Your SVT’s are not as random as you think. The Food you are eating has 
everything to do with your SVT, the frequency of your SVT and your overall health.
My philosophy is that SVT and the GUT are deeply connected and that if we look for clues in our food, we can begin to solve our SVT.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. Hormones, sleep, stress, your digestion, emotions and lifestyle choices, what we eat and the way we eat it all play a role.
I understand that “Eating Healthy” is not always so easy to do. There are several reasons why many of us do not have a healthier diet. Reasons can include a busy lifestyle, kids, picky eaters, being in a rush, leaning on carbs, fast food, not scheduling in time for food prep and food shopping, emotional eating, needing comfort foods, binge eating, eating disorders etc.
Unfortunately (or fortunately) your relationship to food has a lot to do with SVT, so healing any broken areas of this fundamental relationship is a key step if you want to try to address your SVT with a more natural approach.
I personally have had to overhaul my diet and by doing so, has changed my health and ultimately my life. I have spent my life studying food, seeing private nutritionists, taking on line classes, and passionately studying and experimenting with food to help me heal and elevate my own relationship with food.
Upgrading your diet is one of the main things that you can do to prevent SVT episodes and improve the quality of your overall health. Start with these steps below to begin to help you embrace how much impact what you are eating has to do with your SVT.
Heal SVT Naturally 
This is a great blog! I just had my first SVT episode 3 days ago. My heart rate was 180 bpm for about an hour until I reached the ER. They treated me with Adenosine and sent me home. I see a cardiologist next week and will ask him about food sensitivity testing! Thanks!!
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I’m 44 years old and have been experiencing SVT’s for over 30 years now, I usually experience them when I have eaten too much sugar, and very stressed, or if my menstrual cycle is about to begin. A few months ago I had to go to the ER because my heart rate was over 236 beats a minute (super scary) and I was given the adenosine for the first time (horrible feeling) I have started back on my magnesium/calcium tablets daily and haven’t had an episode since. I make sure I eat potassium rich foods because potassium is a water soluble mineral that your body flushes out. I had a halter monitor test last week and am still waiting on the results. I have given up chocolate, caffeine, tea, and stay away from medications that can cause episodes. I also do pro-biotics daily, and truly feel there is a big connection between systemic yeast in my body that aggravates my symptoms. I’d advise anyone who suffers from SVT’s to also check into yeast die off (candida albican die off) when yaest dies off within our bodies it ferments into alcohol, causes dehydration etc. I wish everyone who deals with SVT’s also finds a better way of life & feels better soon.. Sincerely, Mary S.
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* yeast* sorry for typos 🙂 have a blessed day ❤
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Mary, Thank you for your insightful comments. I wish you continued healing. You are making great observations and connections and really listening to your body and that is how you heal SVt naturally…If we keep at it, and keep connecting the dots, we will build a database of natural knowledge that will help others piece thier own puzzle together…Yeast, probiotics, candida, sugar, stress, cortisol, hormones, our diet…all all pieces of the puzzle. Health is in our hands!
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Thanks for posting Stacey! Since you just had your first episode you should try to recall exactly what you had the day and night prior to the episode (and morning of). Start a notebook now because it might take time to make connections and it will be helpful to refer back to your notes over time if the SVT’s continue. Probably the Cardiologist will say that since it was the first time, wait and see what happens., They are not going to reccommend pills or abalation after only one episode.
It would be interesting to note the age of your first episode f you feel like posting it. I ws 28 at when I had my “first” episode although I think I may hjave had one as a teenager once.
Good luck with everything and be sure to start watching your water intake, foods you are eating etc. the whole point of this blog is to give people the support that the Dr.s sadly do not …yet….!!!! One day they will be on board!!!! All the best to you, stay in touch!
.
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Thank you for your write up. It really inspires me to continue and love my life even more. I have been diagnosed with svt since nine years old and now that I am twenty six I am starting to give up. Thanks to you and your article I am motivated to live.
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Hi! I’m glad to find someone on the same page as me when it comes to SVTs. As you mentioned, doctors don’t really care what you have to say about what led up to your episode. I told several cardideologists that my SVT’s more related to high fructose corn syrup and especially aspartame. I was told every time that there was no connection. Like you, I started making a journal of what I just ate or drank or what I was doing when I had the episode. I noticed a trend of crunching down or leaning to my left to far that would cause me to immediately go into an SVT. I was on Metoprolol for one year following a three hour SVT and a trip to the emergency room including an injection of Adenosine. I have become debilitated from these SVT’s to where I’m afraid to leave the house by myself. When I go anywhere, I have to park near an exit this way I can
Run to my car should I go into an SVT as they were coming more frequently. I promised myself a year ago if I had a bad episode and ended up in the ER one more time that I would finally go ahead and have the ablation. Well on June 1, 2014 I ended up in a three hour SVT, two injections of Adenosine and once again a trip to the ER. While I was in the hospital I agreed to the ablation which was done on June 2, 2014. It was the most insane thing I have ever experienced for myself. It was three straight hours of pure insanity, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I stayed awake through the entire process. It’s now been 2 1/2 weeks with no medication and no more SVTs, so far! That EP cardiologist said if nothing happens in four weeks then I should be good to go forever. So far so good, knock on wood! I do regret not getting the ablation done sooner. But hopefully the ablation was a success and I can start living my life again as I’m not getting any younger LOL!! (46). Good luck to everyone and keep up your SVTs! 🙂
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Hi 🙂 Am curious and hopeful that 6 months later, your ablation has been a success? No further episodes?
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Hi, Laura
I just saw this message in my spam folder. I’m sorry I’m writing so much later.
I do come bearing great news though. I have been SVT FREE for 6 months now. I will add that if I’m sitting and I slouch down too far, I will feel a light SVT, but once I sit straight up, it stops immediately. So it looks like I’m good to go. I feel like I have a new lease on life. I’m just now starting to forget about ever having SVTs and able to go places by myself. Once in awhile it may pop up in my thoughts while I’m out, but I carry on and go on my way.
I highly recommend ablation and I found no need at all to be put to sleep or into a twighlight. (Sp?)
If you or anyone else would like to chat about it, by all means, feel free to contact me here or by email SharynLP@me.com.
Thanks and best of health! 😊
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Thank you for posting this. My friend has just been diagnosed with SVT and doesn’t want to do the conventional treatment. It only makes sense to find the cause instead of just trying to get rid of the symptoms. You have given us very useful food for thought.
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Hello,
I was reading your very informative website, thank you. I do have one question for you, you mention taking Green Vibrance. In looking at the ingredient list I came upon green tea extract. I was told by my cardiologist to avoid this ingredient and as can increase the heart rate. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
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Hi,
Thanks for your blog. I had my first official PSVT 3 nights ago. Heartbeat over 240 beats a minute for 30 minutes, it reverted not long after I was in the ambulance.
I’ve been under enormous stress for ages and was in the middle of packing boxes( we had to move the day after) when it happened. I’ve thought I’ve had anxiety but perhaps it’s this?
I was wondering how long people were fatigued after an episode? I’m still feeling tired. And does anyone else feel a tightness and heaviness in their upper chest?
I will definitely keep a journal. Thank you:)
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Also, I’ve just downloaded a free heart rate app for my iPhone and it’s awesome. It uses your finger on the camera to take your heart rate and means I can tale my pulse at anytime now. I caught my heart doing 130bpm the other day from using this, I seriously recommend it.
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Hi, Annie
After an SVT episode, and mine lasted for hours at times, I would feel drained. I also noticed that I would have to ultimate constantly once the SVT stopped and large amounts too. Probably bc all organs go into overload. Just my opinion. I would feel like my arms n legs were very tired. If be wiped out and just feel blah for a few days after. And I would feel pressure on my chest, between my shoulder blades, extreme shortness of breath, pains in my chest and my shoulder joints.
I hope this helps you a bit. 🙂
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Yessss 🙋🙋 I definitely feel a tightness and heaviness on my upper chest!! It’s absolutely horrible 😩 Im up for my ablation next Monday, Aug 24th 2015. I’m 🙏 praying that God heal me totally of this so that I can be live normal again.
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Yessss 🙋🙋 I definitely feel a tightness and heaviness on my upper chest!! It’s absolutely horrible 😩 Im up for my ablation next Monday, Aug 24th 2015. I’m 🙏 praying that God heal me totally of this so that I can live normal again.
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Hi Annie,
My episodes sound similar to yours and I’ve been to ER twice now with beats over 220bpm. I knew since age 11 that I have very mild mitral valve prolapse and regurgitation but didn’t know about SVT until recent years.I learnt I have SVT after the first episode to last more than 5 minutes occurred about 3yrs ago at age 37. It went for 45 minutes at 220bpm and ended after 3 attempts of Adenosine in ER. I was tired for 2 days after and my heart felt sore for about 2 months. I suspect either asthma inhaler (I don’t suffer asthma just used it before swimming due to feeling a bit congested) or added MSG contributed to the severity so I avoid both now.
I find regular 30 minute walks and swims the best exercise to keep my heart happy. Also deliberate and deep breathing exercises help.
I am now in the late stages of my first pregnancy only to learn pregnancy is a risk factor for episodes – great! A few weeks ago I had an attack and went to ER. It was 240bpm for 35 minutes and I managed to resolve it by holding a very large breath and puffing out my chest, just seconds before the adenosine was going in. The ECG showed SVT followed by Afib after reverting so I will be seeing my cardiologist for a check up after having the baby. I was tired for two days after but my heart did not hurt this time. I’ve now quit caffeine totally but have always naturally avoided too much caffeine and added sugar and artificial sweeteners thankfully by the sounds.
In pregnancy I’m also finding my heart rate jumps 50bpm just going from lying down to a standing position so I have self prescribed partial bed rest for these last four weeks while my blood volume and heart rate are so increased by pregnancy.
I hope everyone finds their balance to keep their heart happy and keep the worry at bay.
Kristi in Australia
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Hi Kristi, Congrats on your pregnancy!! I just had my second baby at age 43. Pregnancy does aggravate SVT, but still there are ways to try to reduce them…Some factors to look at are 1. Your water intake. You need massive amounts of water now, double what you normally would need. 2. Lots of green juices. 3. NO GLUTEN. I have been writing about gluten for ages, and finally the truth is coming out about how they DRENCH the wheat with roundup. (read more about it here: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/real-reason-for-toxic-wheat-its-not-gluten/ 4.SMALL frequent healthy meals. almost snack like meals…apples, fruit, veggies, bean dips, etc. Also, the rapid change in your blood pressure when changing positions sounds like POTS. I have been wanting to write about POTS for some time now as I was diagnosed with it several years ago. POTS and SVT go hand in hand. Without going into too much detail, let me just say that when I went gluten-free my POTS was CURED. GONE, never to bother me again. SVT was 95% reduced and I discuss the SVT results all the time…but I never really talk about the POTS. Since you mention it, I wanted to share with you my success with my dietary change. My POTS was severe after I had my baby. I couldn’t even lift him as a toddler. I would almost fall over sometimes if I bent and picked him up too fast. Those symptoms would lead to SVT symptoms. Anyway, I know that with a healthy super clean diet, (which is VERY hard to do while pregnant), you will feel better. Do your best and it sounds like you are on the right track. Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with or that you feel stuck with. Best of Luck with the rest of your pregnancy, rest as much as you can, and line up help for when your little bundle arrives. a little bit of help goes a long way! All the best, xoxo Laura
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I was wondering if anyone has looked at a connection between foods high in tyramine (i.e. dried meat & fish, aged cheese, fermented foods) and svt? I was reading information online and have been thinking about it in relation to my own diet. Thanks. Annette
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Annette Hi,
Yes absolutely! I have a degenerative spine condition, so my nervous system doesn’t work too well, which is why I have SVT. I discovered it through the “GERD” route, the “R” representing “Reflux”.
Although I wasn’t a severe reflux sufferer, I found several recent medical references on the net, to GERD being linked to SVT, so I gave it a go. “BINGO”. My SVT has reduced to at worst a couple of times in the night when changing position, and at best “None At All . . . !”
SVT, in my case certainly, is absolutely linked to GERD. If I cheat by eating bread with yeast, or anything fermented or cured, even if I don’t suffer GERD, I will get a couple of mild SVT’s in the night.
So I’ve learned not to cheat, of course I have the benefit of not having reflux too!
I would recommend to any SVT sufferer to go the non-tyramine route. It’s not too difficult once you get going, changing lifetime eating habits, but the benefits are just great!
If you’re an SVT sufferer, and don’t have GERD, then still try it – it’s worth a go, and you may discover as I did, that you have mild GERD, so you’ll gain a healthier lifestyle in the process!
Hope that helps Annette.
Graham.
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Annette Hi,
Yes absolutely! I discovered the tyramine link, through investigating foods that were disagreeing with me, finding that I was a mild “GERD” sufferer.
I left out all the “tyramine” foods, changed my diet and the SVT has already in just a couple of months, practically disappeared!
If I cheat on my diet I’ll get a couple of mild SVT’s in the night when changing position, but if I don’t, I can go nights with “NO ATTACKS!”.
So I’m learning not to cheat on my diet, and my quality of life has improved considerably!
(I have a degenerative spine condition, which prevents the nervous system from firing as it could – hence SVT)
Hope that helps!
Regards Graham.
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During excessive sympathetic activation or anxiety, mono amine oxidase in the gut will be shut, which result in tyramine not being metabolised by the body. Consequently the amino acids serotinin, dopamine and adrenaline are flooding the body and adrenaline triggers psvt. So i suspect like you do , that tyramine is a risk factor for psvt.
And yet fermented food such as sauerkraut are very good to provide good gut bacteria, so as to enable nutrient absorbption, and these nutrients are much needed to heal the body. So it s a fine balance. Good luck
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Hi Graham…thanks for the replies which I am only just reading now! I asked my dr and have read about tyramine but, as you said, one just has to try it! I think there is tyramine in so much food but if one can work on eating a diet low in tyramine, I think it can help a lot. I have noticed a number of my svt episodes occurred hours after eating high tyramine foods.
All the best,
Annette
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Hi Annette, you’re welcome! I have also found, as you mentioned, “it’s in so much food”, that ‘reducing’ rather than cutting out all together, has worked just fine too. I also isolated – for me – particular foods with tyramine were worse. That’s worth a try too, sometimes a little lengthy perhaps but well worth it if you discover one major culprit . . . !
For me it was dried fruit, in particular raisins!
All the best with your plan of attack . . (:O)
Graham.
PS: I have had great results using a chiro-masseuse for my back – which in turn has had a really positive effect on my SVT, as the neck and cranial massage gets to the nervous system – that part of the spine connected to the heart!
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BIG question here. I get SVT after eating a carb-laden meal, so I quit eating carbs. For the most part they have stopped – nothing triggers them except “carby” food – not even caffeine because I have coffee with light or heavy cream every morning. So today for lunch I had a spinach salad with organic spinach, feta cheese, about 5 sliced strawberries, crumbled bacon, two diced hard-boiled eggs, and Marzetti asagio peppercorn dressing, around 2T. And before I even finished eating, the SVT started. They are nowhere near as bad as when I used to eat meals with tons of carbs (pasta, burgers, etc.) but they’re there. What could have triggered this?
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Psvt is likely the result of a strong parasympathetic tone supplemented by an excessive sympathetic background. That is why psvt triggers after exercise, after climbing the stairs, or just when vasoliation occurs (e.g. shower), in combination with a significant adrenaline release. Adrenaline triggers the PAC, and successive PAC trigger psvt. Studies have shown that psvt are the result of nutrient deficiency, and particularly gaba deficiency. Strong nutrient program containing most vitamin, minerals and amino acids will take a long time but is the way to address psvt , to my humble opinion. In that vein, the diet is of primordial importance , and raw foos such as raw milk will definitely help. It is important that adrenergically fatigued people are already running on adrenaline all the time which eats the organ natural way of functioning. For instance , excessive plasma adrenaline narrow the “thermo neutral range” meaning that under excessive heat condition, additional vasodilation will occur to regulate temperature , setting the scenario for a psvt episode. I trust that gaba agonists ( e.g. taurine, benzos, or even valerian likes) are temporarily effective at keeping the cardiac electrified grid under control. I always think of a psvt episode like gazoline on fire . Gaba in the cardiac area is the water around the fire, preventing the pac to turn into psvt. Gaba agonist are not the solution as they downregulate gaba receptor overtime hence create a dependence. Better to upregulate gaba using herbs such as bacopa monnieri or green tea. Sleep is of primary importance as lack of sleep is compensated by the body by adrenaline release . Overtime, a wise and quiet attitude through life should enable to keep unactivated the neural connection triggering psvt. And as a human becomes blind if he stays too long in the dark, so is the neural death of an ling unactivated pathway. The only thing that is permanent in this world , is impermanence. Good luck to all of you with this battle.
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Individual with chronic sympathetic activation will likely develop insulin resistance. When esting heavy carb, an insuline resistant get flooded with glucose / fire , excitatory or adrenaline like substance. The heart is working hard to contain this burst of energy, which set the stage for psvt. Better to avoid carbs altogether.
Rather, focus on a high fat , premium quality, diet. Psvt is not a cardiac condition but a neural condition. Neurons have dendrites and axons. Axons are protected by myelin , which is no other than cholesterol. When the protective myelin sheath is missing around the axon, the neuron are sensitive to erroneously receive electrical signal from around, a little like a being tuned on a radio channel but hearing interferences . My speculation is that lack of protective myelin could be partly responsible for psvt.
My triggers are definitely heat, climbing stairs, and strangely laughing to much, or talking without breathing too fast too long.
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