Atrial fibrillation

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Lifestyle and home remedies

By Mayo Clinic staff

You may need to make lifestyle changes that improve the overall health of your heart, especially to prevent or treat conditions such as high blood pressure. Your doctor may suggest that you:

  • Eat heart-healthy foods
  • Use less salt, which can help lower blood pressure
  • Increase your physical activity
  • Quit smoking
  • Avoid drinking more than one drink of alcohol for women or more than two drinks for men a day
References
  1. Atrial fibrillation and flutter. Heart Rhythm Society. http://www.hrspatients.org/patients/heart_disorders/atrial_fibrillation/default.asp. Accessed Dec. 8, 2010.
  2. Atrial fibrillation. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/af/af_all.html. Accessed Dec. 8, 2010.
  3. Thomas MC, et al. Blood pressure control and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation. American Journal of Hypertension. 2008;21:1111.
  4. ACC/AHA/ESC Writing Committee members. 2006 guidelines for the management of patients with atrial fibrillation. Europace. 2006;8:651.
  5. Singer DE, et al. Antithrombotic therapy in atrial fibrillation: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (8th Edition). Chest. 2008;133:546S.
  6. Connolly S, et al. Dabigatran versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;361:1139.
  7. FDA approves Pradaxa to prevent stroke in people with atrial fibrillation. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm230241.htm. Accessed Dec. 8, 2010.
  8. Cardioversion. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/crv/crv_all.html. Accessed Dec. 8, 2010.
  9. Catheter ablation. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ablation/ablation_all.html. Accessed Dec. 8, 2010.
  10. Cheng J, et al. Surgical approaches to prevent recurrent atrial fibrillation. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Dec. 8, 2010.
  11. Maze procedure for treatment of atrial fibrillation. University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. http://www.cts.usc.edu/mazeprocedure.html. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
  12. Arrhythmia medications. American Heart Association. http://americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=18. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
  13. Wann LS, et al. 2011 ACCF/AHA/HRS focused update on the management of patients with atrial fibrillation (updating the 2006 guideline): A report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2010; In press. Accessed Dec. 20, 2010.
  14. FDA approves Xarelto to prevent stroke in people with common type of abnormal heart rhythm. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm278646.htm. Accessed Dec. 1, 2011.
DS00291 Feb. 3, 2012

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