Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry that I have been away from the forum for so long. I am trying desperately to finish my book, a major part of which in the diet for epilepsy (the GARD). The results continue to be astounding in both pets and people. I am probably hearing about more human cases than veterinary at this point.

I will be launching new Website in the near future with updated testimonials, including one from a father of a child suffering from Late Infantile Batten Disease, a tragic neurological condition that is characterized by seizures and early deaths. Yes, the diet helps in many forms of seizures. I have even had pets with brain tumors stop seizing for a time on the diet. Once we understand the mechanisms involved- the malabsorption syndrome, immune suppression, lectin damage, and glutamate overload- and how they are all driven by the "big 4 foods (gluten, dairy, soy and corn) and complicated by food additives (e.g. MSG, aspartame), estrogens/xenoestrogens, and environmental pollutants, then we KNOW what we have to do and why the approach works.

I have treated epilepsy and other seizure disorders with diet alone for almost 10 years now with amazing results, proving that the elimination diet is the single factor in the control of seizures. But as of late, I have added a few vital supplements to the "to-do" list that make sense in our quest for seizure control. These include D3, omegas, magnesium, B complex, selenium, lecithin (from eggs), and antioxidants. The latter include vitamin C, E, and grape seed extract, the last being one of the most powerful antioxidants known (yet man created seedless grapes. Hmmm...). These should all speed up and insure recovery as many of us are woefully deficient in these vital nutrients. But I am thankful that I used the elimination diet alone to treat seizures for the initial ten years to prove that the forbidden foods were doing sooo much harm in epilepsy and other cases of neurodegenerative diseases.

The most recent discovery has been the secondary "glutenization" through the consumption of animals that are fed gluten, soy and corn, chicken and eggs being the most notable. I suspected years ago that this was possible but I only recently found this to be true in my own life. The elimination of chicken greatly improved my daytime moods and energy levels. There are now articles available from people who found the same thing about eggs produced by chickens fed a vegetarian diet (soy, corn, wheat). Sadly, these are very real issues and will affect the "worst of the worst" individuals, perhaps even preventing an epileptic from enjoying a full recovery.

The cattle (cows, lamb, deer, buffalo) are less likely to have high levels of lectins in their flesh due to the fact that they ferment their food in their forestomachs, fermentation being a process that helps to inactivate lectins (e.g. yogurt, kefir, soy fermentation and even sour-dough bread).

The use of glucosamine could actually help remove these trace sources as this essential sugar is known to bind to proteins (such as those from gluten, dairy, soy and corn as well as bacteria) and prevent their attachment to tissue. This is one of the known mechanisms of essential sugars (which is a fascinating topic to study).

The bottom line is epilepsy is bound to be viral in origin and it is the negative effect of diet and pollutants/free radicals/carcinogens on these entities that leads to seizures. There are over 25 viruses known to cause seizures in man alone, many of which are chronic, latent and ubiquitous. Epilepsy, ,like autism, appears to be a "perfect storm" situation in which the neurons and immune system are damaged, resulting in seizures when the glutamate, aspartate, lectins, estrogens/xenoestrogens, and free radicals are applied to those diseased neurons. And it is clear that these viruses can be transmitted
in the very DNA of individuals (which we know occurs), explaining the human family and dog breed predisposition to "idiopathic epilepsy. This is similar to familial cancers (e.g. of the breast) and other neurological disorders (e.g. Huntington's). This is what some viruses do- incorporate their genetic information into our DNA. We should not be surprised to find that much of this is transmitted vertically to our offspring. I just heard from a client who was epileptic and whose father was and his child is epileptic. This happens regularly in breeds of dogs.

I hope this helps to clarify just why the diet works so well but why some individuals have to do much more to see results than others. But I am convinced that even the worst can respond if they are capable of doing enough right. That may involve moving from NYC or some other horribly polluted city (like one of my MS success stories did) or the successful treatment of a co-existing condition (e.g. hypothyroidism- VERY important) but I see now reason why anyone with idiopathic epilepsy cannot improve if they are willing to take the appropriate measures.

I do hope this helps,
John