Epilepsy dietary taboos

One is alcohol, large doses of caffeine, and nicotine containing clear stimulant ingredients.； The second is grapefruit (grapefruit) and related products that can interfere with the metabolism of anti-epileptic drugs. ； The third is a large amount of irritating food that is high in salt, high in sugar, and excessively cold and uncooked in a short period of time. The rest of the so-called "fat items" and "common ingredients that cannot be touched" are mostly judged based on individual reactions, and there is no unified standard.

Speaking of this, I have to mention the issue of "hair delivery" that many patients' families are most concerned about. This is actually the most controversial point at present. Traditional Chinese medicine theory does advocate that patients with epilepsy should avoid exposure to pungent, warm and strong "eating foods", such as mutton, dog meat, seafood, pepper and pepper, as it is believed that the wind and the rising yang can easily induce seizures. ； However, there is no evidence in modern evidence-based medicine to prove that there is a direct link between these common ingredients and epileptic seizures. The most interesting case I have ever seen is a 22-year-old Shanxi young man. The elders in his hometown said that mutton should never be touched. He endured it for three years. Last winter, he secretly ate a meal of mutton boiled in a copper pot. Nothing happened. Later, he ate it once a week. After six months of follow-up, the frequency of seizures decreased. He used to be too greedy and ate mutton every day. He was anxious and prone to illness. Of course, there are also examples of the opposite. There was a 14-year-old child with allergies who had a seizure that day after eating drunken shrimp. Later it was found that it was nerve stimulation caused by seafood allergy, which had nothing to do with the "hair substance" itself. He was fine after eating ordinary cooked shrimp. There is really no need to argue which one is right. If you feel comfortable eating, eat it, and if you feel uncomfortable eating it, avoid it. That's better than anything else.

Apart from these mythical ingredients, what really has clear evidence to be wary of are things that many people don't take seriously on a daily basis. For example, any doctor from any school will advise you to avoid caffeinated espresso, energy drinks, super-rich milk tea, alcohol, and betel nut. Last month, a patient who worked in an e-commerce operation came for a review and said that he had not had any attacks in the previous three months. Last week, he had two cups of strong American style for three consecutive days to rush for a large-scale promotion project, and he was taken directly to the emergency room at the company. He later tried decaffeinated coffee on his own, drinking 1-2 cups a week, but nothing happened. To put it bluntly, it was a matter of dosage. Drinking caffeine would not necessarily cause you to get sick, so don’t do it in large quantities in a short period of time. By the way, some people asked if they can eat chocolate? A small piece of black chocolate, about 10g, has less caffeine than half a cup of milk tea. If you don’t get any reaction after eating it, you don’t need to quit. Just don’t chew the whole piece.

There is another type of taboo that many people don’t know about, which is directly related to the anti-epileptic drugs you are taking. Grapefruit (grapefruit) must be highlighted. The ingredients in it will inhibit the activity of the CYP3A4 enzyme that metabolizes drugs in the liver. If you are taking commonly used anti-epileptic drugs such as carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, and sodium valproate, eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit. Grapefruit juice can easily cause drugs to accumulate in the body, causing side effects such as dizziness and nausea, or fluctuations in blood drug concentration to induce seizures. This has been clearly confirmed by global pharmaceutical research. Whether you believe in traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine, you must not step on this trap. In addition, eat as little salty bacon, pickles, kimchi and the like as possible. It’s not that salt itself is a problem, but that if you eat too salty, you can’t help but drink a lot of water. Short-term water and sodium retention can also easily trigger attacks. It’s perfectly fine to occasionally eat two pieces of soy duck to satisfy your cravings during the Chinese New Year. Just don’t eat it every time as the main course.

There is also a popular saying that patients with epilepsy should eat a ketogenic diet, which is quite controversial. Some neurologists will recommend children with refractory epilepsy to try it. After all, the ketogenic diet can indeed reduce the frequency of some drug-resistant epilepsy through a high-fat, very low-carbohydrate ratio. An 8-year-old child I met had seizures 3-4 times a week before. After trying the ketogenic diet for half a year, he now only has one seizure every 1-2 months. However, many doctors do not recommend ordinary patients to try it casually, especially those with high blood lipids, fatty liver, and gallstones. The high-fat ratio of ketosis will actually increase the metabolic burden. Previously, there was a 30-year-old patient who followed an online tutorial to eat ketosis. After three months of eating, his blood lipids tripled that of a normal person, and he also induced cholecystitis. The gain outweighed the gain. If you really want to try it, you must adjust the ratio under the guidance of a professional doctor and nutritionist, and don't mess around on your own.

I have been in God for almost 8 years, and I have seen two of the most extreme examples. One is that he dares not eat anything, and abstains from eggs, milk, and beef. He has lost 20 pounds in a year. His immunity is so bad that he keeps having colds and fevers, which makes his attacks more frequent.； The other one is not afraid of anything. He drinks heavily every day and stays up late. He has seizures four or five times a month and cannot even go to work. In fact, there is really no need to go to extremes. We in the department often say that dietary taboos for epilepsy are never to put shackles on patients, but to help you find a way to live in peace with your body. Take a small notebook and jot down a few notes, such as what you ate today, whether you feel uncomfortable or have an attack, and you will slowly be able to figure out your own taboo list, which is easier to use than all the general strategies on the Internet.

After all, there are so many black and white rules in life. Your own comfort and stability are the most important things.