Uncontrolled Epilepsy
If you are suffering from uncontrolled epilepsy, under the right conditions and circumstances, you may find that you benefit from the introduction of ketogenic diet therapy.
Seizures sometimes are not controlled with seizure medications. A number of different terms may be used to describe these including: “uncontrolled,” “intractable,” “refractory,” or “drug resistant.”
Successful Treatments
Both traditional and modified diets have been shown to be successful in the treatment of epilepsy. Choice will depend on the individual’s age, dietary 
preference, and lifestyle, taking into account palatability and ease of use for both the child/adult and the family. The classical ketogenic diet is usually preferred in infants and classical ketogenic formulae are used for tube feeding. Modified regimes have benefits for the older child and adult who prefer a less restricted diet.
What is the Ketogenic Diet?
The ketogenic diet is a specific high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet which has been designed to offer effective assistance for anyone seeking to control the seizures in some people with uncontrolled epilepsy.
Always prescribed by a physician and carefully monitored by a dietician, the ketogenic diet is far stricter than the modified Atkins diet and requires the careful measurements of calories, fluids, and proteins.
- The ketogenic diet is a special high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that helps to control seizures in some people with uncontrolled epilepsy.
- Doctors generally recommend the ketogenic diet for children whose seizures have not responded to several different seizure medicines.
- The typical ketogenic diet, called the “long-chain triglyceride diet,” provides 3 to 4 grams of fat for every 1 gram of carbohydrate and protein.
- Several studies have shown that the ketogenic diet does reduce or prevent seizures in many children whose seizures could not be controlled by medications.
First Line Treatment For a Variety of Conditions
The ketogenic diet is a first-line treatment for the neurometabolic diseases glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1) deficiency syndrome and pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) deficiency. Although clinical evidence is more limited, ketogenic therapy is also increasingly being explored as a treatment option for other disorders such as neurological cancers.
Contact Us
If you would like any more information regarding the Matthew’s Friends charity or regarding treatment for uncontrolled epilepsy, please either give us a call on Tel. No. 01342 836571 or contact us through our Facebook page and we will be happy to help if we can.