Evening primrose oil alternatives

[Obelia]

I've heard that evening primrose oil can be useful for regulating hormones, but when I had a look at the back of the packet it says that people with epilepsy shouldn't take it without first consulting a neurologist. My nearest neurologist is 50 miles away and I'm lucky if I get to see him once a year, so that will have to wait.

Starflower oil is supposed to have a similar effect, so I'm wondering whether it would be a safe alternative. It may not have the same warnings on the packet (I didn't notice any), but that doesn't mean it doesn't work in the same way or pose similar risks: it could simply mean that the research hasn't been done yet because it's used by fewer people.

Has anyone here who suffers from epilepsy used it?

 

[Bernard]

Evening primrose oil contains GLA/Omega 6 fatty acids and that is why there is a warning for people with seizure disorders.

[ame=http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGIH_enUS229US229&q=starflower+oil]Starflower oil = Borage oil[/ame]. It would be contraindicated for seizure disorders for the same reason - high levels of GLA/Omega 6 fatty acids.

 

[RobinN]

I use to use this with success for migraines, prior to learning about magnesium.

Maybe this link is going to work better.
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com...-evening-primrose-gla-omega-6-fatty-acid-673/

However, from my understanding, our body needs both as messengers of the central nervous system.

There are two families of EFAs: ω-3 (or omega-3 or n-3) and ω-6 (omega-6, n-6.) Fats from each of these families are essential, as the body can convert one omega-3 to another omega-3, for example, but cannot create an omega-3 from scratch.

Lipoxins are a series of anti-inflamatory mediators. Lipoxins are derived from arachidonic acid, an ω-6 fatty acid
An analogous class, the resolvins, is derived from EPA and DHA, ω-3 fatty acids.[2]

I don't understand what I am misunderstanding here.

 

[RobinN]

Yes, I understand where Omega 3's are helpful for a variety of conditions. Wikipedia, states that it is having greater results than Ritalin for ADHD.

But how Omega 6's are bad for those with seizure disorders that is where I am confused. As the info I provided states that they are essential.

Bernard is finding contrary information

 

[brain]

Bernard is finding contrary information

NO - You will always find such information
that is contrary; because of never-ending
research findings that are always popping up.

If I must remind you:

Remember?

1960s - Poultry is bad for you, late 60s,
never mind - Poultry is good for you

1970s - Bread & Eggs were bad for you,
late 70s -- Never mind - it's good for you

1980s - Pork is bad for you, late 80s,
never mind - it's good for you

1990s - Beef is bad for you, mid 90s - well,
we're not sure if it is bad for you, late 90s,
Beef is good for you, just don't eat the fat.

2000 - Alcohol is bad for you
2001 - Alcohol is good for you, only drink
1 glass a wine or 2 a week
2002 - Alcohol is good for you, drink
under Doctor's recommendation, American
Heart Association finds proof that ....
2003 - Alcohol is not for everyone


THEN OF COURSE there's Aspirin - They
brought back what was a "No-No", now is
a recommendation for "prevention" of cardiac
and circulation care and other health problems
and follow per Doctor's recommendation and
advisories.

Then they turn around and say NO to Aspirin
and then back to YES to Aspirin.

And I could go on and on and on

And you wonder why we have headaches?

That's all we hear .. YES it's OK, No it's not
OK - Well - maybe it's OK - we're not sure...
Then it's - YES it's OK, but NOT OK for people
with XXXXXXXX. And then more researches
come up and then you get all kinds of answers
under the sun and then you're stuck with ...

:?: :dontknow: :?:

Am I being a little more specific and clearer?

 

[RobinN]

Yes, I should have considered this rational of opposites.
I would like a conversation though about the pros and cons, and perhaps I need to wait until Bernard wakes up, since he was the one that started the thread

 

[brain]

Not Recommended for People With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Properties



Starflower Oil is rich in the fatty acid Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA), which is an important intermediary in the metabolic conversion of Linolenic Acid into Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1). PGE1 is one of many prostaglandins which are interconvertible, and which modulate the action of many hormones.


Contra-indications/Precautions



Should be avoided by persons taking blood-thinning products such as aspirin and warfarin. Not recommended for people with temporal lobe epilepsy. Probably best avoided during pregnancy due to effects on hormones.

PS: Bernard didn't start the thread

 

[Obelia]

Damn, I knew there'd be something about Starflower oil.

But we're always being told to eat more Omega 3 and 6, for the health of our brains, so now I'm totally confused. I suppose the difference between what's good for you and what's dangerous is all in the dose.

 

[Bernard]

If you read the PDF report in the GLA/Omega 6 thread, it explains:

There are two categories of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the omega-6 and the omega-3, which differ in the positioning of their double bonds. The positioning of these bonds causes the fatty acids to have different shapes and functions. Omega-6 fatty acids are far more prominent in the conventional North American diet than omega-3 fatty acids. The precursor fatty acids of the omega-6 and omega-3 series, linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) respectively, can be elongated and desaturated (have more double bonds added) in the body and converted into the other members of their group and eventually, into various eicosanoids. In healthy individuals, consuming adequate amounts of LA and ALA should be sufficient to maintain proper fatty acid metabolism and eicosanoid production. Therefore, they are the only polyunsaturated fatty acids that are truly essential in the diet. However, highly unsaturated, long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (like gamma-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) often provide benefits that the precursor essential fatty acids do not and in some cases, may be essential in the diet as well.

Basically, the healthy body can make all the GLA it needs from LA which is prevalent in most oils. Also from the report:

In general, saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids are considered harmful and should not be consumed in excess (“bad fat”). Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids on the other hand, are beneficial when consumed in the recommended amounts (“good fat”). It is generally recommended that approximately 30 % of calories in the diet be acquired from total fat, under 10 % from saturated fat (and trans fat), 10-15 % from monounsaturated fat and 8-10 % from polyunsaturated fat (1 g of fat provides 9 calories of energy). Although an optimal intake of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids has yet to be established, it is often recommended that omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids be consumed in ratio of approximately 4:1 to maximize their health benefits (Kris-Etherton et al, 2000). In other words, approximately 80 % of polyunsaturated intake should be omega-6 fatty acids and the remaining 20 % omega-3 fatty acids. Most people who consume a conventional North American diet acquire omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in a much higher ratio (10-20:1).

 

[RobinN]

So.... if you do not consume a conventional No American diet (high fat), as we know it, you should be making sure you are consuming enought Omega 6 and 3, to keep a 4:1 ratio.
I remember when some folks went overboard and went on a no fat diet, and it was soon found that that was dangerous. Is this 4:1 ration still adequate for those with seizure disorders... not talking about the healthy body.

Sharon-

PS: Bernard didn't start the thread

I apologize.

 

[brain]

Robin: No problem
:tup:

 

[CallmebigA]

New Here

My son was diagnosed with seizure since he was 4 years old. He is now 18 years of age. Evening primrose oil made his seizure worst.

 

[Nakamova]

Yes, it's always a good idea to proceed with caution when trying a supplement. What works for one person may not always work for another, and as Bernard notes above, the Omega6s in evening primrose oil can potentially be problematic for folks with seizure disorders.

 

[jyearta]

I take 500MG of evening primrose oil a 6 times a day - every 4 hours. This has helped me.

But please keep in mind what The others have said about it can work for some.

 

[RunningGirl85]

So does this mean I should take some during/before my video EEG to see some results?

 

[RunningGirl85]

No, but seriously, come to think of it, before my last T/C that got me diagnosed, I was taking an omega 3/6/9 complex, and also drinking a decent amount of sugar free energy drinks... I'm sure those didn't help matters any.

 

[Bernard]

Most people get way more Omega-6 than they need (or should be digesting) from their diet. Supplementing with just Omega-3 is an effort to balance the ratio.

At least one study has shown that grass fed beef (a relic of history in today's "Food Inc." corn driven food production era) had much higher Omega 3 than corn fed beef. The same diet that may have supplied sufficient Omega 3 decades ago likely doesn't today because of changes to the foods in the diet.

 

[MrKap]

I'm unsure about this as there seems to be hard evidence out there which associates evening primrose oil (borage oil, close enough) with worsening of temporal lobe epilepsies, however the report I found mentioned that at least one of those people were supplementing with a handful of other things.

This is a newer research paper, from 2007.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17764919

The concern that evening primrose oil might cause epilepsy or seizures, or reduce the threshold for seizures, originated from two papers published in the early 1980s. These original reports are re-examined, and the association of evening primrose oil with seizures is shown to be spurious. Not only are linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid safe in epilepsy, with prolonged oral administration of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid (in a 4:1 mixture) protecting rats from having seizures in four different epilepsy models, but the evening primrose oil-derived omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid inhibits sodium ion currents and synaptic transmission, while the evening primrose oil-derived eicosanoid prostaglandin E(1) appears to have anticonvulsant activity. In light of these findings, it is suggested that formularies should now remove seizures or epilepsy as a side-effect of evening primrose oil, and should remove a history of seizures or epilepsy as a contraindication to taking evening primrose oil.

So, i've ordered some and plan to give this a go in very low amounts for a few days, weeks or a month or so.

I may add in alpha lipoic acid into the stack if I have no adverse effects.