Review of Treating Epilepsy Naturally : A Guide to Alternative and Adjunct Therapies (Paperback)

I am not a neurologist but have a strong personal interest in epilepsy. I read this book with great care. There are many chapters of significant merit including chapters 10-20. These chapters include the seizure taming effects of relaxation and certain types of music, doing things to prevent seizure progression when an aura is felt, lots of general information on epilepsy that is organized on a gender or age basis, the challenges of finding employment, and advice on a whole host of life issues that people with epilepsy often face. These are even more thoroughly covered in a number of other references which I have also read that come from the medical community.

So here is the real issue; what is in chapters 1-9? These chapters are loaded with information on diet, food supplements, vitamins, minerals, oriental medicine and other alternative and complementary approaches to treating epilepsy. As I read the Forward by Russell Blaylock MD and chapters 1-9 I had a growing sense that the author's thesis or belief is that traditional American medical treatment of epilepsy on the whole may do more harm than good and should be avoided if possible and that the natural approach is without risk and should be used preferentially. The real problem with this philosophy is that there are many people out there that will believe such nonsense. Any natural approach has risks as well as possible (if unproven) benefits. I certainly do not want to deny that there are problems associated with traditional medical treatment of epilepsy. Side effects are a real issue and can not be ignored.

The book has many unsubstantiated assertions that would make people think that the medical profession as a whole is uninformed. That is most unfortunate. Here is one example from the Forward;

("Doctors in general have difficulty with biochemistry in medical school......If your doctors do not understand these molecular events how can they efficiently treat your disorder? In addition to this lack of knowledge......" p. iv

Chapter 1 is a testimonial by the author on how she dealt with her epilepsy by eliminating junk food from her diet, switching to wholesome foods, adding herbs to the mix (skullcap and goldenseal), exercising and losing weight. She also decreased the amount of Phenobarbital she was taking. At that point she endorses a definition of drugs as being "poison(s)." The reader is also introduced to Robert Fried Ph.D. (a neuropsychologist?) Dr. Fried allegedly has come to the conclusion that "Seizures are metabolical, (sic) not neurological." Dr. Fried also allegedly feels that seizures are more like a regulatory body-process, like vomiting, rather than a disease process. The seizures are, allegedly according to the author, in a way readjusting the individual's metabolism to attempt to achieve homeostasis. My understanding is that there are some seizures that have a metabolic origin but they are in the minority. Certainly eating better and taking care of one's body should make a difference in overall health. Whether that will cure epilepsy is far from proven.

Chapter 4 starts by stating that if you have seizures it is imperative that you see a physician. That is good advice. An implication is made that hypoglycemia may be a major cause of seizures. Such an assertion ("major cause")is a little bit irresponsible in my opinion. It is correctly pointed out that anticonvulsants can have long-term adverse effects on calcium metabolism and bone health. It is then pointed out that phenytoin (an increasingly infrequently used old line anticonvulsant) contains "Drano" and "antifreeze." Puleeeze give us a break.Most readers should know better than to believe that. The real problem with this book as I see it is that there are people out there that will actually believe these assertions that are thrown in for effect, and may avoid the medical profession and thus deny themselves of the benefits that modern medical science has to offer. I in fact know of one mother that read this book four years ago and then took her daughter off of her medication feeling that it was too toxic to tolerate. The daughter's seizures that had been completely controlled for 9 months returned after 3 weeks and have never been under good control since then, in spite of restarting and then trying other medications. A reference should have been included, to the important studies that show that people that achieve complete control on medication for at least 2 or 4 years, have a high likelihood (better than 50/50) of not needing medications after that point, but that those that go off medication early and relapse are often difficult to control. On the whole this book is not balanced and this is one example where the other side of the picture should have been presented.

Chapter 5 on nutrition is interesting and useful. It is smart to eat right.

A lot of chapter 6, "Foods that Harm" makes sense.

Chapter 7 "Foods that Heal" has some interesting ideas. There is information on food supplements as well. I think a more scientific approach to the use of food supplements could have been taken. The issue of the blood brain barrier is not dealt with. There are many unsubstantiated assertions in this chapter. The section on GABA is a good example of both of these problems. GABA does not cross the blood brain barrier and so orally ingested GABA will not end up in the central nervous system. The section ends by stating that "daily supplementation of 500 to 1,000 mg of GABA has been shown to help prevent seizures." This is an irresponsible statement, that if taken and followed, could cost the individual several hundred dollars a year, and all for naught.

Chapter 8 is about the Ketogenic Diet. Although it can help in those with seizures that are particularly difficult to control, I think that most neurologists would not routinely recommend it. The chapter fails to point out the downside of the ketogenic diet and fails to point out that it will not work unless the patient is truly ketotic. Adding fats to a regular diet to try and achieve some of the benefits of the ketogenic diet will only result in weight gain, elevated serum cholesterol and triglycerides, and possibly exacerbation of seizures. Studies have shown that simply losing weight correlates with better seizure control.

Chapter 9 on herbs is interesting but readers should look to other sources before investing a small fortune on those options. A recent book by Orrin Devinsky, MD takes a critical look at herbs (and other alternative and complementary methods of approaching epilepsy) and cites relevant scientific literature (if it exists) that confirms the value of various herbs.

On the whole I do not feel that this is a balanced book. Nor do I feel that the author intended for it to be a balanced book. The sources cited as experts are too dominated by acquaintances of the author and not enough is cited from peer review scientific literature. There are far too many unsubstantiated assertions. Actually following some of the advice in the book could lead to lost opportunities to get epilepsy under control and could lead to much expense in search of the often elusive goal of effectively treating epilepsy without medication. I cannot recommend this book. I can recommend Dr. Devinsky's book "Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Epilepsy."It is a bit pricy so I recommend borrowing it from your local library unless you are a physician or a hopeless book collector that likes to buy medical texts. I give this book 2 stars because it does have some useful information. The other stuff unfortunately brings it down to a "2."



Product Description
Hard-to-find information on epilepsy, presented by an author living successfully with the condition
Drugs commonly used to treat epilepsy have some extremely harmful side effects. Treating Epilepsy Naturally is an empathetic, practical, empowering look at treatment options, lifestyle choices, and ways of living well. Written by an author who has been successfully living with it herself for most of her adult life, this comprehensive guide offers alternative treatments to replace and to complement traditional therapies and sound advice to find the right health practitioner for you.

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