Seizure solutions Q: I was wondering if you had any suggestions on seizures? My wife suffers from them and she hasn't been able to handle any of the five or six different medications her doctors have prescribed. But they tell me she cannot drive unless she is on medication, so I am at a loss as to what to do. JVW: Seizures are difficult to control without patent medications, but there are many things that can reduce seizure frequency. The program most likely to help is the "ketogenic diet." Although pioneered and popularized as a seizure-controlling diet for children, the ketogenic diet can help seizure control for adults too. It requires eliminating (among other things) all refined sugar and refined carbohydrates. Unfortunately, some of its other strict requirements make it a difficult diet to follow. Plus, it often becomes impossible to get enough of several important nutrients. If you attempt the ketogenic diet for your wife, make sure to work with a physician skilled and knowledgeable in natural and nutritional medicine. But even if she can't do the full ketogenic program, refined sugar and refined carbohydrate elimination is still important for her, since both of these substances lead to unstable blood sugar, which can aggravate seizures. For some (but not all) individuals suffering from seizures, eliminating food allergies can reduce seizure frequency. If your wife has any history of allergy at all, this is definitely worth trying. There are also several nutrients that can help reduce seizure frequency and severity. These include 300-400 milligrams of magnesium per day (from magnesium taurate), 50 milligrams of manganese per day (from manganese citrate), 1,500 milligrams of the amino acid taurine twice a day (taken in between meals), and 800 IU of vitamin E per day (as mixed tocopherols). Other nutrients that may help in some individuals include the fish oil fractions EPA/DHA (3,000 milligrams daily total, with more emphasis on EPA) and vitamin B6, 100 milligrams, twice daily. Good luck! I hope that these suggestions will help you, your wife, and her doctor find the best program to suit her needs.
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