Diet and neurological health

unstableunicorn
unstableunicorn Posts: 216 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Let me begin with a quick disclaimer: I am seeing my primary physician in 3 weeks and will be discussing this with her.

This morning I finally had my followup for a seizure I had in August. After speaking with my neurologist she is convinced I have been having mild seizures for years. I have begun a treatment plan, and over the next few months I will be undergoing further scans, tests, and followups.

In the meantime, I want to explore dietary options to support neurological health, however I’m having difficulty picking a starting point, so here I am.

1 - Reading material suggestions. I’m open to anything that isn’t seriously agenda-driven (as a simple example, pro-vegan material is gladly welcomed, but if PETA would use it to soapbox it likely has little value to me).

2 - For those who live with seizures (either first- or secondhand), are there any dietary or nutritional changes you (or a loved one) have made that assisted with or had a corelation to improved neurological health?

Replies

  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    There are a couple things that early research indicates may help neurological health. A curcumin supplement (just plain curcumin is not concentrated enough), CBD oil, particularly in Parkinsons patients and slowing progression of MS, and omega 3. I hope this helps.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    An additional thought is that the ketogenic diet has a proven track record with seizures in epilepsy patients. It sounds like you don't know the source of your seizure yet but that may be worth a try.
  • maureenkhilde
    maureenkhilde Posts: 849 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    There are a couple things that early research indicates may help neurological health. A curcumin supplement (just plain curcumin is not concentrated enough), CBD oil, particularly in Parkinsons patients and slowing progression of MS, and omega 3. I hope this helps.

    For MS? I do not think so. Saw a few article's , seemed more about assisting with varying symptoms people have. VS slowing progression that happens in the brain. Do I have MS? No, but my husband does. And we get a number of mags, and stay on top of research for MS.
    There are a number of supplements that are suggested for MS, and some of those are often subject to which MS medication and or injection one is prescribed.

    MS diet wise, is more of eating more times per day, and not large meals. Again this could vary by person.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    There are a variety of options mentioned here, one of which was recently FDA-approved: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/treating-seizures-and-epilepsy/other-treatment-approaches/medical-marijuana-and-epilepsy
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    ElizabethKalmbach wrote: »
    (Sorry, I very much hesitate to compare humans to my pets, but in my defense, I love my pets very much and spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to sort out their woes. They're atypical enough that veterinarians don't see very many of them, and when they do, the typical response is "euthanize." Thus, my extensive, amateur combing of literature for all KINDS of animals including humans to find things that can help, and my recollection of the above article. I don't wish to imply that your issue will be as simple to resolve as "stop sharing your ice cream bars with your hood rats.")

    When my beloved husky was dying of cancer I learned a lot about sourcing and pricing chemo drugs for people, as that was what he got, sometimes from Canada with a prescription from my US vet.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    I used a ketogenic diet to control my migraines, it's a diet originally developed to treat epilepsy and still used today for intractable epilipsy - if you are looking for dietary solutions, that's definitely one worth exploring.

    Epilepsy Foundation:
    https://epilepsy.com/learn/treating-seizures-and-epilepsy/dietary-therapies/ketogenic-diet

    UK Epilepsy Society:
    https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/ketogenic-diet#.XdbzyDNKi70

    Charlie Foundation:
    https://charliefoundation.org/keto-for-epilepsy/
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    As someone mentioned, the Keto diet was implemented specifically for people with epilepsy and has been shown to be quite successful. My son as epileptic brain spikes, but not physical seizures. They have him on Oceans3 Omega 3 supplement as it adds the enzyme necessary to cross the blood brain barrier as well as a methylated folate since he doesn’t metabolize folic acid.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    PS I love that game (Unstable Unicorns)!!!
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    maureenkhilde wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    There are a couple things that early research indicates may help neurological health. A curcumin supplement (just plain curcumin is not concentrated enough), CBD oil, particularly in Parkinsons patients and slowing progression of MS, and omega 3. I hope this helps.

    For MS? I do not think so. Saw a few article's , seemed more about assisting with varying symptoms people have. VS slowing progression that happens in the brain. Do I have MS? No, but my husband does. And we get a number of mags, and stay on top of research for MS.
    There are a number of supplements that are suggested for MS, and some of those are often subject to which MS medication and or injection one is prescribed.

    MS diet wise, is more of eating more times per day, and not large meals. Again this could vary by person.

    My wife also has had MS for 20+ years. There is more data in regard to symptoms but emerging info on slowing progression. This area definitely requires more study.

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26408162-endocannabinoids-in-multiple-sclerosis-and-amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/?from_term=cannabis+and+multiple+sclerosis+progression&from_page=1&from_pos=3

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25537576-neuroprotection-in-experimental-autoimmune-encephalomyelitis-and-progressive-multiple-sclerosis-by-cannabis-based-cannabinoids/?from_term=cannabis+and+multiple+sclerosis+progression&from_page=1&from_pos=4

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26744883-purified-cannabidiol-the-main-non-psychotropic-component-of-cannabis-sativa-alone-counteracts-neuronal-apoptosis-in-experimental-multiple-sclerosis/?from_term=cannabis+and+multiple+sclerosis+progression&from_page=1&from_pos=7



  • unstableunicorn
    unstableunicorn Posts: 216 Member
    edited November 2019
    To follow up on a particular comment by @mmapags , currently the cause is unknown, but after digging into family history I appear to be genetically predisposed.

    Thank you everyone for the insight, suggestions, and a couple giggles! :) Oddly enough I ordered a keto book on a whim two weeks ago, so the universe seems bent on synchronicity. Any other thoughts or suggestions from new or previous posters are gladly welcome, but in the mean time this is a wonderful starting point.
  • vivo1972
    vivo1972 Posts: 129 Member
    Hey I have epilepsy, have full on seizures, absence seizures, nocturnal seizures and general memory loss.

    1) Make sure your magnesium is 100%. I take a supplement to make sure.

    2) watch your salt - I have to add salt to my diet as I don't eat enough

    3) Sugar binge/crash can trigger - my biggest trigger as my yum stuff is ice-cream!

    4) KD is ok - I've been on it under neuro guidance and it did sod all for me except make me constipated. Works better on children I believe.

    5) Wholegrains and general low GI stuff - like diabetes guides

    6) If you have a seizure and are in agony I use meal replacement drinks as it's easy and nutritious - mine is from ProteinWorks.

    7) Relax about food if you can - the stress can trigger.

    8) Meditative exercise is great - I cycle on the trails to get that Zen feeling.

    I hope some of this helps, I know how painful it can be - feel free to ask anything. I will help if I can XX
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    One of my aunts was epileptic and she was prescribed a keto diet...this was way before keto was the cool weight loss diet...this was like over 50 years ago.
  • vivo1972
    vivo1972 Posts: 129 Member
    Sorry should have also said that there are so many different types of E (like I'm JVE low hertz photo-senstive) that one size won't fit all - those previous pointers are just the the things that help me

    If you do try KD for epilepsy it's very strict and I had to be monitored by an epilepsy nutritionist- I'd see your neuro first and see what he/she says :)

    For me low GI is the best - good luck on finding what works for you!

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