Ask a Neurologist on FaceBook - Epilepsy Warriors
Welcome to a new weekly feature of the epilepsy warriors Facebook page.
Every week, a question will be selected. Volunteer neurologists will answer the question. We will protect personal information and answer questions in a general way that educates the group.
Any question related to epilepsy is fair game. There is something to learn from everyone so don’t be afraid to ask a question no matter how strange it may seem.
Please follow this link to my blog to submit questions.
http://pedzzz.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-epilepsy-warriors-ask-doc.html
To date, our volunteer team of board-certified neurologists includes:
Dr. Mark DiFazio, Rockville Maryland
Dr. Kevin Joseph, Seattle Washington
&
Dr. Joshua Rotenberg, Houston Texas
2 comments:
Click on post a comment to submit questions....
Fasting and being seizure free question. I have noticed for years that my son who has severe quad CP with seizures does not have seizures if he is not eating. I have seen this with having to fast for sedated cat scans, surgeries and just not eating due to stomach upset. I have seen or heard of this same thing occurring with many other children. I had been told it was probably due to fasting and making ketones. Similar to the ketognic diet effect. My question comes with how could that be the answer because when he has had stomach upset and only been able to drink clear juice and eat apple sause he is consuming more sugar than he normally ever would. I have the ketone strips and have actually tested him to see what the results are and they are in normal range. Being in groups on FB and other social sites I keep seeing a common post, my childs sick and can't eat but the good news is we are seizure free right now. I wander what the common link is? What chemicals does the brain make in response to hunger or fasting? does the body produce these chemicals even though the child may still be consuming sugary fruit juices and apple sauce? These kid have many diffferent types of seizures and varying other problems. The one common link is no food or very little food lots of times decreases or stops seizures. I have read the brain only uses sugar, glucose for food unless following something like the ketognic diet then it will use fats instead and produce more dopamine or GABA and may help or stop seizures. If the body is not producing ketones can this process still happen when the body feels hungry, starved?
Also do you think a person could use their mind to visualize relaxing happy thoughts to ward off seizures? If the brain produces feel good happy chemicals like GABA and dopamine during times of relaxation, love, happy times would some kind of biofeedback work to teach patents to so to speak kick up the production of these chemicals that the very medications they take to help with seizures? Thanks
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