LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Seizures / Epilepsy

INSULIN RESISTANCE LOWERS THE LEVELS OF NITRIC OXIDE – (03-27-06)

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Involvement of nitric oxide pathway in the acute anticonvulsant effect of melatonin in mice

The biochemistry on this one gets a little deep, but stay with me for a second. First, this is a mouse study, so take it for what it’s worth. But this does show the incredibly complex interactions between the systems of the mammalian system.

In this study, melation was given to protect against seizures. But the beneficial effect was only seen in the presence of nitric oxide (actually, the benefit was seen when a nitric oxide precurser, L-arginine, was given). So, what about insulin resistance? We know that insulin resistance lowers the effective levels of nitric oxide. So, if melationin is going to be used to help manage seizures, insulin sensitivity has to be managed as well for the most positive effects. How ’bout that for a tangled web?

Read entire article here

SEASONALITY OF BIRTH: EPILEPSY RISK EFFECTED BY VITAMIN D EXPOSURE – (03-06-06)

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Seasonality of birth in Epilepsy: A Southern Hemisphere study

Would anyone like to place a bet that vitamin D exposure during the 3rd trimester is the reason people born during the spring and fall have lower rates of epilepsy? Talk about far reaching effects in time.

And consider this in light of the fear we have induced for sunlight exposure. So, if the mechanisms between migraine and seizure are similiar, would the same increase in migraine sufferers be found in those born in the winter and summer?

Read entire article here

OXIDATIVE STRESS MODEL INDUCED FOR MIGRAINES – (03-06-06)

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The postdrome of the acute migraine attack

Given that the topic of seizures is near and dear to me, this one caught my eye. It is well known that after a seizure (the post ictal period) these same symptoms described in this study are seen. And we know that the post ictal period after a seizure is caused by massive levels of oxidative damage.

So, this furthers the idea of an oxidative stress model of migraines.

Read entire article here

5 Reasons Magnesium May Help Seizures and Migraine Headaches

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Can magnesium affect serious conditions like seizures and migraines? Because magnesium is required for some 300+ enzymes in the body, and many of these are required for healthy brain function, this just might make sense.

Today’s diets are notoriously deficient in this mineral. Foods like whole grains, nuts and seeds are good sources and can be added to the diet to increase overall intake.  Supplementation beyond dietary intake is very inexpensive and safe.

The beauty of oral magnesium supplements is that you cannot take too much.  Certain supplements, like magnesium and vitamin C, can only be absorbed in certain amounts from the gut.  If we take too much, we can’t absorb any more, so the extra stays in the intestines.  When this happens, the magnesium will attract water and create loose stools or diarrhea (not a bad side effect when someone is dealing with chronic constipation).  Anyone who has had a colonoscopy is very aware of what very high doses of magnesium will do to the gut.

Before we go further, I need to remind readers that, while medicine today does not recognize that migraines and seizures are in the same category, I strongly promote that the underlying problems in the brain are similar between the two.  For this reason, what helps or harms with one condition has a strong probability of helping or harming the other.

This particular article reviews the potential of magnesium to have a positive impact on seizures.  The authors base this on several known findings:

  1. Magnesium deficiency in animals increases seizure likelihood
  2. Low magnesium solutions can generate seizure-like activity in rat brain tissues in the lab
  3. Magnesium blocks the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor, a receptor that can cause seizures
  4. Studies have shown that people with epilepsy have lower magnesium
  5. Children with infantile spasms responded better to hormone therapy when magnesium was used

While none of these items are a slam dunk to assure that magnesium can be an effective treatment tool in seizures, given the low cost and high safety of magnesium, it would make sense to add magnesium supplements to the daily list of supplements that anyone with migraines or seizures should be taking.

Depending on the quality, levels from 400-800 mg would be good to consider.

So what supplements do you use to help manage your migraines or seizures?

Poor Seizure Control? You Need to Add This Supplement

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There is no doubt that epilepsy can be an immensely debilitating condition.  Working, social events, driving and family life are all greatly disrupted, if even possible.  Sadly, less than 30% of the time the first seizure drug used is effective at controlling the seizure.  From this point on it just gets more difficult.  Anything that can aid in seizure control can be life changing for these patients.

Few neurologists will give any recommendations for natural products to their patients.  Maybe it is a belief in the superior power of pharmaceutical drugs where natural compounds can’t possibly compare.  Maybe it’s a belief that there is no research to support natural compounds to control such a debilitating condition, at the same time refusing to embrace the frequent failure of pharmaceutical drugs to achieve seizure control.  Whatever the reason, it does not serve the patient’s best interests.  Many natural compounds have been shown to have significant seizure control abilities:

This list does not include approaches like the ketogenic diet and a gluten free diet, both of which can play a strong role in seizure avoidance.

This particular article adds to the list of supplements that may play a role in your seizure control.  Supplementation with vitamin D in a small group of seizure patients in whom drugs were not controlling their seizures led to a 40% reduction in seizure frequency.  40%.  That’s a pretty strong response.

Vitamin D has been known to act as an anti-convulsant for some time now.  This is important to remember because a lot of the anti-epileptic drugs – the AED’s – actually lower levels of vitamin D in the blood.  So, we have a compound that actually helps protect the brain, but the drugs that we use to control seizures actually lower the levels of a substance that can protect the brain. This creates somewhat of a conundrum.  This may also be the reason why most AEDs also have a negative effect on bone density, again strongly supporting the use of vitamin D in migraines and epilepsy.

Taking vitamin D as a supplement is very inexpensive and the safety margins on the dosages of Vitamin D are quite wide (toxicity with vitamin D is not noted until the blood levels are over 200 nmol / L, which is a pretty difficult level reach). However, if someone has any concerns about taking higher dosages of Vitamin D, blood levels can easily be checked. Optimal blood levels are between 60 and 100 nmol / L, although most labs will consider 20 and over as normal.

There are times when vitamin D supplementation may be of concern. One such situation is with the use of thiazide diuretics that raise the level of calcium (due to reduced excretion).  Also patients with the auto-immune granulomatous disorder sarcoidosis need to be a little bit more cautious. Other conditions known to increase the levels of calcium in the blood like histoplasmosis or hyperparathyroidism require care with supplementation. If someone has any questions or concerns they should obviously discuss them with their primary care doctor. In addition, there are a lot of great resources on the Internet.

Recommended dosages depend on several factors, such as how much sun exposure you get or what latitude that you live at (higher latitudes get less direct sunlight so our bodies make less vitamin D; near the equator vitamin D production is at is highest). Many mistakenly believe that they get enough sun exposure and that supplementation is not needed. However, there is concern that the sun passing through glass allows only UVA penetration, actually breaking down the production of vitamin D in the skin. So if you drive around all summer with the windows up in your car and the AC cranked, you may actually be lowering your vitamin D levels. Furthermore, it takes at least 8 hours to fully produce and absorb the vitamin D our skin is trying to produce, so showering at night may lower blood vitamin D levels.  There is also concern of particulate matter in the atmosphere blocking UVB penetration and also lowering vitamin D levels.

Because of these concerns, I generally start patients anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 IU per day, although it is sometimes higher depending upon the clinical scenario. Having your bone density checked can further help determine vitamin D need. In our clinic we strongly recommend patients have their first bone density testing in their 20’s and 30’s so they aren’t waiting until they’re 55 or 60 and are now at the crisis stage for treating low bone density.

For supplementation, liquid forms are going to be much cheaper and easier to use. Vitamin D can actually be dosed on a weekly basis. The vitamin D we use in the office has 2,000 IUs per drop; if someone is on 2,000 IUs per day they can actually do seven drops once a week. It is one of the easiest and cheapest supplements to take.

When Wheat Allergies Cause Seizures

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There has been much increased awareness of the problems associated with wheat allergies. Celiac disease. Allergy to wheat. Gluten sensitivity. Whatever you call it, it’s here to stay. But exactly how far do the negative health effects run?  And can wheat allergy affect the brain?

Let’s start with the basics. Traditionally, celiac disease  was a condition where an allergy to the gluten containing grains (most commonly wheat, barley and rye, but also in trace amounts in oats) sets up an autoimmune reaction that destroys the villa of the small intestine. You may have heard that the total surface area of the small intestine is close to that of a tennis court because all of the villi increase the surface area.  Consider this shrinking to the size of a ping pong table and you get the idea. Nutrient malabsorption results and all kinds of bad things follow.

That was then…this is now…

Over time, we have come to understand that the scenario described above is the far end of a spectrum that starts with slight sensitivity that can only be picked up via stool sampling at specific labs (like www.enterolab.com). The real problem is that the inflammation set up by exposure to a common allergen such as gluten wreaks subtle havoc that compounds over the course of years and decades.  Celiac disease has been linked to:

  1. Type 1 diabetes
  2. Very strong association with all thyroid problems
  3. Osteoporosis, osteopenia and overall poor bone health

Before you begin to think this is new news, you need to understand that this was on the radar screen over a decade ago, if not longer. Strong concerns were noted with celiac disease in toddlers. 

But can something occurring in the gut actually affect something as far away as the brain?

The answer is a clear yes. Almost 20 years ago researchers where calling for evaluation of gluten sensitivity in any undiagnosed neurological disorder. This particular study demonstrates very strong links between epilepsy and celiac disease.  Those with the far spectrum of celiac disease (villus atrophy) had a 40% increased risk of developing epilepsy.

Two very important factors come to mind.

First, this is the far spectrum showing a 40% increase, but what about the entire range of the spectrum?  What if we looked in reverse to see how many epileptics had sensitivity to gluten?  We may be surprised at what we would find.

Second, the ketogenic diet has been shown to be an incredibly powerful therapy for seizure control for epileptics. Interestingly, researchers are not really sure how the diet works to control seizures, although some have speculated that the fat intake is key. But, on the ketogenic diet most grains are eliminated or cut back on severely. Could gluten really be the key?  Based on this study, it may very well be the link researchers have been looking for on the reason why the ketogenic diet works.

RISK OF SUDDEN DEATH IN EPILEPSY – (03-06-05)

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Effects of the antiepileptic drugs lamotrigine, topiramate and gabapentin on hERG potassium currents

I have a patient that has seizures and of the providers and specialists and relatives’ friend who are doctors all have just one answer–anti seizure medications.  While these drugs do not effect the underlying process that is causing the seizures (all research is pointing towards a mitochondrial/oxidative stress model of many neurological disorders) they do have a long list of side effects–and on average–a 30% efficacy.

One of the concerns of many epileptics is the risk of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP).  Wouldn’t that be a kick in the pants if the medications for epilepsy are actually a major causative factor in SUDEP?

Read entire article here