Could water stop heart palpitations?

Dear Dr. Roach: I have a suggestion for the lady who complained of heart . My late uncle always requested a big glass of water by his bed. He said that drinking water stopped palpitations.

It also works for me and others who follow my advice. It could be a placebo effect. — J.G.

There are physiological reasons that drinking water can stop palpitations. Many palpitations are coming from the top chambers of the heart and these can sometimes be stopped by stimulating the vagus nerve. It partially controls heart rate.

One powerful stimulant to the vagus nerve is splashing cold water on the face. Drinking water is also a stimulus to the vagus nerve.

Not having enough fluid is another stimulus for fast heart rates, so some additional fluid is a second reason that water may help.

Dear Dr. Roach: We hear about how bad “low intensity chronic inflammation” is. Does low-dosage aspirin stop that inflammation? Are there any other measures one can take? — K.S.

Chronic inflammation is both a problem in itself, and strongly associated with vascular disease. People with chronic inflammatory conditions have increased risk of developing heart attacks. This is not only the case with severe inflammatory diseases such as RA, but there is good evidence that less inflammation leads to an increase in heart disease risk on the same order of magnitude as high cholesterol.

Aspirin probably has less benefit than statin drugs, which certainly have an antiinflammatory effect. But aspirin remains appropriate as a preventive.

“Leaky gut” may be a complication of inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease, but the term is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase for abdominal symptoms without evidence.