Currently, epilepsy affects more than 2.3 million adults and close to 500,000 children in the U.S. In addition, about 1 out of 26 people will be diagnosed with the condition at some point in their lives.
Just as the real cause of epilepsy is unknown, there is no conclusive treatment for the condition. Normally, convention treatment involves using pharmaceutical interventions or surgery. However, there are many epileptics who do not respond to medication while surgery carries many risks. The good news is that there is an extremely effective dietary …show more content…
Normally, people who are put on the keto diet begins by fasting for about 24 hours before they start on the diet. Here, fasting is used to fast-tracks the onset of ketosis.
Treatment for epilepsy
The keto diet is highly effective in treating epilepsy. The first reputable scientific study linking fasting to the cure of epilepsy was conducted in France in 1911.During this period, epileptics were being treated using potassium bromide. However, this treatment was shown to have negative effects on the patients since it slowed down their mental capabilities. When patients were put on strict dietary restrictions, it was found that their mental capabilities improved compared to when they were on potassium bromide. In addition, the patients experienced fewer seizures.
The ketogenic diet as a cure for epilepsy is based on the concept that seizures are caused by a toxin secreted in the intestine. Hugh Coklin, an American, stipulated that when an epileptic person fasted for 18 to 25 days, the toxin dissipated. When Coklin put patients on water diet which he used regularly to treat most of the children suffering from the condition, 20 percent of the patients were cured of the condition while 50 percent showed significant