Cardiac arrhythmia is a term that denotes a disturbance of the heart rhythm. Cardiac arrhythmias can range in severity from entirely benign to immediately life-threatening. If arrhythmia is suspected, a cardiologist should be consulted for confirmation. In addition, the use of natural substances for arrhythmia should always be supervised by a doctor.
A cardiac arrhythmia, also called cardiac dysrhythmia, is a disturbance in the regular rhythm of the heartbeat. Several forms of cardiac arrhythmia are life-threatening and a medical emergency. A rhythm of the heart at a rate of more than 100 beats/minute is considered a tachycardia. If the ventricles of the heart sustain a tachycardia for a sustained period of time, there can be deleterious effects. Individuals may sense a tachycardia as a pounding sensation of the heart; this is known as "palpitations". However, strictly speaking, palpitations are any sensation of an individual's own heart beat, and can occur at rates less than 100 beats/minute. The causes of tachycardias are numerous, and include stress, ingested or injected substances (ie: caffeine, alcohol, hyperthyroidism, or various drugs). Individuals who have a tachycardia are often advised to limit or remove exposure to any causative agent. A slow rhythm, known as bradycardia (less than 60 beats/min), is usually not life threatening, but may cause symptoms. Either arrhythmia requires medical attention to evaluate the risks associated with the arrhythmia.
