GARD diet for epilepsy

[Bernard]

Saw this veterinarian's posts on Braintalk and I thought it was interesting:

So, here are the nuts and bolts of “the G.A.R.D“....the glutamate/aspartate restricted diet...that has helped so many pets and people with epilepsy, ADHD, insomnia, fibromyalgia (pain syndromes), chronic fatigue/depression, IBS/heartburn, and much more.

Epilepsy and Diet

[bunkers1]

I have bp1, fibromyalgia and epilepsy this may be of use as suplemental help for my existing conditions. I take meds but I was also interested in changing my diet too. Also I was looking for all natural herbs insted of meds where I can to clean out my system, I've been on meds for 11 yrs and was toxic a few times. I need to start living a healthier lifestyle.

[Bernard]

I recommend that you read all you can before you jump into anything drastic. I myself eat a "radical" vegetarian diet, but I did my homework before I started my journey over 20 years ago.

[Bernard]

Looks like the dog doctor may be on to something...

The Huntington Medical Research Institutes been awarded a grant of $1.3 million from the National Institutes of Health to study the brain chemistry behind epilepsy and epileptic seizures. The research project will examine how imbalances in the critical amino acid glutamate might disrupt the flow of messages between brain cells. The project began last week and will continue for four years.

...

The grant will help Ross improve ways to use magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure various chemicals and molecules in the brain. MRS displays charts showing the concentration in body tissues of various biochemical compounds instead of anatomical pictures of body tissues such as the brain.

Another important analytical method central to the new project is brain dialysis, developed by Dr. Kanamori and others to study brain fluids at the microscopic level where glutamate plays a crucial role in transmitting signals between nerve cells. There are as many as eight different points where glutamate affects message transmission, points where problems can occur.

"No one else in the world is studying the pivotal brain chemistry of glutamate with this combination of techniques or with the sophistication and focus of doctors Ross and Kanamori," Opel said. "This grant is an exciting boost for two talented researchers and the powerful tools they have developed."

The final year of the four-year NIH funding will support new carbon 13 MRS and MRI techniques under development at HMRI, which can analyze what's happening during a developing seizure in fractions of a second. The new program known as PASADENA, was developed by HMRI and Caltech.

"The neurochemical and electrical changes in the brain that lead to a seizure occur within milliseconds," Ross said. "Currently these changes are invisible to conventional MRI and MRS methods. PASADENA offers a window on the bio-chemically functioning brain in real-time."

...

With $1.3 Million Grant, HMRI in Pasadena Will Focus on Glutamate's Role in Epilepsy

[jolts]

bernard...I've read some of the dog doctors articles in the past about glutamate toxicity. He's been a great help. Though I don't remember reading about his GARD diet, I do see it's very simular to the 'MSG elimination diet' that I was following. I really don't know how many people were helped by using this diet, but it sure helped me. But I'm proud to say I stopped the seizures of a celebrity that contacted me in a very short time. And that person had seizures for over 10 yrs & been to doctors to no avail. The key word here is 'glutamate'. Too much of it is no good. Even worse is 'free glutamate'. You mostly get this from over cooking foods. Another thing is medications & supplements, they almost all have some form of glutamate. I follow the protocol at msgmyth.com. They have literally saved my life. I no longer get seizures.

Pat Sr

[Bernard]

Hi jolts, welcome to the forum. Thanks for following up my questions from curezone.

So you didn't follow the dog doctor's G.A.R.D. diet per se, though it is similar to the one you used? I'll have a look at the protocols at msgmyth.com then.

What was your seizure history prior to the diet switch?

[jolts]

Nice to meet ya. Actually the protocol at msgmyth is much more complicated. But well worth it. It's not just for ridding of seizures but many other ailments as well. When I say they literrally saved my life I mean just that. You see I was very suicidal back then, my seizures were that bad. Then I found msgmyth. I know it's not a very impressive site but the answers are there. Prior to the diet I had the worse imaginable seizures for a few years. Mine would happen as I'm dosing off to nap or sleep. Most of the time I would get this aura of a liquid surge on the left side of my chest just prior to a attack. Mine was a two parter. It would feel like my heart was trying to jump out of my chest very violently. Also would get this violent jolt in my head(hense my handle).Maybe it was a insulin surge, not sure. There were many times I would keep myself up because I know if I went to sleep I would get a seizure. Then I found msgmyth & in a very short time my seizures stopped completly.

I did look briefly at your wife's story. I see she was on medications. You see that is the problem. You see all medications & suplements have some form of glutamate in the form of gelatin, coatings, fillers, & binders. That's all glutamate which will contribute to your seizures. But then I hate to tell someone to stop taking their medications. Don't bother asking any doctor about this stuff, their not taught about it when they went to school.

Did you know how you cook your food can give you a seizure. Let me give you a couple of examples. White rice is a no-no. When I cook brown rice which is normaly ok, if I overcook it, it relieses what's called 'free glutamate'. This will give me a seizure plus a host of other symptoms such as headache, neck pain, intense burning in neck & back, things like that. Another example is tomatoes if you overcook them. Another one is cheese. Another is peas. This one gets me bad. Peas are naturally high in glutamate, but if overcooked you reliese 'free glutamate'.

There is a test yourself starter diet at msgmyth on the left hand menu. I highly suggest everyone here to give it a try. If it works you have your answer.

Good luck to all...Pat Sr

[Bernard]

Thanks jolts. Stacy is going to give it a shot. We'll be tracking her progress in her diary.

[jolts]

That's great bernard. You guys will not be disapointed. Would you like me to send you some notes that I saved from mostly msgmyth? It's mostly stuff like seizure stuff, coping with msg, what to eat, things like that. In other words just the facts cus reading through the boards can be overwhelming. Just let me know.

Pat Sr

[kmarquart]

Thanks jolts. Stacy is going to give it a shot. We'll be tracking her progress in her diary.

i will surely follow her diary.....i believe for everyone something works and something doesn't--sometimes it's mind over body and sometimes it's just the way it works--let me know
KIM

[Bernard]

Thanks jolts, I sent you a private message (PM). Your notes would be appreciated.

[Bernard]

The researchers discovered that the neurons' memory was not caused by increased flow of glutamate to their synapses. Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the nervous system and is involved in the processes of learning and memory. They blocked glutamate and found that it did not affect the memory of the neurons.

Instead, the glutamate sets off a cascade of events in the neuron that results in the activation of ion channels, called TRP channels, which then remain active for a long time.

"The long-term activation of these TRP channels," says Zakon, "is the 'memory.'"

Mechanism For Memory Revealed In Neurons Of Electric Fish

I don't really understand everything presented in the article, but thought it was interesting that memory function was not affected by the blocking of glutimate in the brain.

[Bernard]

I ran across this while searching for something else today:

In many cases of epilepsy, there is an association with celiac disease and cerebral calcifications. Gluten-free diet, a mainstay in the treatment of celiac disease, often reduce the incidence of seizures, especially if the diet is started soon after the onset of seizures. The efficacy of the gluten-free diet in epilepsy appears to be inversely related to the duration of epilepsy before the diet, and to the age at the beginning of the diet. (12) The possibility of celiac disease should be investigated in all cases of epilepsy, especially if cerebral calcifications are identified.

Controlling Seizures: A Nutritional Approach

[DogtorJ]

I'm glad to see that you guys are discussing this. I know it is hard to swallow coming from a little 'ol veterinarian but I have dedicated myself to this pursuit and my Website explains.

I have been writing on BrainTalk for quite sometime now with mixed emotions and success. It actually hurts to know how well this elimination diet works and yet feel like I cannot get the word out fast enough. Thankfully more and more opportunitiesa are arising to share this. Those who have seen the results first hand often become very involved.

One couple recently did this for their "non-responsive" epileptic son with great success and proceeded to explain the whole thing to their doctors at the Cleveland Clinic. The parents then wrote to me to tell me how genuinely interested they were at the CC, with the doctors actually taking notes. Why? I think it is because it makes sense to them. It is that kind of information, especially when the reader sees how the "syndrome" of epilepsy unfolds and that these foods (the "big 4") have their hands in ALL aspects of the syndrome.

And the results are not limited to idiopathic epilepsy. Last year, I had a wife of a man who had suffered head trauma and developed traumatic epilepsy write to me. In her words, her husband had been turned into a "zombie" by all of the anti-epileptic drugs and he was STILL having seizures. I explained The GARD to her, she began it immediately, and his seizures COMPLETELY stopped in 4 days. She then wrote me back and asked how to wean him off the meds. Of course, I had to refer her to her neurologist guy for that. She stated "But her neurologist says that diet has nothing to do with seizures!" Hmmm...

The fact is that the diet has soooo much to do with seizures, regardless of the cause. I have had brain tumor patients have improvement in their seizure frequency and severity. The migraines, pain syndromes, insomnia, ADHD, and neurodegenerative diseases are all responding. Epilepsy is just "the hook"...the dramatic example of how a serious life-altering condition can turn around sooooo quickly. The others conditions are related and will follow suit.

So,once again, I am pleased to see that this discussion is still on-going on this forum. I check in every once in a while and found the post about the study being done. Halleluiah! Maybe someone in conventional medicine will see the light very soon. I hope so!

I hope this helps,
John

[Bernard]

Hi John, thanks for popping in and keeping us up to date on the diet. I'd really like to see it studied more in clinical settings. Stacy had some problems with it, but we're convinced that diet plays a big role in the seizure threshold.

[DogtorJ]

Hey Bernard,

It's great to hear from you. What's happening with Stacy these days? Why don't you shoot me an Email?

John

[Bernard]

Stacy had a pretty rough period a while back, but seems to have the seizures mostly under control now. I've been posting updates on the blog periodically.

Edit: Stacy stopped using the GARD diet in April 2006.