Good Oils

For many years, dieticians have been telling us to cut down on oils, but this point of view has slowly changed. Many popular diets today, such as the Atkins Diet, favour a high protein, low carbohydrate approach. With the traditional carbohydrate-rich diet, the body has an excess of sugars which it converts into fat for storage. However, if you consume very few carbohydrates, the opposite effect is produced: the body converts fats into sugars. This is true even if you consume fats and oils.

The primary concern with oils, apart from weight gain, has been cholesterol. However, scientists are now discovering that some oils are good for you, even necessary to health, and that some oils help to reduce cholesterol. Dr. Hui reminds us that the brain is 99% an oil organ, and the brain needs certain oils, such as Vitamin E, to repair itself. We need to supply our brain with the materials it needs to be healthy.

Fish Oil, Evening Primrose Oil*, and Flax seed Oil, all commonly sold in health food stores, are good, healthy oils, according to Dr. Hui. Flax seed oil needs to be fairly fresh to be a benefit, so buy it out of the refrigerator at the store, if possible. For extra fibre, buy flax seed and grind it in your coffee grinder. Olive oil is also good. Dr. Hui recommends taking good oils liberally. It may be difficult to tell which one is best for you, so he also suggests using a combination oil that balances these ingredients.

Diet

The Ketogenic Diet has been used to improve seizure control since before the advent of anticonvulsants. Even though the diet works best with children, Dr. Hui feels that following the principles of the diet can contribute to overall control for adults with difficult to control seizures, though the results may not be as pronounced as with children.

Conventional diets, which typically reduce both fat and carbohydrate intake, can cause the body to go into “starvation mode” – it conserves energy, burns less fat, and makes the person feel hungry and less energetic. This is why these diets are difficult to maintain. However, if one simply cuts back sharply on sugars and starches, then the body must get what it needs from fats and proteins.

When the body breaks down fats, the by-products are called ketone bodies and fatty acids. The ketone body can be used as “fuel,’ just as sugars might be. However, in terms of the brain, the ketone body is a more stable, less volatile fuel; it burns slowly and consistently, so there is less excitability in the brain. Sugars by contrast work quickly and are processed quickly, producing more peaks and valleys of excitability. According to Dr. Hui, this is essentially why the ketogenic diet works.

Dr. Hui’s advice is to cut down on starches, and eat plenty of green vegetables; meats, cheeses, and eggs are all allowed. By the way, you can find out if your body is producing ketones with a simple urine testing kit that can be purchased at any drugstore.

Other fatty substances that may help in this approach are gingko* and Phosphatidyl Serine (PS), both available in health food stores.

Vitamins

Studies have shown that deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals may contribute to seizures. This may be because vitamins help to control the rates at which bodily fuels are burned. Very low levels of manganese or thiamine (B1) can cause seizures. Dr. Hui recommends taking mega-vitamins. It is not easy to measure brain levels of vitamins, though, because blood levels do not equal brain levels. This is why Dr. Hui suggests looking for a brand that has high levels of the following: all the B vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Calcium and Magnesium.