epilepsy

 A slightly different podcast episode today to give an authentic human experience of what effect a ketogenic diet could have in certain circumstances - we’re talking with Alex Ash, a colleague of one of my best friends in America, who reached out to me a while ago wanting to share his personal experience with the use of a Ketogenic diet for his son’s medical condition.

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a severe form of childhood epilepsy with multiple types of seizures and as you’ll hear, Alex and his partners experience has not been a straight forward one in the slightest.

For any of you listening with children, with or without a chronic condition, I just want to say from the outset that this episode could be triggering so I would exercise some caution if you do not want to listen. 

Alex’s story has a positive ending but I understand this is not the case for a lot of people struggling with epilepsy and many other conditions. As a medical doctor I witness the daily battle many parents and carers have to endure for the sake of their loved ones.

As always, none of the information spoken about on today’s podcast is taken to be medical advice, always speak with your practitioner about changes to medication, dietary or supplement regimen. 

And there are a few explanations for how the keto diet may yield an effect offered by Alex that are not technically accurate, but for the purposes of this special podcast I’ve chosen to completely unedit our conversation. If you’re interested in the more nuanced opinion of a practitioner I would listen to the previous podcast with Sue Wood that I've linked here for you.

I hope you enjoy listening to Alex tell Jachin’s story, it’s certainly hit home a lot of truths to me.

Remember to check out The Doctor's Kitchen website where you can find full show notes and social media links for this episode

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Susan Wood has worked as a UK registered dietitian for over 35 years, predominantly in the NHS, treating a wide range of paediatric and adult conditions. In 2008, the referral of one young adult for the dietary management of drug resistant epilepsy sparked her interest in ketogenic diet therapy (KDT) and since then she has been pioneering the development of adult treatment protocols in the UK and raising the awareness of dietitians and adult neurologists to the potential that KDT can offer to adults. 

In 2009 she started to work alongside the Matthews Friends Charity offering support to adults and their neurology teams seeking treatment. Sue continues to oversee the treatment of adults & children with drug resistant epilepsy and mentors NHS teams keen to explore KDT use in adults. She has recently co-authored reports on; the brain tumour patient experience of the use of KDT and the first international recommendations for the management of adults treated with ketogenic diet therapies. She is a member of the UK based Ketogenic Dietitians Research Network (KDRN) and a visiting lecturer at Surrey University.

In today’s pod we talk about:

• What the ketogenic diet entails
• The history of KD therapy
• Myths and misinformation about the ketogenic diet 
• The therapeutic utility of KD in epilepsy, cancer and metabolic disorders
• The mechanism of KD
• The biochemical changes that the ketogenic fuel-switch offers
• From the plate to the petri dish, we need more understanding
• The adverse effects of KD
• The future of research
• Patient resources and support networks

Do check out The Doctor's Kitchen website for full show notes and social media links for this episode

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A seizure is like an electrical overload in the brain – when it gets overwhelmed, it just shuts down and resets itself. But imagine being susceptible to these overloads, where one could come at any time with little or no warning. That is epilepsy. 

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