Theory Behind The Atkins For Seizures Diet
October 12th, 2007 Posted by: admin
To this day, doctors do not know the exact reason behind the success of this diet as a nutritional treatment for seizures. Of course, they have theories, but like epilepsy itself, much about the inner workings of the diet is still a mystery.
It is known that fasting has been used as a treatment for seizures for thousands of years. There are even references to this treatment found in the Bible. Although mentioned intermittently throughout the ages, it wasn’t until 1921 when Dr. Rawle Geyelin, a prominent pediatrician, presented his positive results to the American Medical Association, that the idea to use fasting to treat epileptic seizures was considered as a viable treatment. Back then, the only medications used to treat seizures were Phenobarbital and bromides, so the idea that simply fasting a patient could cure their condition was welcomed with much enthusiasm.
Later that year, another doctor, Russell M. Wilder went one step further and published a paper introducing a diet he said could mimic the physiological effects of fasting. This diet was the first ketogenic diet and consisted of 80 percent fats and 20 percent carbohydrates and proteins.
The ketogenic diet was widely used until 1938 when phenytoin, a new anticonvulsant medication was introduced that promised to be as effective as the rigid diet and far easier to administer. The focus then turned to the development of new drugs and as more doctors prescribed these medications, the diet was essentially phased out. A few studies continued, but the medical consensus was that the diet was too hard to administer and as such, was effectively unsuccessful.
Then, in 1993, a two-year-old boy named Charlie Abrahams changed the outlook on this once valued nutritional treatment. Countless medications and as many doctors, were unable to treat Charlie’s violent seizures. He was eventually diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy. His father, Jim Abrahams, a recognized film producer, began to research alternative approaches to epilepsy and came across the ketogenic diet. Charlie was brought to Johns Hopkins and prescribed the diet after which his seizures where miraculously and completely controlled.
After two seizure-free years, Charlie came off the diet. He had a few seizure episodes shortly after and resumed the diet for a time. Now, however, Charlie is completely off the diet and has been seizure free for years. Many questions came about from Charlie’s amazing success. His story quickly became of national interest, once again putting the ketogenic diet in the spotlight.
Still, many questions remained and Charlie’s success led to the studies at Johns Hopkins using a modified version of the ketogenic and Atkins diets.
These studies, too, have been successful. While not all children experienced the same results as Charlie, the majority of these kids were still able to reduce their seizure counts by as much as 90 percent and reduce and even eliminate their medications in many cases.
The ketogenic affects of the Atkins diet are believed to be responsible for its amazing successes as a seizure treatment. Much like the diet works for weight loss by raising ketones levels through lowering carbohydatre intake, these same ketones are proven necessary for seizure control. We also know that children have been able to eventually come off the diet and continue to be seizure free, so something within the diet changes the body’s metabolic functioning.
For my family, interest in a nutritional approach to seizure control was also personal. My daughter began having seizures when she was only two-and-a-half. It was a terrifying experience for everyone and brought up so many feelings of fear, helplessness, anger, frustration and above all else guilt. We tried everything, including every possible medication her tiny body could endure, but nothing seemed to work and in fact, made things worse in some cases. It was my endless frustration and the horror of watching my daughter suffer up to 100 seizures a day that finally brought me to the Atkins Diet. In fact, my daughter was one of the original test patients for the Johns Hopkins study on he effects of the Modified Atkins Diet for Seizures.
Although it was not easy, this diet has changed all of our lives. Today, my daughter no longer requires medications and is practically seizure free, something we could only have dreamed about before Atkins.
Seizures, like many medical conditions are not well understood. If you or a family member suffers from epilepsy, it is imperative you investigate all of your options. While the Atkins for Seizures Diet may not be right for you, it is certainly worth exploring.
About the Author
Michael Koski is the founder of http://www.atkinsforseizures.com, a highly recognized and credible source for information on epilepsy and seizures. He is the author of the widely recommended book Atkins for Seizures: The Story of One Child’s Journey Through Epilepsy (http://www.atkinsforseizures.com/story.html). His book recounts his family’s experiences using the Atkins Diet for Seizures and guides parents through each step.