Atrial fibrillation patient resource, StopAfib.org, proclaims September as Atrial Fibrillation Month to raise awareness of atrial fibrillation, a life-threatening irregular heartbeat.

Commonly known as afib, atrial fibrillation is a misfiring of the electrical signals of the heart involving rapid or irregular heartbeats or quivering of the heart's upper chambers. Once considered benign, this cardiac arrhythmia can actually lead to congestive heart failure or stroke.

One-third of atrial fibrillation patients will have a stroke, and afib is responsible for 105,000-140,000 strokes per year in the United States. Stroke, the #3 killer, takes at least one person every hour and is the #1 cause of permanent disability. For more about stroke risks from afib, see www.stopafib.org/stroke.cfm.

Over five million Americans now suffer from atrial fibrillation, where the heart goes out of control with little warning and for no apparent reason. It's a frightening occurrence that will impact millions more as atrial fibrillation overtakes aging baby boomers. The Mayo Clinic estimates that by 2050 at least 16 million Americans will have it.

Mellanie True Hills, heart health expert, speaker, and author of the award-winning book, A Woman’s Guide to Saving Her Own Life: The HEART Program for Health and Longevity, had a brush with death in emergency heart surgery followed by a near-stroke from atrial fibrillation. Life with atrial fibrillation was paralyzing and terrifying. For more information about her experience, see www.stopafib.org/mellanie.cfm.

The impact of afib on a patient's quality of life is often underestimated by doctors. Once a new minimally-invasive mini-maze surgery cured her afib, Hills couldn't just stand on the sidelines and watch others suffer the huge physical, emotional, and financial toll afib has on patients and their families. Thus it was natural that she would start and become CEO of the American Foundation for Women's Health and StopAfib.org, a non-profit web site for atrial fibrillation patients.

The mission of StopAfib.org—for patients by patients—and the companion Atrial Fibrillation Blog, at http://atrialfibrillationblog.com, is to improve the quality of life for patients and their families, support the doctor-patient relationship, and decrease afib-related strokes. It provides information about symptoms, causes, risks, and treatments, atrial fibrillation resources, the latest atrial fibrillation news and videos, tools to stimulate discussions, and a newsletter of what's new in atrial fibrillation information.

The Atrial Fibrillation Services Locator, at www.stopafib.org/find.cfm, is one of the site's most popular destinations and features more than 175 hospitals, arrhythmia and atrial fibrillation centers, electrophysiologists, cardiologists and surgeons that specialize in treating atrial fibrillation patients.

Now the #1 Arrhythmia site on the Internet and in the Top 20 Heart Disease sites, StopAfib.org has received the HON Code Certification from the Health on the Net Foundation, signifying a site that provides credible and trustworthy health and medical information. The goal of www.StopAfib.org is to be one of the most trusted communities for atrial fibrillation patients.

Hills and StopAfib.org have been featured at FOXBusiness.com and MSNBC.com, and in Better Homes & Gardens and Heart-Healthy Living magazines. More information about A Woman’s Guide to Saving Her Own Life is available at www.mellaniehills.com/heart.htm.

During Atrial Fibrillation Month, StopAfib.org asks you to:

• Listen to your heart for racing, palpitations, or an irregular heartbeat.
• Learn about atrial fibrillation at www.stopafib.org/what.cfm and sign up for the newsletter.
• Learn about afib causes and risk factors at www.stopafib.org/causes.cfm, which may include existing heart disease or obstructive sleep apnea.
• If you suspect atrial fibrillation, ask your doctor to check you out.
• If you have atrial fibrillation, learn how to treat and manage afib at www.stopafib.org/managed.cfm.
• Ask family and friends to learn more at www.StopAfib.org.

If you provide atrial fibrillation services, please help support patients by:

• Linking to StopAfib.org to provide patients with credible afib information
• Requesting to be added to the Atrial Fibrillation Services Locator—click "List your Afib services" on the US map on our home page to find out more

For more information, visit www.StopAfib.org or www.MellanieHills.com.