If you’ve experienced an irregular heartbeat or heart palpitations, it can be a cause for alarm. It may be an indication of an impending or underlying serious illness or a relatively minor condition. The fact is, most arrhythmias or missed heartbeats are innocuous and if they occur on occasions, it is nothing to be worried about.

But if you frequently experience a racing heart or a skipping heartbeat, then you need to talk to your doctor about it. If you also experience a skipping heart along with dizzy or light headed spells, you need to see your doctor ASAP.

According to conventional Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the heart is the body system that pumps blood all over the body throughout your body. TCM believes, however, that the Heart is also where the spirit or Shen resides. This Shen is that part of your being that governs your consciousness, memory, and emotions. Sayings such as a “having a broken heart,“ “tugging on your heartstrings,” or “knowing something with all your heart” provide some credence to the heart’s connection with your emotions

As a spiritual and emotional organ, your heart is extremely susceptible to stress and upsets. In TCM, nightmares, vivid dreams, insomnia, and anxiety are just some of the symptoms related to the heart organ system.

Your heart can skip a beat from certain physical factors besides emotional upsets. These factors may be responsible for your palpitation. Listed below are some helpful tips to consider if you are experiencing palpitations:

Take into account the stress level you are currently experiencing – a lot of individuals experience palpitations when they’re under extreme duress. This is your body’s way of telling you to relax and slow down. Acupuncture, massage, and yoga are some of the helpful ways to control and remove stress in your mind and body.

Eat less – Individuals who are prone to palpitations should not overeat as it can result in an overload and trigger irregular heartbeats episodes. Eat less food. Besides, this is also a great way to lose weight.

Don’t hold your breath – irregular heartbeats may be triggered in individuals who have rapid, tense, or shallow breathing. You need to observe the way you breathe and force yourself to fully exhale and inhale with each breath you take.

Take it easy on your medications – a lot of over-the-counter and prescription drugs can cause palpitations and irregular heartbeats. Ironically, drugs that treat arrhythmia are one of the biggest culprits as are certain antidepressants, asthma inhalers, decongestants and the drug Tagamet. Talk to a pharmacist first or read first the label before using the drug. If you think your medications are giving your palpitations and skipping heartbeats, talk to your doctor about it.

Slow down in your exercise – individuals who have a tendency to experience palpitations, perform exercises that begin strenuously which result in an episode of palpitations or skipped heartbeats. Do light workouts first before notching it up and then, afterwards cool down a bit.

Quit smoking – smoking and your cardiovascular system don’t go along well. Smoking can be the root problem of your palpitations and other heart arrhythmias. This is easily said than done, I understand, especially if you’ve been smoking for so long. To quit smoking the easy way, try acupuncture treatment for the stoppage of smoking.

Stop the intake of alcohol, – for people who are sensitive to alcohol, just one drink can trigger a moment of heart palpitations.

Avoid caffeine – energy drinks, tea, coffee, and even chocolate can cause the onset of palpitations.

Certain lifestyle factors can cause palpitations and so stopping these palpitations is within your control by simply changing your lifestyle into a healthy one. This way you need not worry or be alarmed about your health. If you are uncertain about what you’re experiencing with regards to your heartbeat, the best way to approach this is to have a talk with your doctor. And if you’re palpitations are harmless (or not), a least you’ll be getting proper advice.

Amy-SuiQun Lui, L.Ac.
Asian Health Center
27059 Grand Army of the Republic Hwy
Cleveland, OH 44143
Tel: (440) 833-0983
https://www.clevelandacupunctureclinic.com