Here is a letter that I just sent to another person inquiring about the GARD for his 12 year old niece. It includes the letter that I sent to you, Jerri. Hopefully it will help any who is asking these questions about The GARD.
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Hi ****,
It's great to hear from you. I am always glad to hear from who have been affected by this life-changing but frequently reversible medical issue.
First of all, 12 is not an uncommon time for this to happen. The seizures from idiopathic epilepsy (IE) are typically described to occur for the first time between 2-14 years and then again after age 65. To me, this speaks to the viral nature of this condition. I am now convinced that IE is ultimately viral in origin, with the other factors that are described to affect epilepsy being cofactors, triggers, or catalysts in the same way that "carcinogens" are the triggers/catalysts for cancer, not the true cause. (If carcinogens were the cause, we would all have cancer, as we have all been exposed to these common carcinogens and in the same amounts as most who do get cancer have. Viruses are also the ultimate cause of cancer, with more and more cancers being identified as viral in origin. There are researchers who have said that all cancer is viral, something I totally agree with the idea of.)
So, if epilepsy is viral then where does the diet come in? The diet we consume, especially in the US, is LOADED with ingredients that both favor the viral cause but also stimulate seizures. That is why The GARD is so effective. It deals with both situations, by removing the foods that do so much potential harm to our immune systems and tissues while, at the same time, removing those things that trigger seizures. The beauty of it all is that it is the same foods that are involved in both aspects.
The "G.A.R.D." initially stood for the "glutamate-aspartate restricted diet", with glutamate and aspartate being the parent proteins in MSG and NutraSweet, respectively...two KNOWN neurotoxins and triggers of seizures. BUT, the foods that contain the highest levels of these amino acids are also the main foods that researchers have attributed to seizures. The gluten connection to seizures/epilepsy is now well-established in the literature. But dairy, soy and corn can all do the exact same thing, especially the damage to the intestinal lining (villi). That is why The G.A.R.D. also stands for the "gut absorption recovery diet".
I'm sure the amount of info on the site is a bit overwhelming. It has gone from a simple, few article site to a major collection of papers over the years, starting with the dietary factors and encompassing seasonal, chemical, lifestyle, and other environmental issues that can all have an effect on seizures. But I cannot even start to reproduce all of the information on my site in an Email, of course. It is better for you to try to read some of the papers. The main point I would like to make today is that the more you understand about the diet, the better success you will have.
The first thing to read is The Epilepsy Diet Made Simple (
http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id18.html ). It explains the rationale behind the diet, which is the removal of "the big 4"...gluten (wheat, barley, rye), dairy, soy and corn. These are the top 4 human allergens and damagers of our ability to absorb nutrients. They are also loaded with proteins that over-stimulate the brain, just as MSG and NutraSweet do.
I would then read Food Intolerance, Epilepsy and the GARD (
http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id99.html ), which is the transcript of my lecture at a recent major conference. It will reinforce the first paper above.
The next thing to read is How to Control Idiopathic Epilepsy Naturally (
http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id19.html ). It is a step by step paper on what to do and discusses some auxiliary measures/testing.
Then you can read the section Food to Avoid, Foods to Enjoy (
http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id31.html ). It discusses in plain language what to eat and what not to. I also have a paper called "What in the World Do I Eat?" (
http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id24.html ) It goes over these foods again and tells of some of the substitutes I have used and explains why as it goes along.
The diet has been phenomenally successful (
http://dogtorj.tripod.com/id8.html ) and has absolutely no down side except for the sacrifices that need to be made. There is nothing even remotely risky about cutting out these top four allergens and damagers of our intestinal villi. There is nothing that we need from these foods that we do not get from multiple other sources that are much healthier for us. The need for dairy is a horrible myth, only to be eclipsed by the propaganda of how healthy soy is for us.
It should all make sense by the time you've read these things. If not, please Email me at
dogtorj@bellsouth.net. The diet WILL help. As far as I know, it has yet to fail to produce measurable results in those who have implemented it. Strictness is the key.
I hope this helps,
John