Blair if Diana had found a new way to be royal. "No," Blair replied. "Diana taught us a new way to be British."
Blair's party, New Labour, had been given power by electors who were reviewing their values. After the brash, moneymaking 1980s came the hangover of the early 1990s. Britons were searching for spiritual and emotional succor. That didn't make them deep. They set increasing store by celebrity. Success was measured by the ability to find fulfillment. It was a confessional age. Even before the country convulsed in grief for its lost Princess, Brits were eager to let it all hang out — at least by comparison with their grandparents and great-grandparents. If you doubt that, consider this passage in The Ascent of Everest, the account of the first conquest of the mountain in 1953, by John Hunt, who led the expedition. Hunt is describing the return of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to camp after summiting. "Everyone was pouring out of the tents, there were shouts of exclamation and joy. The next moment I was with them: handshakes — even, I blush to say, hugs — for the triumphant pair."
Diana led the charge for emotion and the unembarrassed displays that now routinely go with it: from hugs and kisses to public tears. Unlike her remote royal in-laws, she touched the people she met, literally touched them, and bought their trust with a coinage she had in endless supply: her most personal thoughts and feelings. That's partly because her unhappiness drove her humanitarian impulses. Arbiter says, "She always championed the downtrodden" because she was attracted to their suffering. "She was a bit of an ambulance chaser, with the best of intentions." She also experimented with different therapies that encouraged her to unburden, if not necessarily in public. The comedian David Baddiel, whose novel Whatever Love Means begins on the day of Diana's funeral, sees her as an exponent of "a degraded version of therapy culture," a self-help addict who couldn't stop spilling her guts. She "didn't know who she was but gained an identity through her messiness, through her lack of identity, by splattering her lack of identity on the walls of our culture," he says. "People chimed with that."
After her separation and divorce, Diana's efforts to redefine herself took on an edge of urgency. She had given up her patronage of most of the charities she once represented. She fantasized about becoming the wife of one of her boyfriends, a heart surgeon called Hasnat Khan, and living in anonymity. Yet she could never hope to become normal. Instead she became a celebrity. Then came Dodi Fayed.
Though friends say he was just a distraction, her choice of two Muslim boyfriends looked set to test how deep the tolerance of New Labour's Britain would go. This much is plain: she had long since escaped or shed the attitudes of many white Britons. After her death, Trevor Phillips, a black Labour politician who now chairs Britain's Commission for Equality and Human Rights, told Newsweek Diana "embraced the modern, multicultural, multi-ethnic Britain without reservation." Unlike most Europeans, she had "no flinch, no anxiety about race … for nonwhite Britons, she was like a beacon in the darkness."
Wayne Sleep, a ballet dancer and media personality, got to know Diana well and remembers her "poking fun at aristocracy." In her final years, she mingled less and less with her own class, preferring instead the company of the self-made aristocracy of entertainment and fashion. The members of this élite were from different countries and cultures — gay, straight, black, white and united by fame. In Blair's Britain, they could expect invitations to 10 Downing Street, not always because of their talent. (Britain may have shrugged off its forelock-tugging subservience to the ruling classes, but in Cool Britannia money and celebrity counted.) Diana fitted into this new world perfectly. She wasn't seen as posh. She was one of the people. By example, she reassured them that anyone could be a star. All you needed, she seemed to imply, was the chance to display yourself to the world. After all, she'd done that more than once herself. In 1985, at a gala evening to celebrate Charles' 37th birthday, she left the royal box and appeared on stage, shimmying with Sleep. Charles was appalled. Diana's scheme to please him may have come undone, but she had helped Britain to unbutton.
From Fairy Tale to PostFeminist
Imagine this: Diana is still alive. She's a well-preserved 46, with a new boyfriend and an apartment in Manhattan. Is she popular? Maybe. A legend? No way. By dying young, Diana ensured her immortality. Better dead than wrinkled.
Celebrity culture is cruel, but especially to women. "One of the characteristics of celebrity culture is that you first build someone up and then you write about their downfall," says German writer Tom Levine, the author of a book on Britain's first family. "If Diana had lived she would have been going on that up-and-down train." Her last summer was already something of a downward ride. A slight weight gain set the press speculating she might be pregnant. She wasn't, and such close attention could not have been easy for a bulimic. But her public admission of her eating disorder in a 1995 interview with Martin Bashir for the BBC had encouraged hidden sufferers to seek help. Her life reflected many of the concerns of ordinary women — their weight, their relationship troubles — and by talking openly she also eroded the stigma attached to failure. Even a Princess battled the bulge, even a beauty lost her husband. Diana was criticized for her "American style of emotionalism," says feminist writer Naomi Wolf, but her approach actually represented a liberation theology in hidebound Britain. "It was very radical. She didn't just talk the talk, she walked the walk."
That was not the fate feminists predicted when the news of her engagement to Charles broke. The feminist magazine Spare Rib ran an article headed "DON'T DO IT DI". This slogan, rendered as a lapel button, became a fashionable accessory for the thinking woman. "On 29 July 1981," wrote the British journalist Beatrix Campbell of the fairy-tale wedding in St. Paul's Cathedral, "the deceitful and depressed engagement ended when this thin, wan, whiter-than-white woman walked down the aisle, propping up the aged patriarch who had got her into all this … Her ivory silk wedding dress was a shroud."
By the time Diana died, however, many feminists had read her struggle against a sclerotic system as a parable of empowerment. Paglia dubbed her an "incredible superstar." That she was, but she would never have located herself in the feminist firmament. She wasn't interested in gender equality. She fought against a patriarchy because it was old-fashioned and restrictive, not because she repudiated its male values. The Princess was one of the first and most potent symbols of the "girl power" celebrated by the Spice Girls with their mildly predatory allure and celebration of girly friendship. It was a neat fit for Diana, with her close women friends and her troubled search for a mate. What Royal Spice really, really wanted was not at all radical: to love and be loved.
The Political Princess
Diana's body was transported to Westminster Abbey on a gun carriage. Arbiter says that's a detail of Diana's funeral that troubled Blair's communications chief, Alastair Campbell, and his team. The vehicle had been chosen because, unlike a hearse, it would be open to the crowds. To the palace it also seemed appropriate: Diana had, after all, been the honorary Colonel-in-Chief of six regiments.
Yet Diana's last, passionate campaign was distinctly unmilitary: she called for the abolition of land mines. She had visited Angola with the British Red Cross in January 1997, angering some Conservative MPs, who thought she was showboating. Peter Viggers, a Tory member of the Commons Defence Select Committee, said: "This is an important, sophisticated argument. It doesn't help simply to point at the amputees and say how terrible it is." Undaunted, Diana spoke at a conference on land mines and made a second fact-finding trip, to Bosnia.
Few would have predicted such engagement from the plummy girl who emerged onto the public stage in 1980 as Charles' latest squeeze. The royal wedding in 1981 — with Diana's endless train, the pages and flower girls, the choirs and coaches — was widely seen at the time as a reaffirmation of tradition in Britain, a throwback to an age when nobility and pomp held the nation in thrall. That it should have taken place during Margaret Thatcher's first term only added to the idea that Britain was becoming a more conservative society, and that Diana, the girl from the old aristocracy who had married into royalty, epitomized it.
Yet the Princess was never in tune with the Iron Lady. "Who is society? There is no such thing," Thatcher told Woman's Own magazine in 1987. "There are individual men and women and there are families." Thatcher's bracing doctrine of personal responsibility was always at odds with Diana's faith in the power of redemptive understanding, of allowing the weak to be weak. Her belief system very much included an entity called society, which rejected and marginalized people. "Someone has got to go out there and love people and show it," she said in her BBC interview.
By the time the Princess died, Thatcher was long gone, her pallid successor John Major was vanquished and Blair was in 10 Downing Street, with a huge popular mandate to build a more inclusive, caring Britain. That agenda echoed Diana's. The Princess had two secret meetings with Blair before his election. According to Alastair Campbell's recently published diaries, she told the intermediary who set up the meetings that "she would like to help [Labour] if she could." Diana had certainly made her mark on Campbell, who recorded that the Princess "had perfect skin and her whole face lit up when she spoke and there were moments when I had to fight to hear the words because I'm just lost in the beauty." Today Campbell has a more sober assessment: "She was very small-p political. I have no idea if she would have ended up taking some kind of unofficial role with a Labour government, but I am sure she would have found a way of harnessing her own skills and popularity to the sense of Britain as a more modern and compassionate country."
We will never know if she would have achieved such a dispensation. But the fact that she was — undeniably — on occasion manipulative, deceitful and self-centered should not blind us to the fact that, during her 17 years in the limelight, she had grown as Britain had grown, changed as Britain had changed, and that by the time she died she had something increasingly vital to offer. Arbiter recalls a strange, muted, mournful night after the Princess died when he encountered a group of wheelchair users on their way to lay flowers at Kensington Palace. "They were saying, 'Who's going to speak for us, now?' They had a point. The disabled: who's going to speak for them? The AIDS patients: who's going to speak for them? The drug addicts, the down-and-outs, the homeless, the elderly? She was their voice and drew attention to their plight." Arbiter pauses. "She'd have made a good Queen, you know. But that's it. She's gone." Gone? As anyone who knows anything about the strains that make up modern Britain will tell you, that is very far from true.