Cure for Epilepsy? Magnesium Deficiency...

[Jualsy]

I have used alternative treatments in favour of orthodox medicine for over 30 years now....with dramatic results. I have helped family and friends and seen massive changes in their health.

On one occasion I did research for a friend of mine who had grand mal epileptic fits every day and was on the strongest medication available.....she accepted the results of my research and the fits stopped immediately....all was well for 3 weeks till the next appointment with her doctor came up, and he was furious....... even though she had enjoyed 3 weeks free from fits....when she told him what she had been doing. He threatened to strike her off his books if she continued with this nonsense, so she went back to the medication and having the fits!!

Because of the results I got from her I recommended my research results and made visits to other sufferers....children in particular ..... and finally was invited to the Clinic to give a talk....doctors there listened, but were not convinced that it was wise to move away from orthodoxy!!!

Epilepsy is a lack of magnesium. The solution is simple....try it!!

Take half a teaspoonful of EPSOM SALTS in fruit juice every morning

It works.
It does you no harm.

All the best.

[Bernard]

Hi Jualsy, welcome to the forum!

Stacy's doctor has also mentioned that low magnesium levels can be responsible for seizure activity (she is taking magnesium supplements), although I'm not convinced that it is necessarily the only or root cause.

AFAIK, usually when the body is low in minerals, there is a problem either with diet (intake), absorbtion (digestion/uptake) and or retention (the body is flushing it from the system for waste removal or stress response). While supplementing minerals that are deficient is a good idea, IMO, I think it would be wise to figure out why the minerals are deficient too.

[Jualsy]

I have always found that the dosages of natural things is the most important thing. I feel that Epsom Salts must have a much higher level of magnesium than any supplements becasue it works so effectively every time in my experience.

[lindy]

I know just what your friend went through with her doctor! My neurologist was the same way. How dare I not do as I was told! My internist who is my primary care physician, was equally unhappy when I decided to stop taking the drugs and to start trying to control my seizures with vitamins and supplements but she was at least willing to work with me, while my neurologist never wanted to see me again. Now that it's been five years and I've been almost completely seizure free, my internist is willing to say that she may not understand what I'm doing but, based on the lack of seizures and how well my annual blood work now turns out, her main comment is to keep up the good work. I've been taking a magnesium supplement as a part of my routine and wouldn't do without it. I've also gone totally organic because I believe that the poisons we ingest have a great effect on our health and that these poisons should be avoided as much as possible.

[Elisa]

Lindy, got a couple of questions for you.
What kind of seiuzures do you have and how often were you having them?
I often wonder if getting off drugs wouldn't help me, only because most anti-epileptic drug's MAKE me have seizures not control them. But, then again some herbs and vitamins do as well. So, who knows?
Just wondering what your history is.
Elisa

[lindy]

I started having partials when I was 11 - nocturnal grand mals at 21 - diagnosed at 25 after a status seizure - grand mals during the day at 40 (I'm now 52). Although I had been led to believe by my mother that the seizures were caused by a childhood accident, it turned out that she was simply in denial about her own seizure disorder as a child and I probably inherited it from her. The partials were a pretty much constant part of my life for years. By the time I gave up on the drug routine, the grand mals were 3-4 times a month with really severe postictal spells which lasted 7-8 days. I was 47 when the neurologist told me that the seizures were intractable and that he wanted me evaluated for left temporal lobe surgery. He also wanted me to keep taking Depakote (the drug of the moment - had been on Stelazine, Ativan, Dilantin, phenobarbital and Mysoline before that) in case it was doing me more good than I knew. All Depakote did for me was to make me fat and I decided that, since I didn't want the surgery, I couldn't be any worse off without the drugs than I was on them. In the five years since I gave up the drug routine, I have had four grand mals (no partials). The last one was 14 months ago and the most depressing part of it was that I was one month shy of two years seizure free. Also, the postictal phase is now non-existent. Giving up the drugs was the best thing that I ever did for myself!

[Elisa]

I do find all of this very interesting, and am giving some great thought to doing what you have done. I am on very little medication right now, at least the smallest I have been on in years.
There are a couple of meds that I know will keep me seizure free, Keppra and Trileptal. Well as seizure free as I'm ever going to get. On those two drugs I have two seizures a month, 1 the day I ovulate and 1 the day before my period begins, it was like clock work. But, the side effects from them, far out way the benefits, so I'm back to Dilantin and Felbatol.
Thanks for the info.
Elisa

[lindy]

My seizures were never connected to my period. In fact, due to Dilantin, I went through menopause when I was 33. Fortunately, I had already finished having my family! Stress and being overly tired seem to be the two major things that set me off. Of course, having two children is stressful and enough cause to lose sleep! Plus my son had several learning disabilities and the school refused to educate him so I was stressed out all of the time, fighting the school. I turned into a state level special ed parent advocate, meeting with the governor of my state and testifying before a special committee of the US House of Representatives about systemic abuse of the federal special education law. I look back at it all and it amazes me that I've only had one status seizure!

[Dianne]

This is interesting, but a pattern that I was aware of in my son. Most of his tonic-clonics have been connected to the hours he works, when he goes into major excess hours, he has a seizure. I wasnt aware though that seizure activity is linked to low magnesium levels

Dianne

[Jualsy]

Try the Epsom Salts, Dianne..........every child I dealt with made a dramatic improvement immediately.

[Bernard]

Dianne, if your son does try it, encourage him to keep a log/diary to chronicle the events. Let us know how it goes!

[Dianne]

Thanks Jualsy and Bernard

I've just noted some printouts near my PC about alternative therapies which I didnt print out, so he may well be thinking about other therapies to use in conjunction with meds. Now might be the right time to suggest it

I'll keep you posted

Dianne

[Jualsy]

Dianne....if you read other postings you will see what orthodox medicine thinks........you will be doing no favours, unless it is under EXCEPTIONAL circumstances to talk about alternative cures with a doctor. When I was buying jars of Epsom Salts the dispenser wanted to know what I wanted them for.....just out of interest!.....when I told him, he refused to sell to me!!! ....what will it take to get people to be more informed....in any avenue of life!!

[Birdbomb]

"Physician heal thyself"

When it comes to Epsom Salts, there are other uses, constipation (tell him you haven't gone in 4-5 days) soaking aid (or hubby hoed the entire garden in one day and is sore as a boil or junior was skateboarding down the stair rail for the 80th time nothing broken but nice bruises)

Why should he care what you are goning to use it for? Is it a rationed and precious mineral? No.

If it is a dream you want to glue it on a hat and dance a somba in times square on your bithday, would he STILL not sell it to you?

I'm just a smart ass, sorry :wink:

[Jualsy]

I told him the truth because I was so thrilled with the effect it had already had on my friend....I thought he might be pleased, but he challenged me with the statement....."do you REALLY think you know better than the doctors?"......but I have had a lot of that.............my friend has just been cleared after being given 12 months to live with cancer all over her body, including liver and bones..........viramins and B17 sorted things out, and she is completely clear now....the doctor asked her if she was doing anything,but he didn't want to know what!!!! I give up!!

[Dianne]

Aha! I'd just tell whoever asks that the epsom salts are for a bath to ease aches and pains if asked. I've gone head-on with my sons epileptologist before about diet, didnt do me any good though, all I got was 'this hospital does not reccommend ..... etc. etc.' So I'm used to dealing with brick walls

I think they might at last be getting switched on over here. My son was looking at the 'epilepsy action' website yesterday, that's the epilepsy information website for the UK. Theres a bit on that website about alternative therapies, which is basically recommending therapies for stress reduction, doesnt mention magnesium but does mention neurofeedback. As stress is probably the number one trigger for my son I'm keen for him to do something in this area

[lindy]

Stress is my biggest trigger too and I've been very happy with the vitamins and supplements that I take for control. Magnesium is one of them. If there were a way to lead a stress free life, I would have found it by now but stress is always there, like it or not.

[Bernard]

... In addition, the efficacy of magnesium sulfate in the prevention and control of eclamptic convulsion has been validated in randomized controlled trials performed worldwide. ...
Lewis-R; Sibai-B
J-Matern-Fetal-Med. 1997 Jan-Feb; 6(1): 6-15

... In patients with ibuprofen overdose, serum calcium and magnesium concentrations should be evaluated since seizures may be associated with a deficiency of these cations. The management of these patients should include calcium and/or magnesium supplementation when required and furosemide should be avoided.
al-Harbi-NN; Domrongkitchaiporn-S; Lirenman-DS
Ann-Pharmacother. 1997 Apr; 31(4): 432-4

... Diagnosis and adequate magnesium supplementation controls the biochemical disorder and the neurological development is normal. CONCLUSIONS: Primary hypomagnesaemia should be considered in infants with seizures, ...
Prebble-JJ
J-Paediatr-Child-Health. 1995 Feb; 31(1): 54-6

... Protracted deficits of magnesium in humans and animals result in neurological disturbances, including hyperexcitability, convulsions and various psychiatric symptoms ranging from apathy to psychosis, some of which can be reversed with magnesium supplementation ... Although the role of magnesium in neuronal function is not completely understood, a lowering of CSF or brain magnesium can induce epileptiform activity and there is an association between decreased CSF magnesium and the development of seizures.
Morris-ME
Magnes-Res. 1992 Dec; 5(4): 303-13

Magnesium and Seizures

... Although not observed experimentally, it is likely that severe hypomagnesemia may produce generalized tonic-clonic seizures, especially in children.

The Merck Manual - Magnesium Metabolism

Women with severe preeclampsia are less likely to develop eclamptic seizures if they are treated with magnesium sulfate than if they are treated with nimodipine, according to a randomized, unblinded, controlled study in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Magnesium sulfate superior to nimodipine for preventing eclamptic seizures

... Magnesium, vitamin B6 and dimethylglycine all have strong anti-seizure properties and can be effective even when other anti-seizure medications fail. (5) ...

5. Seizures, Vitamin B6, DMG, and Sudden Speech Autism, Res Rev Intl, 1996, 10 (2): 1

... Magnesium sulfate is standard therapy for pregnancy-induced hypertension (eclampsia and pre-eclampsia) to prevent seizures. 10 grand mal of magnesium are administered intramuscularly initially, followed by 5 grand mal intramuscularly every 4 hours. If administered intravenously, a 6 grand mal bolus over 15 minutes is given, followed by 1 to 3 grand mal per hour. In a comparative study, Dilantin™ was compared to magnesium in preventing seizures and reducing blood pressure. The investigators found no differences in the patient’s tolerance, adverse reactions or outcomes between the two groups. The authors then made the amazing conclusion that Dilantin “is a well tolerated alternative to magnesium sulfate for seizure prophylaxis in patients with mild pregnancy-induced hypertension.”(14)

14. Appleton, M. P. Magnesium Sulfate Versus Phenytoin for Seizure Prophylaxis of Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension. Am Jnl of Obst & Gyn, October 1991, 907-913

Controlling Seizures: A Nutritional Approach

Minerals are essential nutrients. Low levels of the minerals sodium, calcium, and magnesium can alter the electrical activity of brain cells and cause seizures.

...

Persons with epilepsy very seldom need to take extra sodium, calcium, or magnesium for seizure control. If your doctor finds that you have low levels in your body and no underlying disorder is identified, it may be reasonable to change your diet or take a mineral supplement. Taking extra doses of certain minerals can help to prevent side effects that may follow the long-term use of some seizure medicines. Check the specific information about the medicines you take to see if this applies to you.

Epilepsy.com - Nutritional deficiencies

[lindy]

Without ever checking for deficiencies, doctors do sort of address the issue. After all, Depakote is SODIUM valproate and the last new anti-epileptic drug I heard was in the pipeline was MAGNESIUM valproate. There's also supposed to be another anti-epileptic drug coming along based on taurine. Wouldn't it be nice if, instead of prescribing one of these chemicals, doctors just said "take magnesium" or "take some taurine" or "increase your salt intake"? Of course, the ultimate thing that would be nice was if doctors, before saying anything like that, tested us for nutritional deficiencies.

[Jualsy]

Bernard.thank you for all those postings..............everyone I told about Epsom Salts was dubuious at first, but kept it coming when they saw the results.