LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Seizures / Epilepsy

CAN A SIMPLE AMINO ACID STOP SEIZURES?

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CAN A SIMPLE AMINO ACID STOP SEIZURES?  I’ve always been very saddened by our approach to conditions like epilepsy and migraines in this country.  We feel that if the events are halted with medications (or, horrifyingly, by surgical removal or parts of the brain) then the treatment is a success.

However, all we have done is stop one sick brain cell from transmitting it’s message to the next.  The brain cell is still sick, and in many instances, is made sicker still by the meds. Instead, control of seizures is merely the first stage to healing the sickened brain cells.  While I do not advocate withdrawal of seizure medication (a VERY bad idea!!), the augmentation of seizure control has been shown with progesterone (allopregnonalone is the most potent anti-seizure compound o the planet) and some other natural compounds.

This study is the beginning of looking at the amino acid glutamine to increase GABA levels, which is one of the brain’s neurotransmitter “brakes.”

DRUG TREATMENT IN EPILEPSY AND MIGRAINES

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BRAIN DAMAGE OCCURS DESPITE SUCCESSFUL DRUG TREATMENT IN EPILEPSY AND MIGRAINES.  One of my continuing frustrations in our treatment of seizures (this includes true migraines) is that we view the treatement as successful if the seizures or migraines have stopped.  The reality is all we’ve done is dumbed down the brain cells’ ability to communicate with one another, but have not improved the health of the neurons.  In many cases it is quite the opposite.

This study adds weight to this idea in finding that treatment with one AED (Depakote) actually stopped the brain’s ability to recover from insult (plasticity) and promoted cognitive loss.

MORE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CAUSES OF EPILEPSY

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Many doctors that deal with epileptic patients will just shake their heads and say that we really do not know what causes seizures and epilepsy.  The best reply to this statement would be to ask this particular doctor what they are personally reading to keep up with the rapidly changing world of medical literature.  The answer is usually less than ideal.

Read the entire article here

POWERHOUSE DIET ROCKS AGAIN FOR SEIZURES

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So we’ve talked several times about the ketogenic diet and how incredibly effective it is at controlled seizures.  The numbers are very consistent in study after study and, quite frankly, are amazing.

So amazing, in fact, that I remain stumped as to why this isn’t the FIRST path of treatment rather than the absolute last.  The ketogenic diet is almost always used in refractory seizures, which means that the diet is not used until a vast array of medications have been used and have failed.

The ketogenic diet is similar to the Atkins’ diet, in that it is very high in proteins and fat.  The argument against the ketogenic diet is that it is hard to remain compliant with, because apparently having your brain damaged by aberrant firing of neurons is not as important as that slice of bread.

However, recent studies have shown that the modified ketogenic diet, which allows a slightly higher percentage of carbohydrates, is just as effective.  This particular study looks at the compliance argument and pretty much bashes it to shreds.

In a long term follow up study of the ketogenic diet in children over 20 years, 65% of the patients remained on the diet.  I can tell you that, in terms of medication, to get 64% of patients to be compliant with taking a medication for TWENTY years is practically unheard of.

Further,  20% became seizure free and 36% had a 75–99% decrease in seizures. Overall, 56% of the patients had a seizure reduction of more than 75%.  Holy cow! 

So what happened to those who didn’t continue the diet?  Twenty patients who had become seizure free discontinued the diet, but seizures recurred in five (25%). Of 40 patients with a seizure reduction of more than 50% who discontinued the diet, only 25% presented with recurrent seizures.  This means that there was a clear, long lasting benefit to seizure reduction just from being on the diet.

So again, I ask the question about why we use this diet only in refractory seizures.  It is exceedingly powerful.  Patients who follow the diet are very likely to stay on it long term.  AND, it seems to positively change the long term likelihood of having a seizure even in those who discontinue the diet.

MELATONIN’S EFFECTS ON DEPRESSION AND THE BRAIN

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For those who are unaware, melatonin is a hormone produced deep in the brain (the pineal gland) and helps to regulate our sleep / wake cycle, among other things.  Sunlight hitting the back of the retina shuts down the production of melatonin, while the onset of nighttime will allow the body to release more melatonin.  So what does this have to do with depression?

We’ve all heard of serotonin and the drugs like Prosac and Paxil and Zoloft that affect serotonin use in the brain.  These are generally used to treat depression, but, in a close review of the studies that have been done, their effectiveness over placebo was minuscule.  Of course, in these same studies, the placebo had a powerful effect on the patient’s depression, meaning that anyone responding to these drugs is probably benefiting from a placebo response and not the drug itself.

Melatonin and serotonin are players along the same pathway; thus, what effects one pathway will influence both hormones.  It is for this reason that there is rising interest in drugs that modify melatonin levels to affect depression.  The drug companies know that these current financial blockbuster drugs, if the curtain is ever pulled back, could fall like a house of cards.  So they are looking elsewhere.

The biochemistry is pretty straightforward; there is only a single step between serotonin and melatonin production in the pineal gland.  The pathway starts with the amino acid tryptophan (or 5-HTP, which is the next compound produced and can be very effective for depression or anxiety).  As would be expected, serotonin levels are higher during the day, but production shifts to melatonin as night falls.

So what does this mean?  It ties in stress, sleep hygiene, anxiety and depression into a biochemical pathway.  Stress levels will lead to a rise in cortisol levels later in the day, making it hard to fall asleep.  Problems sleeping may lead the sufferer to be exposed to bright lights when the body really should be producing more melatonin.  Less melatonin production will interfere with the smooth flow through the biosynthetic pathway, leading to depression.

In addition, melatonin levels have been linked to things like migraines, seizures and cancer.  Rest assured that these conditions will be impacted as well.

The bottom line is that stress management and proper sleep are an integral component of any healthy lifestyle.  Sleep medications do nothing to fix the elevated cortisol, and will likely disrupt the synthesis of melatonin, further throwing off the cycle.  Stress needs to be managed with any number of tools available so that sleep patterns can be restored.

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DO YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLES AFFECT YOUR MOOD?

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Let’s be real here.  I think the above question, from a male’s standpoint, is purely rhetorical.  But why?  While many may disagree, the normal female cycle should be of minimal impact and last maybe 3-4 days.  Anything past that–any pain, heavy bleeding or increased / decreased frequency is abnormal.

In today’s society, the answer given to most is the birth control pill.  Unfortunately, the BCP does not fix a darn thing, and may actually make the underlying condition worse.

This particular study is done by Dr. Andrew Herzog at Harvard.  Dr. Herzog has done some amazing research on the powerful impact of progesterone on seizures in women.  In this study, his team goes beyond seizures and looks at Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).  As far as I know, PMDD was a condition created when Prosac was going off patent and they needed to find a condition is could be used for to get a new patent.  So they merely created one.  Got to give them points for creativity..

Progresterone gets converted to a neurosteroid called allopregnonalone.  This is one of the most protective anti-seizure compounds on the planet, synthetic or natural.  Thus, a woman have problems with her cycles will likely have too little progesterone being produced, sending the brain into havoc. 

Post partum depression, mood disorders and seizures can all be a result.  Thus, restoration of optimal levels of progesterone is very important.  This means managing prediabetes (a major contributor because the elevated testosterone shuts down healthy ovarian function and release of progesterone from the corpus luteum).  It means lowering your exposure to environmental estrogens from constipation, plastics and other chemicals as well as maintaining an ideal body weight.

Topical progesterone can also be a good temporary fix to supplement the body’s production of progesterone until the other physiological problems are brought into balance.

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INCREDIBLE TREATMENT FOR EPILEPSY REALLY THIS SIMPLE?

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Few neurologists, as a front line discussion, will bring up the ability of anything other than medications to alter seizure susceptibility.  There is rarely discussion of stress management, exercise, targeted nutraceuticals, avoidance of excitotoxins like MSG and Nutrisweet.  There is rarely a discussion of the power of diet; specifically the ketogenic diet.

A decade ago, few would have understood or even heard of the ketogenic diet.  However, due to the similarities to the popular Atkin’s diet, most would find the carbohydrate restrictions of the ketogenic diet familiar.

When it comes to seizure control, the ketogenic diet is amazingly powerful.  Consistently across studies, 1/3 of those on a ketogenic diet have >90% seizure reduction and another 1/3 have >50% reduction.  This is powerful stuff.  Far, far more effective than any anti-seizure medication available.  And yet it is considered as a last line of approach to seizure control (especially in children) instead of the first line.

The strict carb restriction, tendency towards constipation and the concern over certain nutrients deficiences lead many to think that this is a tough program to follow.  This is one of the frequent reasons cited as to why it is so uncommonly used. 

Surprisingly, there is little research into why the ketogenic diet is effective.  We can through billions at developing new drugs, but can’t spend pennies on a study of diet.  We do know that a less strict version such as the modified Atkin’s diet can provide similar seizure control and is more tolerable.  We know that the increase in polyunsaturated fat intake (think olive oil and nuts) plays a large role in the seizure reduction.

This particular article begins to delve even more intently into the cellular mechanisms of the ketogenic diet and determine that the adenosine A1 receptor may be a target by increasing the amount of adenosine, which is a potent molecule already known to be involved in seizure prevention in animals. (http://www.jci.org/articles/view/58391)

The more we know about how the ketogenic diet works, the more we can tease apart the aspects of the diet that are important and keep the aspects the are critical.  This may increase not only the effectiveness, but the palatability of the diet as a lifestyle.

http://www.jci.org/articles/view/57813