Epilepsy

Epilepsy and seizure disorders often respond very well to nutritional therapy. An epileptic seizure is an electrical discharge within the brain that spreads, out of control, often causing jerking of limbs, uncontrolled urination or defecation and may cause unconsciousness. Symptomatic nutri­tional remedies are helpful by themselves. Hair analysis may possibly provide additional insight and a more permanent solution for many cases of epilepsy.

Causes Of Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a symptom which can have many causes. These include infection, pressure from a tumor, or irritation from scar tissue from a trauma or illness. Epilepsy can be caused by damage to an area of the brain from lack of oxygen at birth, toxic metal deposits and certain illnesses such as Parkinson's disease. Often overlooked are bio­chemical causes not detectable with blood tests.

Epileptic seizures can also have many triggers. That is, if an underlying imbalance or weakness is present, a seizure can be triggered by factors such as foods, traumas and even emotional excitement. Avoiding the triggers is another way to prevent seizures.

Most often, it is difficult to identify the precise cause of seizures. Hair mineral testing is a simple, non-invasive method that may be helpful in identifying possible causes for seizures.

Fast Oxidation And Epilepsy

Fast oxidizers have an absolute or relative low tissue level of calcium and magnesium. Calcium and magnesium are called nutritional sedatives. They promote the relaxation of the nervous and muscular systems. Epilepsy and seizures in chil­dren are commonly related to a deficiency of these elements, as children are often fast oxidiz­ers. In addition to supplementary calcium and magnesium, copper often helps this group of people to retain calcium in their tissues.

Toxic Metals And Seizures

Toxic metals including cadmium, lead, mer­cury and excessive copper are commonly found in cases of epilepsy. These elements interfere with vital minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc and others, replacing them in enzyme binding sites. Seizures associated with the menstrual cycle often involve copper imbalance. Removing toxic metals through a nutritional balancing program may be a key to halting seizures.

Slow Oxidizers And Epilepsy

Slow oxidizers have elevated tissue calcium and magnesium levels. However, our research indicates that the calcium and magnesium may not be available to the body. This is particularly true when the calcium readings are very high or the calcium/magnesium ratio is unbalanced. Correcting the calcium/magnesium ratio and improving the slow oxidation condition may reduce the occurrence of seizures in these individuals.

The Sodium/Potassium Ratio And Epilepsy

A hair low sodium/potassium ratio often indicates chronic foci of infection which may contribute to epilepsy. This low ratio may also indicate excessive tissue breakdown, which prevents the healing of scar tissue. Correction of the sodium/potassium ratio through a complete nutritional program is most helpful in these cases to produce a possible permanent correction of epileptic seizures.

Dietary Aspects Of Epilepsy

Food reactions can trigger epileptic seizures. There are many reports indicating that artificial sweeteners can trigger seizures in susceptible individuals. Even drinking milk can trigger sei­zures in sensitive people. Milk is very high in calcium, but lacking in magnesium.

The consumption of sugar and caffeine only aggravate seizures. Both products cause wild fluctuations in blood sugar that affect neurotrans­mitter levels and may irritate delicate structures in the nervous system.

In summary, diet should never be ignored in cases of epilepsy. The patient would be well advised to keep a dietary record. Note any correla­tion between foods eaten or not eaten and the occurrence of seizures.

Seizure Medication And Nutritional Correction

Many epileptics are rightfully hesitant to stop their anti-seizure medication. Common drugs that are prescribed include Dilantin and Tegretol. It is advisable that medication be continued after beginning any nutrition program. Then, if the patient feels comfortable, the dosage of medica­tion may be slowly reduced by the physician who prescribed it.

An even safer method is to continue medica­tion at least for three months until a repeat hair analysis is performed. Reduction of medication may then be decided upon based upon the degree of change in the tissue mineral patterns.

There is no guarantee that nutritional methods will eliminate the need for medication. However, in many cases medication can eventually be reduced and possibly eliminated provided the patient stays on a healthy eating regimen and a proper supplementation program.

Note: Any reduction of medication must be administered under the direction of one's physi­cian.

Symptomatic Nutritional Therapy For Epilepsy

Many holistic practitioners control epilepsy with high doses of magnesium, calcium, L-tau­rine, GABA (gama aminobutyric acid), choline, inositol and essential fatty acids such as flaxseed oil or fish oils. This is a symptomatic approach. By itself, it often does not address underlying causes.

However, adding these remedies to a nutri­tional balancing program will often enhance the program and produce excellent results.