Epilepsy - Modified Atkins Diet Reduces Seizures

Diet Therapy Cuts Child’s Seizures by 90%

Mar 11, 2009 Zoe Langley

While part of a research study on the Modified Atkins Diet for epilepsy, Brooklyn Koski's seizure frequency dropped from 100 to only five to ten per day.

Brooklyn's father, Michael Koski, is so pleased with her improvement he's written a book and started a website to help others who are using the diet. "When we first started looking into the Atkins Diet to help our daughter," says Koski, "we were so excited about an alternative to get her off of the AED drugs!"

Modified Atkins Diet May Help When Drugs Fail to Control Seizures

The Modified Atkins Diet shares similarities with the better-known Ketogenic diet for seizure disorders. The diets are high in fats and proteins and low in carbohydrates. While both can help with intractable seizures, the Modified Atkins diet is less restrictive and easier to follow. In recent studies, the diet is proving effective for adults and children.

Seizures that did not Respond to Anticonvulsants

Brooklyn began having seizures in 1999, when she was only two years old. She was diagnosed with generalized absence seizures. These are seizures which last just a short time, often less than a minute. Absence seizures usually involve only a change in consciousness, such as a blank stare, blinking, or sudden unprovoked movement of the arms, or other parts of the body.

There is no known cause for Brooklyn's seizures. Children often do outgrow this type of seizure disorder (Devinsky), but Brooklyn was having so many seizures she needed some treatment.

In a few short years, Brooklyn took several different seizure medications, none of which helped her seizures. The Koskis, who live in Colorado, tried several other approaches to treat Brooklyn's seizure disorder. Says Koski, "We tried massage\chiropractic, cranial manipulation, homeopathic, bio-feedback and resonance repatterning (a type of energy field treatment )." Nothing worked.

Finding Help at Johns Hopkins Hospital

In 2004, Brooklyn was not improving when Koski heard about research at Johns Hopkins on the Modified Atkins Diet for epilepsy, "Our doctor heard it mentioned offhand at a seminar. We asked him if Brooklyn was a candidate for the Ketogenic Diet and he said, 'I've heard about some research using the Atkins Diet.'"

For Brooklyn, thirteen turned out to be a lucky number. Through a Google search on the Internet, Koski found a study at Johns Hopkins and contacted Dr. Eric Kossoff, the study's organizer. Brooklyn became the thirteenth child enrolled in the research study at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

At first, planning and using the diet for their daughter was difficult. Koski says, "We were soon overwhelmed with questions. At that time, Dr. Kossoff made himself available to us by email and this was a huge benefit." While Brooklyn is still having five to ten seizures a day, her father notes that these are only minor.

Getting the Word Out

In the study Brooklyn joined, reported in 2005, two thirds of the children enrolled improved on the diet. Koski wants other parents to know about the diet and the research now taking place at Johns Hopkins. He is reaching out to others through his website and his book about the diet and Brooklyn's experience with it. The website, named Atkins for Seizures, provides information, articles, and links to other resources for those interested in the diet and the research.

Resources:

Atkins For Seizures

Atkins Diet For Seizure Control

Related Article:

Epilespy - Modified Atkins Diet Research

Sources:

Devinsky, Orrin, MD; A Guide to Understanding and Living With Epilepsy; F. A. Davis; Philadelphia, 1994

Koski, Michael, Atkinsforseizures.com, correspondence

Kossoff, Eic,MD, Haut, SR, MD (ed); A New Choice on the Menu: Five Years of the Modified Atkins Diet for Epilepsy; American Academy of Neurology, News, Dec. 3, 2007

Goldberg, S.V.; Modified Atkins Diet Effectively Treats Childhood Seizures; Johns Hopkins Medicine, Press Release; Dec 5, 2005

The copyright of the article Epilepsy - Modified Atkins Diet Reduces Seizures in General Medicine is owned by Zoe Langley. Permission to republish Epilepsy - Modified Atkins Diet Reduces Seizures in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

The Modified Atkins Diet is for all age groups

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Mar 15, 2009 6:45 AM

Lisa Russell :

My friend in California had 4 kids on the Ketogenic diet. One went from a zombie on mind-altering meds to a normal kid, it's amazing. She says that once one med doesn't work, the likeliness of another working are slim to none. The died isn't fun, but it works.

Mar 15, 2009 8:15 AM

Zoe Langley :

Diet can work for a lot of people. Sometimes, it might be better to try the diet first, before the drugs. It's nice to hear how your friend's children improved with diet therapy.

2 Comments