[MAD] Understanding the Antiepileptic Benefits of an Atkins-Like Diet

[Dutch mom]

Understanding the Antiepileptic Benefits of an Atkins-Like Diet

July 8, 2011 — Some individuals with epilepsy fail to respond to treatment with conventional drugs but benefit from consuming a ketogenic diet -- a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet similar to the more commonly known ... > full story

http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/epilepsy/

[nicholasscott21]

Dutch Mom, does this rule me out because I had a heart attack and need t0 avoid fatty foods?

[Dutch mom]

A ketogenic diet can cause heart problems as a side effect (longer QT-time.) The ketogenic diet is very hard to do for adults, it's used specifically for children with a medication resitstant type of epilepsy.

The Atkins diet (used for weight loss) however, or the Modified Atkins diet (MAD, used for epilepsy in children and adults), can be benificial for (overweight) people with a heart condition.

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein and low-carbohydrate diet used to treat epileptic seizures in patients who do not respond well to conventional approaches. A modified version of the diet can be used as a weight-loss diet. Studies indicate that the original ketogenic diet can initiate a heart condition, whereas the weight-loss version reduces the risk factors for heart disease. This suggests that overweight individuals with heart failure may benefit from following the weight-loss version of the ketogenic diet. Following the original diet, however, could present a risk for heart patients.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/53...#ixzz1cAdM6XLD

[RobinN]

Nicholas - I have been reading a lot of articles recently that it is being discovered that good fats are our friends it is the sugars that are causing the heart issues :
[QUOTE]
Stephanie Seneff
"Heart disease, I think, is a cholesterol deficiency problem, and in particular a cholesterol sulfate deficiency problem..."

She points out that all of this information is available in the research literature, but it requires putting all the pieces together to see the full picture. Through her research, she believes that the mechanism we call "cardiovascular disease," of which arterial plaque is a hallmark, is actually your body's way to compensate for not having enough cholesterol sulfate.

"The macrophages in the plaque take up LDL, the small dense LDL particles that have been damaged by sugar... The liver cannot take them back because the receptor can't receive them, because they are gummed with sugar basically. So they're stuck floating in your body... Those macrophages in the plaque do a heroic job in taking that gummed up LDL out of the blood circulation, carefully extracting the cholesterol from it to save it – the cholesterol is important – and then exporting the cholesterol into HDL – HDL A1 in particular... That's the good guy, HDL.

The platelets in the plaque take in HDL A1 cholesterol and they won't take anything else... They take in sulfate, and they produce cholesterol sulfate in the plaque.

The sulfate actually comes from homocysteine. Elevated homocysteine is another risk factor for heart disease. Homocysteine is a source of sulfate. It also involves hemoglobin. You have to consume energy to produce a sulfate from homocysteine, and the red blood cells actually supply the ATP to the plaque.

So everything is there and the intent is to produce cholesterol sulfate and it's done in the arteries feeding the heart, because it's the heart that needs the cholesterol sulfate. If [cholesterol sulfate is not produced]... you end up with heart failure."

So, in a nutshell, high LDL appears to be a sign of cholesterol sulfate deficiency—it's your body's way of trying to maintain the correct balance by taking damaged LDL and turning it into plaque, within which the blood platelets produce the cholesterol sulfate your heart and brain need for optimal function.

Many of the health problems attributed to fat and cholesterol in animal foods are in fact caused by SUGAR, not fat!

Your liver can make cholesterol, but it requires effort. As Dr. Seneff points out, it's a complex process involving some 25 to 30 steps. Now, one factor that most people are unaware of is that when your liver is busy processing fructose (which your liver turns into fat), it severely hampers its ability to make cholesterol. This is yet another important facet that explains how and why excessive fructose consumption is so detrimental to your health.

Why are vegetarians at risk for heart disease?

" If you're eating a high fructose diet, which most people in America are, one of the things your liver is going to have to do is to turn that fructose into fat... and it needs cholesterol to store the fat but it can't make cholesterol while it's processing fructose... So when there are high levels of glucose in the blood, your liver is kind of caught in a hard place because it can't make the cholesterol it needs to store the fat that it is producing from the fructose..."

I think in many cases, people are facing a cholesterol deficiency because they don't have it in the diet, [and] because the liver is working overtime on other things."

Dr Seneff - MIT

[epileric]

Stephanie Seneff has her PHD in electrical engineering & computer science, her undergrad in biophysics is the closest thing she has to anything biological & that was from 1968- a very long time ago. I would feel more comfortable with a nutritionist, dietician, MD or even a biologist giving me such information or advice.

Biography
Stephanie Seneff received the B.S. degree in Biophysics from MIT in 1968, the M.S. and E.E. degrees in Electrical Engineering in 1980, and the PhD degree in Electrical Engineering in 1985, also from MIT. Her research interests have encompassed many aspects of the development of computer conversational systems, including speech recognition, natural language parsing, discourse and dialogue modelling, language generation, and information summarization.

http://www.csail.mit.edu/user/1389

Also do watch out when reading anything by Mr. Mercola, He is known to doctors for making claims that contradict medical science and supporting others like Stephanie Seneff who do the same while making money his main goal.

Mercola operates mercola.com, which he has described as the most popular alternative-health website on the Internet.[3] The site advocates and sells a variety of alternative medicine treatments and dietary supplements. An article in BusinessWeek was critical of website's aggressive direct-marketing tactics and complained of Mercola's "lack of respect" for his site's visitors, writing:

Mercola gives the lie to the notion that holistic practitioners tend to be so absorbed in treating patients that they aren't effective businesspeople. While Mercola on his site seeks to identify with this image by distinguishing himself from "all the greed-motivated hype out there in health-care land", he is a master promoter, using every trick of traditional and Internet direct marketing to grow his business... He is selling health-care products and services, and is calling upon an unfortunate tradition made famous by the old-time snake oil salesmen of the 1800s.[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_...nd_controversy

Mercola.com is a horrible chimera of tabloid journalism, late-night infomercials, and amateur pre-scientific medicine, and is the primary web presence of Joseph Mercola.

Joseph Mercola Is A Threat To Public Health, Spreading False Information

[Nakamova]

The search for which nutritional components of the Western diet are the "villains" is an evolving one. Nutritional specialists are definitely taking a closer look at sugar these days, after years of demonizing fats. An interesting and balanced article on the subject can be found at this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/ma...pagewanted=all

[RobinN]

I appreciate what I have learned from Dr Mercola. It is one site that I can count on for alternative ideas. I use the information to make my own judgement call.

I also believe that intelligent people can make intelligent observations, and express opinions in other subjects. Often times it might be cutting edge because they come at it from a new perspective.
I can appreciate the kind of mind set that is needed to get a MS and a PhD from MIT.

[epileric]

I appreciate what I have learned from Dr Mercola. It is one site that I can count on for alternative ideas. I use the information to make my own judgement call.

I also believe that intelligent people can make intelligent observations, and express opinions in other subjects. Often times it might be cutting edge because they come at it from a new perspective.
I can appreciate the kind of mind set that is needed to get a MS and a PhD from MIT.

I know if my podiatrist told me to do something for my seizures, even if they went to the best podiatry school around that I’d perceive it differently than if my neurologist told me. For that reason I see both Mercolas (who is only an osteopath) and Stephanie Seneffs area of training to be noteworthy. As well, her believing myths that have been repetitively proven false (vaccine association to autism) makes her even less credible in my eyes.

Like you, I also love hearing opinions from varying viewpoints but when someones “opinion” is presented on a site that advertises itself as a health site, then it is no longer an opinion, it is medical advice and I feel someone giving any advice from a place of authority has a responsibility to have the necessary qualifications. As we all know incorrect medical advice can be very dangerous. It is the same reason I agree with the FDA when they insisted that Mercola stop making unsubstantiated claims, not once or twice but three times.. I am not telling you or anyone not to listen to him and I apologize if you thought I was, but knowing these things changes how I would perceive this advice & I assume others find it relevant as well.

[RobinN]

"only an osteopath"

DOs are licensed physicians who, similar to MDs, can prescribe medication and perform surgery in all 50 states. DOs and MDs have similar training requiring four years of study in the basic and clinical sciences, and the successful completion of licensing exams. But DOs bring something extra to the practice of medicine. Osteopathic physicians practice a "whole person" approach, treating the entire person rather than just symptoms. Focusing on preventive health care, DOs help patients develop attitudes and lifestyles that don't just fight illness, but help prevent it, too.

I am also board-certified in family medicine and served as the chairman of the family medicine department at St. Alexius Medical Center for five years. I am trained in both traditional and natural medicine.

http://www.mercola.com/forms/background.htm

I have received far more useful information from this site than any of my doctors combined. I don't use it as my only source, but it is one that I value. The information is free. The FDA has been known to be wrong "occasionally". They are a Govt agency with very powerful pharma connections. Even our team of doctors have given us "false claims" and I pay for their expert advice.

[Rae1889]

Im going to have to agree with Eric on this one.

I dont trust people who havent had any formal training in the areas of seizures etc giving me advice on them. My chiropracter told me that epilepsy was 100% curable by just having regular adjustments. Yeah,Right.

I would rather listen to a good neurologist (havent found one yet) than listen to someone who pushes products and trends (like Doctor Oz and Mercola)

EDIT: but at the same time, i'm getting kinda desperate for these seizures to stop that i'd try just about anything.

[epileric]

Of course you're using his own description of his training. I would rather something more objective than an ad for himself on his site.

osteopathy

Osteopathy is a medical practice based on the theory that diseases are due chiefly to loss of structural integrity which can be restored to harmony or equilibrium by manipulation. The manipulation allegedly allows the body to heal itself. Osteopaths use manipulation for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.

http://www.skepdic.com/osteopathy.html

Main Entry: os·te·op·a·thy
Pronunciation: \ˌäs-tē-ˈäp-ə-thē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural os·te·op·a·thies
1 : a disease of bone
2 : a system of medical practice based on a theory that diseases are due chiefly to loss of structural integrity which can be restored by manipulation of the parts supplemented by therapeutic measures (as use of medicine or surgery)

http://www.merriam-webster.com/medlineplus/osteopathy

4 years of school is much less than an MD.

How many years of school are required to become a MD?

4 years of college & 4 years of med school. Then residency and if you specialize a fellowship both take 2-4 years. So at a 12-16 years.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_y...to_become_a_MD

The FDA has been known to be wrong "occasionally". They are a Govt agency with very powerful pharma connections.

I've heard that accusation before but never seen any documentation of it other than more empty accusations. It is interesting however how the FDA is accused of being evil but when they do rule against pharmaceutical companies then suddenly the FDA has some legitimacy.

[Wally]

Im going to have to agree with Eric on this one.

I dont trust people who havent had any formal training in the areas of seizures etc giving me advice on them. My chiropracter told me that epilepsy was 100% curable by just having regular adjustments. Yeah,Right.

I would rather listen to a good neurologist (havent found one yet) than listen to someone who pushes products and trends (like Doctor Oz and Mercola)

EDIT: but at the same time, i'm getting kinda desperate for these seizures to stop that i'd try just about anything.

We must go to the same Chiropractor! It was hard not to laugh when he said that. But I think he sincerely believes that and he was really just trying to help me.

[epileric]

The MAD diet has been shown to be effective & is accepted by the medical community

RESULTS:

In all children, at least moderate urinary ketosis developed within 4 days (mean, 1.9). Sixteen (80%) completed the 6-month study; 14 chose to remain on the diet afterward. At 6 months, 13 (65%) had >50% improvement, and seven (35%) had >90% improvement (four were seizure free). Mean seizure frequency after 6 months was 40 per week (p = 0.005). Over a 6-month period, mean serum blood urea nitrogen increased from 12 to 17 mg/dl (p = 0.01); creatinine was unchanged. Cholesterol increased from 192 to 221 mg/dl, (p = 0.06). Weight did not change significantly (34.0-33.7 kg); only six children lost weight. A stable body mass index over time correlated with >90% improvement (p = 0.004).
CONCLUSIONS:

A modified Atkins diet is an effective and well-tolerated therapy for intractable pediatric epilepsy.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16499770

[RobinN]

I am glad that you have found someone in the medical field whom you can trust to have all of the answers. I haven't. Many that we have seen are quite out of tune, except for the 100% pharma route. As for Dr Mercola selling product... I have never felt pressured to buy any of his products. I can study his articles, and the articles he links to at my leisure. I am not on a clock. In a convention doctors office, there certainly is a clock, and I feel pressured to take the prescription or else there will be a red mark put in the file.

We obviously approach medical care from a different perspective. I have learned that I like the whole body approach after 50 years of trying the conventional approach.

[Emee]

I'm a little confused about Osteopath training. The DO in my area does everything that the internist or PC dr's do, plus she has an additional 500 hrs (I believe) of training in anatomy. She can also assist in surgery. She also knows a lot about natural remedies. I seem to remember she told me she had same training as a MD + extra hours for bones & muscles. I've had better health care from the DO than a lot of MD's.