Atrial fibrillation is a condition of the heart which causes the muscle to beat irregularly and/or abnormally quickly. This can cause issues such as shortness of breath, dizziness and tiredness.

1. Symptoms and
Causes
Dr Carolyn Dean
A t r i a l F i b r i l l a t i o n :
is a medical doctor and naturopath. She has
authored and co-authored over 35 books

2. 2
Atrial Fibrillation:
Symptoms and Causes
Dr. Carolyn Dean
Atrial fibrillation is a condition of the heart which
causes the muscle to beat irregularly and/or
abnormally quickly. This can cause issues such as
shortness of breath, dizziness and tiredness.

3. 3
A Regular Heartbeat
Causes of Atrial
Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is
caused when the heart
walls contract too
rapidly and irregularly
for the chambers to
properly relax and let
the blood flow back
in. It is more likely to
affect older people, but
it can also be caused
by drinking too much
alcohol or smoking.
Symptoms
The main symptoms
of atrial fibrillation
are heart palpita-
tions, which feel like
a fluttering, pounding
or irregular beating of
the heart. This can last
for anywhere from a
few seconds to a few
minutes at a time.
A regular heartbeat
should be somewhere in
the region of 60 to 100
beats per minute, evenly
spaced, when the individ-
ual is at rest. The heart
naturally begins to beat
faster when we exercise,
but this is not the same
as atrial fibrillation. A
heart beating normally
will contract and relax the
muscular walls regularly
to force blood into the
rest of the body and let
blood back into the heart.

4. You can learn more about different
ways to treat atrial fibrillation by
visiting the blog of Dr. Carolyn Dean.
Dr Carolyn Dean