ARRHYTHMIAS: Edited by Wilber W. SuThe functional medicine approach to atrial fibrillation: can a cure for atrial fibrillation be found in the gut?Svinarich, John Thomas Author Information Colorado Center for Functional Medicine, Denver, Colorado, USA Correspondence to John Thomas Svinarich, Colorado Center for Functional Medicine, 1129 Cherokee Street, Denver, CO 80204, USA. Tel: +1 303 517 5636; +1 303 500 3038; e-mail: [email protected] Current Opinion in Cardiology 36(1):p 44-50, January 2021. | DOI: 10.1097/HCO.0000000000000819 Buy Metrics Abstract Purpose of review The importance of addressing the proximal causes of atrial fibrillation is recognized, yet frustration with the currently applied preventive measures is high. This review describes the functional medicine model (FMM), which identifies the proximal causes of atrial fibrillation at the level of gene-environment interaction. Recent findings The pathological processes leading to atrial fibrillation sustaining disorder have been elucidated in translational studies and are described as ‘nodal points.’ Examples are inflammation, oxidative stress, autoimmune mechanisms, and visceral adiposity. These same nodal points also cause disorder that results in atrial fibrillation-related complications and the development of atrial fibrillation-associated diseases. These nodal points vary from patient to patient and can be identified by careful evaluation of the patients clinical phenotype. Summary The application of the FMM identifies the gene--environment interactions that facilitate the patients nodal points and corrects them with emphasis on personalized diet, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
