IMPORTANT EPILEPSY UPDATE :
OMEGA 3--THE BIG NEW HOPE IN THE WORLD OF EPILEPSY.
Yes, its that fatty acid again . Omega 3 is turning out to be the bright new light in the world of epilepsy.
Our brain is made up of 60% fat. ( Surprising , but true). And omega 3 is found to be the most crucial part of this fat.
And its not simply omega 3. Its the DHA -- docosahexanoic acid of the three omegas that is the most important fatty acid for the brain and unfortunately this is the one fatty acid ppl don't get in their diet nowadays leading to a hundred problems that we never thought had any connection with fatty acids. Most of us think in terms of mineral , vitamin or hormone deficiencies whenever we are faced with a health problem. But we never think in terms of a fatty acid. ( the book on the link below will tell you that . And for those who have the patience to go thru the entire book on this link, you will be blessed with some surprising but very very important and useful info on brain health that your neurologists don't bother to tell you ( if they themselves are aware, that is.............after all when was the last time you come across a neurologist recommending fatty acids for brain health ?? ) )
When fatty acids ( presumably omega 3 coz thats the one thats curing the epilepsy....) in the brain become low, things go wrong and neurons begin to over fire producing too much / uncontrolled electricity which keeps giving shocks to the body time and again resulting in seizures.
And while this is not the only cause for epilepsy , it is found to be effective in a majority of epilepsies.
( Not just epilepsy..............., a hundred health problems related to the brain and nerves including alzheimers, parkinsons , ADHD and others are thought to be due to fatty acid deficiency or fat imbalance in the brain.
After all, if brain is 60% fat, then deficiency of fat should indeed lead to a thousand health problems. But this doesn't mean you overindulge in fat or any particular fatty acid. While some amount of fatty acids make you intelligent, too much of it will make you stupid too .)
Important : High dose omega 3 is shown to have little or no effect on seizure control. It is a continuous low dose omega 3 ( about a 1000mg a day) that is found to have a miraculous effect in reducing seizures. High dose of omega 3 presumably blocks some channels / pathways in the brain thus not helping much in seizure control. ( I am providing 2 links. Those interested can go thru more on the net . )
Omega 3 is found to be helpful in controlling febrile seizures too...
Research is pinning down a protein-- Interleukin 1, generally responsible for inflammation and fevers-- as a possible causative trigger for ferbrile seizures in children. Mice deficient in IL-1beta receptors were resistance to experimental febrile seizures. And N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ( omega 3) are found to reduce the synthesis of IL-1.
( Giving omega 3 to a healthy child also prevents him from getting fever every time he catches an infection. IL-1 is responsible for fever and omega -3 suppresses the synthesis of this protein. )
Imp : Convulsions in new borns and infants are generally due to B6 ( pyridoxine ) deficiency in mothers during pregnancy. Giving the infants B6 makes the seizures disappear.
Here's some more things related to epilepsy control............
Researchers are now reconsidering an old forgotten method for epilepsy treatment-- A Ketogenic diet.
A ketogenic diet is a high fat low sugar diet. This diet triggers fat metabolism ( ketosis) inside the brain and body cells resulting in the formation of ketone bodies in blood and some other proteins which are thought to have anti convulsant properties bringing seizures under control.
Ketosis is what occurs inside us when we are fasting or starving. A ketogenic diet mimics the effects of starvation--another common method of curing epilepsy in olden days. The patient was simply starved keeping him on plain water for days.
Recent studies and researches on this old method has proved it to be quite beneficial in reducing / controlling seizures especially those that don't respond to drug therapy.
Note : A ketogenic diet in epileptic children should always be given under a doctor's supervision . Too much production of ketones in the body can lead to a condition called ketoacedosis which can be harmful to the body. So children should be administered ketogenic diet only under medical supervision. Child is generally starved for about 2 days to exhaust all carbs before starting on a keto diet.
Even adults should be a little careful with the keto diet...........though its said to be mostly used by athletes for additional energy. Fat as fuel gives more energy than carbs. Body burns fat when it is starved of sugar.
Here's some researches on ketogenic diets and seizure control. All researches so far have been in favour of the ketogenic diet.
Here's some sites on crystal therapies for epilepsy too. Its mostly black crystals for epilepsy..........though there's others too.......(go thru more sites ).
Here's stuff with magnet therapy too ...............
Note: No therapy --neither nutrient nor crystal or anything else should be followed as a solo therapy. Doctor's medication comes first. And then other things along with it.
And here's some information on how to identify a seizure and what to do when a child has a febrile seizure. Its important. Lots of children suffer convulsions whenever their body temperature rises.
As per WHO stats , approximately 50 million suffer epilepsy today making it the most common neurological diseases globally. You can check on the link below.