Hi MaryAnn I had a son who suffered and died from epilepsy. There are a number of medical anti-epileptic medications that may help him. Having said that I encourage you to explore diet and food sensitivities. These two elements are known to trigger seizures. For instance, a very low carb diet reduces seizures (either frequency or intensity or both). Protein in mad of amino-acids which are of two types. Excitatory and inhibitory. For instance Glutamic is excitatory and glycine is inhibitory. Foods that contain high amounts of excitatory aminos should also be avoided. There is a strong connection between food sensitiveness, allergies etc to seizure provocation. Have him avoid foods such as wheat and dairy, Monosodium glutamate, strong spices, synthetic colorants, etc that may lead to irritation of the neurons. Try the Coca test as an easy way of determining which foods he is allergic to and eliminate them from the diet. make sure he is always hydrated and supply him a good electrolyte balance. Use magnesium, tryptophan, chamomile tea and all calming herbs and avoid coffee sodas, that contain caffeine and other stimulants. Seizures always occur in brains in which oxygenation is marginal. try exercise or at least avoid long sittings and periods of inactivity. Take care Frank
From: Gene Wolfe Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2010 10:20 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: CS>Need some ideas, please Statins are used to reduce cholesterol and are prescribed to many people. On 9/2/2010 8:41 AM, MaryAnn Helland wrote: Refresh my memory please -- statins are used for what? MA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Gene Wolfe <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Thu, September 2, 2010 8:31:24 AM Subject: Re: CS>Need some ideas, please Is he taking statins? Memory problems are a known side effect of statins. Gene On 9/2/2010 8:24 AM, MaryAnn Helland wrote: My brother is in trouble. On Father's Day, he wanted to call my Dad and wish him a happy day -- my Dad died in 1996. Recently, he (brother) was on his way to a location very near where he lives -- and ended up in a town four towns away. On Tuesday night of this week, he called my Mom and asked her "Mom, is my Dad dead? When did he die?" So he is having serious memory issues, both recent and distant memory is involved. Of course, he's seeing doctors and being tested, and they don't know what's going on with him. He's been tested for Alzheimers, and they tell him he doesn't have it. The doctors also tell him that this is not seizure-related -- my brother is an epileptic, and his seizures are controlled by medication. He's had brain scans and MRI's and no abnormalities are found. They did find a small, non-malignant tumor on the brain, behind his left ear, but told him that is not life-threatening and is not involved in the memory issues. So -- does anyone have any ideas about what could be going on with him? Any help will be appreciated. MA
