Epilepsy: New (old) treatment without drugs
Posted: March 10, 2013 Filed under: Nutrition/diet, self-healing, Uncategorized | Tags: biofeedback, diet, ketogenic diet, neurofeedback 11 CommentsNothing is so hard as watching a child having a seizure.
–Elizabeth A. Thiele, MD, PhD, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School
Until recently, when people asked me, “What would I suggest as a non-toxic/non-invasive biofeedback approach for the treatment of epilepsy?” I automatically replied, “A combination of neurofeedback, behavioral analysis treatment, respiration training, a low glycemic diet, and stress management and if these did not work, medications.” I have now changed my mind!
Epilepsy is diagnosed if the person has two or more seizures. About one to two percent of the population is diagnosed with epilepsy and it is the most common neurological illness in children. Medication is usually the initial treatment intervention; however, in about one third of the people, the seizures will still occur despite the medications. In some cases, people -often without the support of their neurologist/healthcare provider–will explore other treatment strategies such as diet, respiration training, neurofeedback, behavioral control, diet, or traditional Chinese medicine.
It is ironic that one of the tools to diagnose epilepsy is recording the electroencephalography (EEG)– brain waves–of the person after fasting while breathing quickly (hyperventilating). For some, the combination of low blood sugar and hyperventilation will evoke epileptic wave forms in their EEG and can trigger seizures (hyperventilation when paired with low sugar levels tends to increase slow wave EEG which would promote seizure activity).
If hyperventilation and fluctuating blood sugar levels are contributing factors in triggering seizures, why not teach breathing control and diet control as the first non-toxic clinical intervention before medications are prescribed. This breathing approach has shown very promising clinical success. (For more details see the book, Fried, R. (1987). The Hyperventilation syndrome-Research and Clinical Treatment. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press).
Self-management should be the first clinical intervention and not the last. Similarly, neurofeedback– brain wave biofeedback–is another proven approach to reduce seizures. This approach was developed by Professor Maurice B. Sterman at UCLA and was based upon animal studies. He demonstrated that cats who were trained to increase sensory motor rhythm (SMR) in their EEG could postpone seizure onset when exposed to a neurotoxin that induced seizures. He then demonstrated that human beings with epilepsy could equally learn to control their EEG patterns and inhibit seizures. This approach, just as the breathing approach, is non-toxic and reduces seizures.
Underlying both these approaches is the concept of behavioral analysis to identify and interrupt the chained behavior that leads to a seizure. Namely, a stimulus (internal or external) triggers a cascading chain of neurological processes that eventually results in a seizure. Thus, if the person learns to identify and interrupt/divert this cascading chain, the seizure does not occur. From this perspective, respiration training and neurofeedback could be interpreted to interrupt this cascading process. Behavioral analyses includes all behaviors (movement, facial expressions, emotions, etc) which can be identified and then interrupted. As professors Joanne Dahl and Tobias Lundgren from Uppsala University in Sweden state, The behavior technology of seizure control provides low-cost, drug free treatment alternative for individual already suffering from seizures and the stigmatization of epilepsy.
Until recently, I would automatically suggest that people explore these self-control strategies as the first intervention in treatment of epilepsy and only medication for the last resort. Now, I have changed my mind. I suggest the ketogenic diet as the first step for the treatment of epilepsy in conjunction with the self-regulation strategies—medication should only be used if the previous strategies were unsuccessful.
A ketogenic diet has a 90% clinical success rates in children–even in patients with refractory seizures. This diet stabilizes blood sugar levels and is very low on simple carbohydrates, high in fat, some protein, and lots of vegetables (a ratio of 4 grams of fat to 1 gram of carbohydrates and protein). In adults, the success rates drops to about 50%. The lower success rate may be the result of the challenges in implementing these self-regulatory diet approaches. As Elizabeth A. Thiele, MD, PhD, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School points out, dietary therapy is the most effective known treatment strategy for epilepsy. Even though, ketogenic diet is the most effective therapy, it is less likely to be prescribed than medications—there are no financial incentives; there are, however, many financial incentives for prescribing pharmaceuticals.
These lifestyle changes are very challenging to implement. They need to be taught and socially supported. Just telling people what to do does not often work. It is similar to learning to play a musical instrument. The person needs step by step coaching and social support which is an intensive educational approach. To learn more about the research underlying the ketogenic diet as the first level of intervention for epilepsy, watch Professor Thiele’s presentation from the 2012 Ancentral Health Symposium, Dietary Therapy: Role in Epilepsy and Beyond.
the peper perspective 
Dr. Peper, excellent post. I only would like to add a little more information on the ketogenic diet. More specifically dealing with systems, both internally and externally, thrown off balance by our SAD (Standard American Diet). The ketogenic diet is sometimes referred to as the “paleo” diet. I have written a post here http://amacf.org/2008/04/cam-news-march/ about the diet of our ancestors, and diet, as viewed from two of the oldest medicinal systems on the planet, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. It is really amazing how the pieces of the puzzle fit all together, when viewed from the perspective of these two medicinal systems along the information you provide here. Love the Peper Perspective! The connection between food and seizures reported here is quite amazing. Werner from the Alternative Medicine Blog at http://amacf.org/
A big thank you for your blog article.Really looking forward to read more.
Wow, this post is nice, my younger sister is analyzing
these kinds of things, thus I am going to tell her.
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Thank you, I recently found that breathing has stopped my seizures altogether. Part of the reason the diet may not work as well with adults is because they have been eating certain ways a lot longer than children so they may need more or less things in different food groups based on the food they have eaten their whole lives because that’s what there body is used to. That could cause different reactions to change if diet. For instance I randomly went vegan, had about fifteen seizures that lasted all day because of the dramatic change. . . then I was fine being a vegan until I changed my diet again. I hope thus helps your re search.
HOW MY CHILD WAS CURED FROM EPILEPSY AND SEIZURES.
I am a single parent by name Coker. My 15 (Fifteen) old child was diagnosed of epilepsy and seizures at the age of 3 (three); it was so frequent that I was so devastated. Seeing my baby suffer so much with an illness doctors said it had no cure. I cried with my baby whenever the seizure comes. To help my baby, I tried all forms of western and modern anti-seizure medications for a cure. Doctors said the illness has no cure that my child should learn to live with it. All they could do was prescribed more anti-seizure medications for treatment that were already becoming a burden and having side effects on my baby.
To save my baby’s life, I went to the internet in search for a medication that will cure my child. In the internet, I read a testimony of a mother who her child went through the same problem for 20 years. According to her, the condition of her child had become so complicated from several Western anti-seizures drugs that she had given up hope. But her child was totally cured by HERBAL MEDICATION of a Doctor. I contacted the doctor, and today my child is totally cured and free from seizures and jerks caused by epilepsy. For those who might have loved ones going through the same problem, you contact Dr. Mohan through this email drajaymohanbose@gmail.com. You will find a cure just like I did for my child. I am a volunteer, in the war against epilepsy this is the only way of telling my baby’s cure story. Let join the fight together.
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DOES HERBS CURE EPILEPSY/SEIZURE?
Sometimes, it takes the illness of a love one to open our eyes to the power beyond our imagination. I do not know how to tell stories, but I am must begin by saying a thank you to Dr. Mohan for keeping to the path of natural medicine through HILTON. Jake seizure began at 6, we couldn’t point to the cause. Had no idea about seizure or treatment. In search for a cure, I read all I could found, none pointed to herbs as a treatment or a cure. It was all about conventional doctors and dozens of anti-convulsant medications. Armed with such information, I didn’t believe herbs could work for seizure either. We spent money on his medications, and hoped for the best. When he tuned 11, no obvious improvement in spite all medications. The medications he took caused memory loss and other side effects.
We took steps as family to save our boy. I read all I could find, we tried CBD Oil, nothing positive happened. I did not give up anyway, I believed there must be a way. Only a matter of time. I took my search to the internet. I was lucky when I looked up natural cure to seizure and HILTON was top searched. The reviews I read were encouraging. Dr. Mohan was the best person I contacted on the internet. Although I saw a lot of claims about herbs promising a cure to seizure, I contacted them too, I had my doubts. Frankly it was not what I wanted. Dr. Mohan never pressured us to use HILTON he only gave us his word. I am glad, everything turned out perfectly well after Jake used HILTON. Herbs answered my question. IT WORKED!
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Thank you God for putting smile in my face after all this years of heartbreak because anytime I see the condition of my son. My testimony goes this way, I met a doctor online and I discussed everything to him telling him since when the seizure started, he told me not to worry about anything, after three days he sent me some herbal liquid medicine and told me how to use it, I started giving him the herbs, after some few days I started seeing changes and I was so happy and after he finish using the medicine, he was not having seizure anymore, the herbs control the seizure and now he is eight months seizure free, thank you lord for what you’ve done for me, this doctor herbs can also help you that’s why I am sharing it out here today, contact doctor on his email uribhorbreezeherbalhome@gmail.com and WhatsApp number is +2348102558553