An Unconventional, Unusual Cure to Epilepsy: Fatty Foods (The Ketogenic Diet)

            Imagine having a seizure once every day. The average seizure can last thirty-seconds to two-minutes. They occur almost randomly, and during them you can loose consciousness and your body can shake. I know from spending time with a family friend who suffers from epilepsy, that seizures are extremely scary.

Imagine having about 130 seizures a day. For Sam, a nine year old, who suffers from epilepsy, this is the case. He has tried different drugs and treatments, however none of them seem to help.

            For the last two years, Sam has been on the ketogenic diet. “The diet, which drastically reduces the amount of carbohydrates he takes in, tricks his body into a starvation state in which it burns fat, and not carbs, for fuel.” (S1) Most people disagree with the thought of the ketogenic diet. Using food instead of drugs seems preposterous, however research shows that the ketogenic diet extremely reduces seizures in epileptics that are drug-resistant.

            It’s estimated that in a week, “Sam consumes a quart and a third of heavy cream, nearly a stick and a half of butter, 13 teaspoons of coconut oil, 20 slices of bacon and 9 eggs.”(S1) This monotonous diet is extremely hard to follow. Junk foods such as soda, popcorn, candy, and pizza are strictly forbidden. For a nine-year-old kid, it seems almost impossible.

Picture describes Sam's diet under the ketogenic diet. 

            The positive effects of the ketogenic diet undeniably outweigh the cons. In a study conducted in 2008 by University College London, 38% of the patients reduced seizures by more than 50% by using the ketogenic diet. 7% of the patients reduced their seizures by more than 90% by using the ketogenic diet. For these people, antiepileptic drugs hadn’t worked for them, however the ketogenic diet had. By using the diet, 7/10 patients who had specific drug-resistant seizures reduced amount of seizures by more than 90%. The Ketogenic diet is helping people with epilepsy find a cure, when drugs simply can’t. For Sam, the use of the ketogenic diet has reduced his seizures by 75%. This means that he has almost a 100 less seizures a day because of the Ketogenic diet.

Main Source: (S1)

Article: "Epilepsy's Big, Fat Miracle"- Fred Vogelstein http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/magazine/21Epilepsy-t.html?scp=1&sq=ketone&st=cse

Picture Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/21/magazine/21Epilepsy-t.html?scp=1&sq=ketone&st=cse

Other Sources:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seizures.html

http://www.webmd.com/epilepsy/guide/ketogenic-diet