Seizures induced by eating

[Ruth]

Joan, thank you for bringing that article to my attention.

It talk's in great length about the Omega-3 fatty acids. I eat salmon 2 nights a week for my Omega-3. It also talks in great length about Vitamin E, B1, B6 and Selenium. GABA (is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain) has an epileptic inhibitor. Vitamin B-6 helps to form GABA. My husband buys GABA and it helps to stop my seizures. When I start having tremors. I take one GABA and it stops my tremors. I can only take one a day.

 

[Ruth]

I have studied all of the diets. I have found that it is not so much what I eat. The important things are the nutrients and certain vitamins. I take one GABA (Gamma Amino Butyric Acid) a day. This is an epileptic inhibitor. I take the B complex vitamins, and Omega 3, Calcium with Vitamin D are important as well. I do not take it by pill form, because it has the fish oil. That raises my triglycerides and cholesterol. So I eat it by salmon 2 nights a week. Amazingly, it fills our family up.

Breakfast
Oatmeal with cranberries and blueberries. Sometime pecans. That fills me up.

Lunch
Salmon or tuna fish out of a can, with mayomaise. Water, not oil. I also have a fruit.
Snack: it depends. Something healthy.

Dinner: Either salmon, chicken (without the skin), rice or potatoes and vegetables.
Dessert: Non-fat Yogurt mixed with a tablespoon of preserves and pecans.
I avoid cookies, crackers, candy and ice cream. Sometimes, I slip though and eat something I shouldn't. I think we all do.

I do not worry about the enviromental toxics that are in our food. There is nothing we can do about it. I have kept you posted as to what I have found out and what works for me. My diet may not work for you. Use the diet that works for you. I am losing weight with this diet. My tryclierides and cholesterol are dropping. That is good for my seizures and my diabetes type 2. Antioxidants are important too and necessary.

 

[joan]

Thats the thing, epilepsy isn't one size fits all. Its also why its so important to share what works and doesn't work so those that come after us, hopefully, learn from our experiences. There are so many variables with E that the only way to figure "yours" out is, it seems, by trail and error.

Although my kids are genetic Es and Ive been told.. nothing will change that, I'm OK with that BUT I also know my kid went 15 years seizure free before puberty. Its frustrating but I know there a link and I'm going to spend my life working on finding it. Ive made some modifications to our diet. Its just so hard to know what works for them. We're working on it.

Hang in there and keep on keeping on.
Enjoy the day
joan*

 

[Ruth]

Hi Joan

My E is genetics as well. Maybe your son/daughter's seizures were caused by reaching puberty. Puberty causes a lot of changes in the body that can trigger it. Keep me posted on what you find.

 

[joan]

We know my kids Juvenile Myoclonic Epileptics (JANZ syndrome). They are involved with The Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project (EPGP). We know there was no head trauma or illness that caused this. Before puberty my kids had normal illnesses and never had seizures. After puberty... we are still trying to work on a pattern. Doesn't seem illness is a trigger for us. We know my sons one trigger, exhaustion so we work around it and he does well. My daughter we are still working on. It seems when she rushes or when she really tries to concentrate on advanced math her myoclonics go nutz.

They seem like a "classic case" of JME. I know and understand alot and yet I know and understanding nothing lol go figure*

I'm on the trail of nutrients, absorption and hormones. While I know I cant "cure" them I do know there is SOME way of getting them back to seizure free. Its hard to know what works with them as my son usually only has grand mals every 6 mos or so and my daughter mostly has myoclonic seizures. Shes only had one grand mal so far...

Its a long strange trip for sure. I wish you well*

joan*

 

[Zoe]

We know my kids Juvenile Myoclonic Epileptics (JANZ syndrome). They are involved with The Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project (EPGP). We know there was no head trauma or illness that caused this. Before puberty my kids had normal illnesses and never had seizures. After puberty... we are still trying to work on a pattern. Doesn't seem illness is a trigger for us. We know my sons one trigger, exhaustion so we work around it and he does well. My daughter we are still working on. It seems when she rushes or when she really tries to concentrate on advanced math her myoclonics go nutz.

They seem like a "classic case" of JME. I know and understand alot and yet I know and understanding nothing lol go figure*

I'm on the trail of nutrients, absorption and hormones. While I know I cant "cure" them I do know there is SOME way of getting them back to seizure free. Its hard to know what works with them as my son usually only has grand mals every 6 mos or so and my daughter mostly has myoclonic seizures. Shes only had one grand mal so far...

Its a long strange trip for sure. I wish you well*

joan*

Joan,
You may want to talk with Mike Koski here:
http://atkinsforseizures.com/communities.html
And Mike McHugh here:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/atkins4seizures/

Their kids were having upwards of a 100+seizures per day when they participated in diet therapy studies at Johns Hopkins. Koski's daughter's seizure frequency dropped by 90% and McHugh's son is now seizure free. There are now 3 clinical trials going on at John's Hopkins regarding the diet. If you are interested, either of them can give you more information about it.

Sometimes we may do well to think in terms of imbalances rather than disease, when it comes to seizures. With diet issues, like gluten sensitivity, the seizures are not necessarily the disease, but the symptoms of chronic reaction to gluten which, as the autoimmune system breaks down, can lead to the development of many diseases and disorders.