EPILEPSY AND SEIZURES

By Lawrence Wilson, MD

Revised © July 2007

An epileptic seizure is an electrical discharge within the brain that spreads quickly out of control throughout the central nervous system. There are two major types called grand mal seizures and petit mal seizures. These differ mainly in the degree of electrical discharge they involve. They have many causes, which will be discussed below.

Seizures cause many symptoms such as jerking of the limbs, uncontrolled urination or defecation and even periods of unconsciousness. Long-term, they can cause brain damage and therefore it makes sense to remedy them at their cause whenever possible.
An important note is that seizure disorder is not one illness, as the medical profession often assumes. It is merely a symptom, which can have many causes that are discussed below. For many seizures, nutritional balancing, with an emphasis on dietary change, are methods of nutritional treatment that have shown amazingly effective results.

I believe this is the case because many epileptic symptoms are in fact just biochemical imbalances that are subtle, but have powerful effects at the level of the central nervous system. This is the only reason I can imagine that so many people respond so well in many cases to rather simple nutritional interventions.

CAUSES OF EPILEPSY

Causes include allergies to foods including sugar, gluten, casein, MSG and aspartame. The latter two are called excitotoxins – and for good reason. They overexcite the central nervous system. L-glutamine, an amino acid found in wheat, soy, MSG and many processed foods is another excitatory chemical for sensitive individuals.

Others causes are an excessively fast oxidation rate, copper toxicity and other toxic metals. Occasionally, infection, pressure from a tumor or irritation from scar tissue from a trauma or illness are triggering causes. Epilepsy can be caused by damage to an area of the brain from lack of oxygen at birth and certain illnesses such as Parkinson's disease.

Often overlooked are biochemical causes not detectable with blood tests, x-rays or other high-tech scans, for the most part. These are discussed below.

THE CONCEPT OF TRIGGERS

An important concept is that epileptic seizures are often triggered by an underlying biochemical imbalance, including those due to food sensitivities, or perhaps eating habits such as overeating or not drinking enough water. This, for example, can shift the pH of the blood just enough to upset the electrical system of the brain. Other triggers can include a physical or even an emotional trauma or even too much excitement in a child’s life.

Any Stress is a trigger. In fact, any stressful event can trigger a seizure. It can be hunger, thirst, fatigue, too much exercise or sun exposure, or any number of other stressors to the body. Among the causes of these triggers is a decline in the zinc level and a rise in the copper level. The interesting role of copper in seizure activity is discussed in a section that follows.

Avoiding the triggers, therefore, is one effective and simple way to correct the seizure problem, even though it may not address deeper causes. In most cases, if the triggers are avoided, one will at least not be so prone to seizures at random intervals.

If one combines this with a nutritional balancing program to correct the deeper imbalances described below, one has the makings of an extremely effective and complete program of seizure avoidance and healing.

THE SUBTLE CHEMICAL CAUSES OF SEIZURES

Most often, medical doctors are not able to identify the precise cause of seizures. They diagnose “idiopathic seizure disorder” in many cases. Hair mineral testing is a simple, non-invasive, inexpensive method that may identify many causes for seizures.

FAST OXIDATION AND CHILDREN’S SEIZURES

Fast oxidation is a term used to describe a mineral pattern seen commonly on hair tissue mineral analyses of children. This type of seizure occurs less commonly in adults, though we encounter it at times.

Fast oxidation is defined as an absolute or relative low tissue level of calcium and magnesium in relation to the sodium and potassium levels in a sample of hair that has not been washed at the laboratory. This is a very important aspect of the test, as washing at the lab affects the sodium and potassium readings on the test.

Calcium, magnesium and zinc are called the nutritional sedative minerals. They are calming, relaxing minerals to the nervous and muscular systems. In these children, the fight-or-flight mechanism is activated too often, resulting in too much elimination of calcium, magnesium and zinc in the urine. The children easily become deficient in these minerals at a tissue level. Note that standard serum tests will not reveal low tissue calcium, magnesium or zinc in most cases.

These children require additional calcium, magnesium, zinc and often copper that is bioavailable in their diets. This is not so easy to come by, especially magnesium, which is found mainly in foods such as nuts, seeds and whole grains. Refined food diets, for example, are notorious for their low levels of bioavailable magnesium.

Therefore, we give them supplementary calcium and magnesium in the form of tablets, capsules or liquid supplements.

Zinc is a very essential mineral for these children, as it too is lost in the urine during stressful episodes. The zinc status of most people, especially growing children, is low. Zinc is found basically in meats. Vegetarian diets are therefore notoriously low in zinc, although refined food is also very deficient in zinc, as it is removed often during refining and processing of food. Frozen foods are often treated with EDTA to retain its color. This also helps deplete its zinc.

In addition, often supplementary bioavailable copper is essential for these children, also in the form of a supplement. The copper helps raise the calcium level, though the mechanism is not well understood. Also, the diet often does not contain enough if one eats any refined or processed foods. Manganese is also helpful for some with this type of epilepsy, if the sodium-to-potassium ratio on the hair analysis is less than about 2:1.

For this form of epilepsy, one also is aided by supplements of vitamin D in particular, as this too aids the retention of calcium and magnesium in the body. High doses of vitamin D are often beneficial in these cases. Vitamin A is also often helpful. Viruses, bacteria and fungal infections may also contribute or cause seizures and vitamins A and D are most helpful to combat these infections.

The purpose of the multi-nutrient approach is that the copper, for example, assists the body to absorb and hold on to the calcium while manganese helps raise the sodium level in relation to the potassium level. This is called the “mineral system” of the body. It is somewhat complex, and mentioned in other articles on this website. For the purposes of this article, it is enough to say that nutrients such as minerals and vitamins interact in these complex ways in the body.

SLOW OXIDATION, MORE COMMON IN ADULTS

A mineral pattern we call slow oxidation is seen more commonly in adult than children. The hair tissue calcium and magnesium levels are usually somewhat elevated, particularly in relation to the sodium and potassium levels. Once again, the hair must not be washed at the laboratory for accurate results. For this reason, I only use Analytical Research Laboratories in Phoenix, Arizona at 1-800-528-4067.

Research conducted by Dr. Paul C. Eck, founder of Analytical Research Laboratories and my mentor and friend for many years, indicates that the elevated calcium and magnesium revealed on the test in these cases is not fully available to the body. This is particularly true when the readings are very high (calcium over 200 mg%), or the calcium/magnesium ratio is unbalanced (greater than 20:1 or less than about 5:1).

Adults and occasionally children with this pattern can suffer seizures due to effectively low levels of the sedative minerals, calcium, magnesium and zinc even though they appear high on this test, and are usually normal or elevated on other types of tests such as urine or blood tests.

This is most confusing for many practitioners, but very important to recognize. Once again, the key is an elevated level of calcium, magnesium or even other minerals such as zinc or copper.

YIN AND YANG

Another aspect of these mineral patterns has to do with ancient Chinese medical concepts. Slow oxidizers (those with elevated hair tissue calcium and magnesium in relation to sodium and potassium) are also much more yin in Chinese medical terminology. This is a very interesting concept in the medical world, though it is taught only to acupuncturists as a general rule.

These individuals are very subject to fluctuations in their blood sugar when eating sugary foods including fruit, and especially fruit juices or other sweetened beverages. The sugars enter the bloodstream quickly from the stomach without needing digestion. They cause an insulin reaction, a yin chemical, to lower the blood sugar. This in turn triggers glucagons and other chemicals to be released, leading to a cascade effect on the central nervous system. This upset can trigger seizures in sensitive individuals. PH imbalances with fruit and juices also contribute to the upset.

These individuals must often avoid these foods as much as they can. Much more about diet is discussed later in this article.

COPPER AND SEIZURES

Other factors contribute to seizures in slow oxidizers. The level of copper in the body tissues is elevated in most of the slow oxidizer cases of seizures. This occurs because slow oxidizers have a tendency for elevated and biologically unavailable (or so-called biounavailable) tissue copper. Copper is a needed trace mineral. However, it is highly toxic when in excess or biounavailable, as it is in these cases of epilepsy. This, too, was research conducted by Dr. Paul C. Eck.

Sources of copper include meats, nuts, seeds, beans and to some degree cereal grains, especially wheat. Meats are “protected foods”, however, because they also contain high amounts of zinc. This balances the copper in the meat because it competes with copper for absorption in the intestines. This reduces the absorption of the copper.

Copper imbalance is very common today, and so strongly associated with seizures that I am surprised more is not written about it. Yet copper excess or unavailability can be corrected easily in many cases, often within a few months using a combination of dietary changes that are discussed later, and a nutrition and lifestyle program that targets this imbalance.

You may read much more about copper and its metabolism in an article by this author entitled Copper Toxicity Syndrome. To summarize very briefly, however, copper plays many unusual roles in the body, some of which are very subtle. For one, it is an excellent conductor of nerve impulses and of electricity as well. This is the reason it is used widely in electrical wiring. It can also excite the brain and contribute to seizure disorders.

SEIZURES IN WOMEN AND YOUNG GIRLS

Copper imbalance as a contributor to seizures occurs in both men and women. However, women are more prone to this type of seizure activity. The reason is that women are what we may call copper-dominant. We can use this expression because copper is intimately involved in estrogen metabolism. Women’s bodies have more estrogen than those of men, or at least they should.

Seizures in menstruating women at times occur more frequently just before the menstrual period. At this time of the month, estrogen and copper rise high enough to trigger a seizure. Women, in general, suffer more seizures than men, perhaps due to women’s higher copper levels.

OTHER TOXIC METALS AND SEIZURES

Other trace and toxic minerals replace preferred elements such as zinc, selenium or manganese in essential enzyme systems, contributing to seizures in some cases. The toxic metals include cadmium, lead and mercury among others. These elements are harmful mainly because they interfere with the metabolism of copper and zinc. Others such as aluminum interfere with calcium and magnesium metabolism in the brain. Others such as uranium and other radioactive elements damage brain structures in other manners.

Toxic minerals may do their damage in other ways as well. They may act as oxidant or as mechanical irritants in some cases. Copper, for instance, increases electrical conductivity as discussed above. Others will have the opposite effect, blocking normal conductivity in the brain. In short, toxic elements play an important role in many cases of epileptic seizure activity.

Eliminating these metals from the brain is one key aspect of any nutritional approach to preventing or stopping seizures.

THE SODIUM/POTASSIUM RATIO AND EPILEPSY

A hair sodium/potassium ratio less than 2.5:1 often indicates chronic foci of infection, which may contribute to epilepsy. This low ratio may also indicate excessive tissue breakdown, which prevents healing of scar tissue. Correction of the sodium/potassium ratio through a complete nutritional program is most helpful in these cases to produce a permanent correction of epileptic seizures.

DIETARY ASPECTS OF EPILEPSY

Food reactions can trigger epileptic seizures. The main culprits are the following foods that are rich in glutamate and aspartate, two very excitatory amino acids:

1) Grains: Wheat, barley, and oats are highest in glutamine. Corn and rice are lower. Therefore they are much better for anyone with a tendency for epilepsy.

2) Dairy Products: All cow milk products are high in glutamine. Goat-based cheeses and dairy is much, much better. Cow-based cheese that is worst include cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella and worst is PARMESAN. Casein is very concentrated in cheese and is 20% glutamic acid by composition.

3) Beans: Soy, Pinto, lima, black, navy, and lentils. These are also high in glutamic acid or glutamine.

4) Seeds: Sunflower, pumpkin, and others are also high in glutamine, though less than wheat and dairy. They can often be eaten in small quantity with a meal unless one is very sensitive.

5) Peanuts: These are very high in glutamine, as are cashews, pistachios, and less-so almonds. Everything in moderation applies when eating nuts of any kind. So, I do not recommend you reach for nuts when you are really hungry unless you can stop after a few. For example, seven toasted almonds at once is plenty.

6) All Soy Products, except perhaps for a little tofu and tempeh. Soy is very high in glutamine. Beware, as soy is incorporated into many, many products as a filler and cheap protein source. It may be labeled as vegetable protein, textured vegetable protein, soy isolate or not labeled at all, sadly.

7) Diet Drinks And Diet or Non-sugared Foods of All Kinds: these are the primary source of aspartate as they are often sweetened with Nutrasweet, also called Equal or aspartame. AVOID ALL PRODUCTS CONTAINING THIS INGREDIENT.

8) Prepared Foods Such As Soups:  70% of prepared foods and many soups have MSG. AVOID ALL FOOD PREPARED WITH MSG. This may also be labeled as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy protein extract, textured vegetable protein – or not labeled at all, sadly.

9) Meats: Note- All meats are naturally rich in glutamate and aspartate. Rabbit and turkey are the highest. Lamb and eggs are the lowest. Chicken is not bad either. We believe that the amount in a normal serving of meat should not be enough to cause problems. I think that it is all of the other "unnatural" sources when combined with the meats that are causing the problems. 

Sixty to seventy percent of the American Diet is wheat and dairy (with heavy emphasis on cheese). This, combined with the amount of artificial sweeteners being consumed and the addition of soy protein, is leading America and the world into an epidemic of seizures and other inflammatory (pain) syndromes such as fibromyalgia, arthritis and many others.

WHAT TO EAT

1. Drink Plenty of the Best Types of Water. When beginning a nutritional balancing program, distilled water is excellent to help remove loosely bound toxic metals and toxic chemicals, which may also contribute indirectly to seizure activity by irritating the nervous system or by other means.

Distilled water is sometimes called “hungry water”. Its lack of minerals causes it to attract minerals and other molecules to itself, which enables them to be more easily removed from the body. Distilled water is unique in this respect, better than reverse osmosis water or de-ionized water, both of which are not as helpful for these purposes.

Spring water is a better long-term drinking water, however, as it contains more beneficial minerals that most people need for long-term nutrition. Therefore, distilled water is used only for some months, up to 1 year, to help rid the body of toxins when beginning a program. It may also be used at intervals when a strong detoxification reaction is occurring and extra help is needed to handle metals or chemicals that are in process of being removed.

2) Vegetables. These are not only excellent foods, especially when steamed and cooked in other ways, but not overcooked. They are also very low in the offending amino acids.

3) Flesh foods, especially, chicken, lamb and some turkey are excellent. Eggs are also relatively low in glutamine.

4) Grains to eat include rice and blue corn in moderation until the intestines are healed. White rice is fine and brown rice is generally even better. Organic blue corn has other excellent properties, which is why it is recommended. It is also less hybridized than most white corn in particular. Organic yellow corn may also be good.

AVOID all forms of wheat, including bulgur, durham, semolina, triticale, spelt and the others. Avoid all wheat products, which is difficult if you eat processed foods with flour, thickeners, dough conditioners and much more.

5) Fruit is not very recommended although it is low in glutamine and aspartame. It is not desirable because of its high sugar content on one hand and its high water content as well. Water in the fruit dilutes stomach acids, needed for proper digestion. Eat it alone if you must have it. The sugar content of most fruit upsets blood sugar terribly in some children and can easily trigger a seizure. Also the fruit acids are not handled well by many ill people. These are another cause of problems with fruit. Fruit is also very yin in Chinese medical terminology. This can cause problems, particularly in slow oxidizing individuals, as explained above.

5) Dairy. Eggs are excellent, as they are proteins with quality fat with a very low glutamic acid content. Goat milk products are also very low in glutamine. Cows milk and cheese are high in glutamine, by comparison, and are best avoided or eaten in lesser quantity. Organic milk products are often tolerated much better by some people. Butter is acceptable.

6)Nuts that grow on trees such as toasted almonds, toasted pecans and walnuts are best.  NOTE: These are relatively low when compared to peanuts and cashews.

More detailed charts on the website http://www.dogtorj.net/ shows exact values. Pecans, for example, have half the amount of glutamate that peanuts have but that is still quite a bit. Again, everything in moderation applies when eating nuts of any kind.

OTHER FACTORS IN MILK, DIETARY Ph AND STIMULANTS

Drinking milk can trigger seizures in sensitive people. Milk is very high in calcium, but low in magnesium.

This author worked with a child who had an inborn chromosome disorder. Each time the child ate food that caused her body to become too alkaline, such as fruit, she had a seizure. Correcting her pH by avoiding certain foods reduced her seizures.

The consumption of sugar, caffeine or the excitotoxins such as MSG and aspartame (Equal or Nutrasweet) only aggravate seizures. Stimulants of all kinds can produce fluctuations in blood sugar that affect neurotransmitter levels and may irritate delicate structures in the nervous system.

In summary, diet should never be ignored in cases of epilepsy. The patient would be well advised to keep a dietary record. Note any correlation between foods eaten or not eaten, and the occurrence of seizures.

THE THEORY

According to Dr. John B. Symes, the author of http://www.dogtorj.net/, the causes of seizures of unknown cause include:

1)The neurostimulating amino acids glutamate and aspartate. These are non-essential amino acids, meaning that they are not required in the diet and are normally manufactured by the body from other sources. They are normally present in the brain and function as two of the primary substances involved in neurological transmission.

2) It is a know fact that MSG (monosodium glutamate) and aspartate (Nutrisweet) cause seizures in some human individuals. MSG is the amino acid glutamate (glutamic acid) while aspartame contains the amino acid aspartate (aspartic acid). These substances are specifically used for their neurostimulatory properties. MSG stimulates the taste buds thereby making them more sensitive to the foods that are passing over them. It is therefore used as a flavor enhancer. Aspartame does something similar to the taste buds while imparting a sweet taste. Both are neurostimulants and are used for that express purpose. However, both are neurotoxic in excessive quantities. This is a known fact, not a theory. They have caused seizures, migraine headaches, pain syndromes and much, much more. Aspartame has also recently been investigated in its possible role in the rise of brain tumors and Alzheimer's Disease.

3) His "theory" then suggests that idiopathic epilepsy (epilepsy of unkown cause) is caused by a rise in these non-essential amino acids resulting in seizures, a known side effect of these two substances.

Dr. Symes then writes: The obvious question is why it occurs in some individuals and not others. A related question is why the onset of epilepsy is so variable, reportedly ranging from 6 months of age to 6 years or even older. Another question is why it is a progressive condition in most cases, starting with mild, infrequent seizures and often leading to uncontrollable daily seizures despite heavy medication. He goes on to ask why, if this were simply a genetic defect of some sort, why don't the seizures begin right away and why do they occur so sporadically in most cases.

To answer these three questions, we submit that a hair tissue mineral analysis will reveal the answers to these questions in almost all cases of idiopathic epilepsy.

4) Dr. Symes answers these questions by turning to the problem of gluten in the diet. While studying celiac disease, he found that celiac children with epilepsy often greatly improved once the gluten grains (wheat, barley, and rye) were removed from the diet. The fact is that MSG has been made from wheat and soy. They are obviously rich in this amino acid. But, the main characteristic of celiac disease is the damage that the gluten does to the duodenum, that first stretch of intestine after the stomach. The gluten coats the little absorptive villi of the gut (like "glue"), induces an immune response, and causes the destruction of those villi. This part of the bowel is responsible for absorbing calcium, iron, iodine, B vitamins, Vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, boron, chromium, zinc, and much, much more.

These vitamins are essential in the formation of the enzyme systems of the body, including those of the liver and the brain that are responsible for the regulation of the levels of the amino acid glutamate. Therefore, the "theory" states that it is the progressive malabsorption syndrome taking place in the duodenum that leads to the progressive inefficiency of these enzyme systems of the body that leads to the progressive rise in the levels of glutamate (and aspartate) that leads to the progressively worsening seizures.

The amino acids, Dr. Symes asserts, cause the seizures (as they have been proven to do) while the malabsorption syndrome (which has been proven to occur in people like celiacs) leads to the underlying cause of the progressive nature of the condition.

While this can be true, the gluten theory does not completely explain why only some individuals are so affected, since most people eat wheat every day. It also does not explain the variability of the time of onset. This, we contend, can be somewhat explained by the other imbalances discussed in this article that may also contribute to seizure disorders.

THE LIGHT CONNECTION

On the website mentioned above, http://www.dogtorj.net/ the author also mentions that seizures in animals are often worse in winter. This may have to do with lower serotonin levels and lower vitamin D levels in the wintertime. Vitamin D can be an important additional nutrient, therefore, for correction of seizure disorder, particularly in fast oxidizing children living in northern climates or in children who do not spend enough time out of doors, playing in the sun. The same applies to adults in northern climates.

SEIZURE MEDICATION AND NUTRITIONAL CORRECTION

Many epileptics are rightfully hesitant to stop their anti-seizure medication. Common drugs that are prescribed include Dilantin and Tegretol. I advise that medication be continued for at least a month after beginning a nutrition program. Then, if the patient feels comfortable, the dosage of medication may be slowly reduced if one feels competent to do this. It is best to obtain the cooperation of the prescribing physician, of course.

An even safer method is to continue medication at least for three months until a repeat hair analysis is performed. Reduction of medication may then be decided upon based upon the degree of change in the tissue mineral patterns.

There is no guarantee that nutritional methods will eliminate the need for medication. However, in many cases medication can finally be reduced and even eliminated provided the patient stays on a healthy eating regimen and a proper supplementation program.

DEEP CORRECTION

Many holistic physicians will take the material in this article and approach the condition of seizures in a symptomatic way. They will use DMPS to remove mercury, penicillamine for copper, and GABA or high doses of inositol or homeopathic remedies for calming the nervous system.

This is unfortunate, as the real cause is often not addressed. The underlying cause of this disorder has to do with diet, lifestyle and the overall nutritional balance of the body. Correcting this takes a little longer in some cases, though not necessarily. Many people respond very fast to a properly designed nutritional balancing program.

In addition to diet, lifestyle changes such as more rest and less stress, and nutrients prescribed according to the indicators on a properly interpreted hair tissue mineral test, other therapies may be useful. These include sauna therapy, specifically with a near-infrared light sauna, and other detoxification procedures. Among these are the coffee enema, colonic irrigation, massage, baths with clay and others. These are powerful methods when used correctly and in conjunction with a dietary, lifestyle and supplementary nutrient program.

We never use synthetic chelating agents, although some physicians like them. We feel they are not needed and carry potential side effects that could harm the patient. We are particularly wary of intravenous DMPS used for mercury removal.

Revised version of

THE ECK INSTITUTE BULLETIN

VOLUME 12 AUGUST 1996 NUMBER 8

Original Copyright 1996, The Eck Institute. Material is for educational purposes only.

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