"Health is not an accident,” says Dr. Ken Curry of Electrophysiology Associates. You can blame age, genetics, and misfortune for poor health, but personal choices affect your well-being with greater certainty. What if your choices actually affect your heart’s rhythm? Dr. Curry confirms that they can. Too much caffeine or alcohol might cause temporary heart palpitations or more permanent changes.

Those in great health take care of themselves, and in turn keep their hearts beating regularly, he says. That is not to say that all abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) are due to lifestyle choices. Regardless of the cause, Electrophysiology Associates can fix many of them according to Dr. Curry. He adds that about 95% of abnormal heart rhythms can be cured.

Electrophysiologists are all about your rhythm, meaning that they are focused on the heart’s ability to keep a normal pace. Physicians like Dr. Curry understand and specialize in the heart’s conduction system. Whether your heart rhythm is too slow or too fast, Electrophysiology Associates can help, Dr. Curry says.

For the average person, knowing if you are having a simple palpitation or an irregular heart rhythm can be difficult to determine. Dr. Curry suggests that if you have an unexplained heart rate (either too fast or too slow) that starts or stops abruptly or lasts longer than a few seconds, you should have an evaluation done. Additionally, dizzy spells or blackouts are important problems that can be related to blood pressure and your heart. If you experience these, let a doctor determine why they are happening, he says.

Heart arrhythmias are common. Essentially, a malfunction at any point along the path of the electrical current within the heart can cause a heart rate disturbance. One in 200 Americans suffer from a particular type of malfunction called Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT). SVT causes your heart beat to speed up. Did you know that many people are born with an extra AV node? This node keeps the heart rate steady and consistent. Thirty percent of people actually have two, Dr. Curry says. In this scenario, if one falters or misfires your heart rate can suddenly increase.

Another bothersome arrhythmia is called atrial fibrillation. Approximately 2.2 million Americans have it. Because it is more common as you age, Baby Boomers are particularly affected. This arrhythmia is also associated with an increased risk of stroke. In general, heart arrhythmias can be caused by an enlarged heart, the aging process (slowing down the AV nodes’ ability to regulate rate), medications, certain conditions like sleep apnea, and more. The flip side is that the treatment options and cures are readily available.

An important clarification: If you have an arrhythmia, this does not mean you have heart disease. Heart disease, cardiac arrest, heart attack, and arrhythmia are different diagnoses with different outcomes. A heart attack happens when a major heart artery becomes blocked. Whereas, cardiac arrest occurs as the result of an electrical problem within the heart’s tissue. Heart disease can be congenital (you are born with it), or it can be acquired from clogged arteries (coronary heart disease), Dr. Curry explains. Arrhythmias can also lead to sudden death. So it is important to know the cause of the arrhythmia and treat it.

Dr. Curry can perform a study (EP study), in which the heart rate irregularity is isolated and replicated in a safe environment to determine what part of the heart tissue is involved. During the study you are given a local anesthesia while a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel through the neck or groin area. This may sound unpleasant, but the alternative is far more unpleasant, Dr. Curry points out.

In the past, if you had a heart rate irregularity you might be put on medication or expected to undergo surgery to have a pacemaker or defibrillator implanted. Now, electrophysiologists also can perform a procedure called an ablation to cure particular arrhythmias. Instead of medications to control heart rate or other lifestyle changes to accommodate a malfunctioning heart, an ablation will solve it once and for all, Dr. Curry says. The procedure requires intricate mapping of the heart through technology similar to a GPS system, as well as x-rays to guide a catheter through the heart to the affected area. The ablation usually involves radioactive waves to essentially cauterize a section of the heart or cryotherapy to freeze an area. The outcome is that the condition is cured and patients have minimal downtime to recover.

Lt. Steve Liebowitz from Colorado Springs, who underwent an ablation performed by Dr. Curry, was back to playing tennis with his family only weeks after the procedure. Another patient, an athlete, had an ablation performed on a Tuesday and was able to play again on Saturday. Many patients go home the same day to recover, Dr. Curry reports.

Even if the heart irregularity you have will not likely harm you, it can affect your quality of life. One patient of Electrophysiology Associates was an avid gardener. Every single time she bent over to tend her garden or plant a perennial, however, she would pass out. That sort of takes the fun out of it. As you can imagine, she had to quit gardening. The good news is that after receiving an ablation from Dr. Curry, she was able to resume the activity she is so fond of. She now leads a more fulfilling life, he says. Maybe your heart issue or that of a family member can be cured, too.

Dr. Curry and his wife, Patty, who is the practice’s office manager, lead happy lives enjoying the Colorado outdoors. Patty is a Colorado native from the Grand Junction area, while Dr. Curry grew up in Kansas. They have three children, Nicolla, Alexandra, and Parker.

Electrophysiology Associates started in 1991 in Colorado Springs, and treats patients from the ages of 2 to 92. The practice offers non-invasive procedures like “tilt table” testing, to more invasive procedures such as ablations and cardiac pacemaker implantations. To make an appointment or for more information, call 719-471-9942. You can also visit the Web site at www.epassocmedical.com.