What a great question, Eric. There's tons of so-called "science" behind the theory. I'm not sure if there's a single study, but there should be. Please review this article for what it's really worth without damaging credibility of the authors based on a meaningless tangent:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48898888/How-Bacterial-Imbalances-May-Predispose-to-Seizure-Disorder
How much so-called empirical evidence do we really need when the following gut maladies are well known to include seizure activity:
1) Celiac disease; symptoms may not even be gut-related which is why epilepsy is not normally associated with the gut; manifesting elsewhere in the body, but of gut origin. The Celiac industry, with its head firmly planted in the sand, doesn't yet recognize gut flora as factor with their grossly incomplete biopsies and oblivion regarding use of probiotics. They believe the only treatment for Celiac disease is the starchy gluten-free diet which feeds the problem. They don't include fungi in their biopsies because that would only be tested in immunocompromised conditions and they don't yet see Celiac, with all its severe complications both mental and physical, as immunocompromised. They don't test for clostridium bacteria because they wrongly believe it's limited to the large intestine.
2) Amboebic dysentery; protozoal origin of flora imbalance as their diet is bacteria. Bacterial enzyme deficiency is underestimated. Moreover, bacteria tend the gut lining. Save the bacteria!
3) C-diff; spore-forming clostridium bacteria now a chronic environmental issue not confined to hospitals. There is much talk on the internet about C-diff and seizure. This malady is no longer limited to the large intestine.
4) Autistic spectrum; epilepsy rates among those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), range from 20 to 40 percent, with the highest rates among those most severely impaired by autism. Autism is now strongly associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in several peer-reviewed studies. Gut microbiota are known to affect brain development and behavior.
4) IBS (spastic colon); flare-ups include CNS overactivation/irritation of the intestinal lining which contains the most extensive innervation of the body, nerve bundles and fibers directly connected to the brain through the lymphatic system. There is clear evidence of altered gut flora in IBS including SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48898888/How-Bacterial-Imbalances-May-Predispose-to-Seizure-Disorder
How much so-called empirical evidence do we really need when the following gut maladies are well known to include seizure activity:
1) Celiac disease; symptoms may not even be gut-related which is why epilepsy is not normally associated with the gut; manifesting elsewhere in the body, but of gut origin. The Celiac industry, with its head firmly planted in the sand, doesn't yet recognize gut flora as factor with their grossly incomplete biopsies and oblivion regarding use of probiotics. They believe the only treatment for Celiac disease is the starchy gluten-free diet which feeds the problem. They don't include fungi in their biopsies because that would only be tested in immunocompromised conditions and they don't yet see Celiac, with all its severe complications both mental and physical, as immunocompromised. They don't test for clostridium bacteria because they wrongly believe it's limited to the large intestine.
2) Amboebic dysentery; protozoal origin of flora imbalance as their diet is bacteria. Bacterial enzyme deficiency is underestimated. Moreover, bacteria tend the gut lining. Save the bacteria!
3) C-diff; spore-forming clostridium bacteria now a chronic environmental issue not confined to hospitals. There is much talk on the internet about C-diff and seizure. This malady is no longer limited to the large intestine.
4) Autistic spectrum; epilepsy rates among those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), range from 20 to 40 percent, with the highest rates among those most severely impaired by autism. Autism is now strongly associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in several peer-reviewed studies. Gut microbiota are known to affect brain development and behavior.
4) IBS (spastic colon); flare-ups include CNS overactivation/irritation of the intestinal lining which contains the most extensive innervation of the body, nerve bundles and fibers directly connected to the brain through the lymphatic system. There is clear evidence of altered gut flora in IBS including SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).
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