BLOG - THE REAL OIL

Unlike many dietary therapies, the Ketogenic Diet has a long history of use and has been well researched, having been formally recorded in medical literature 100 years ago. The wisdom surrounding the mechanism of action of the Ketogenic Diet goes back even further than that though and is referenced to in the Bible at the time of Jesus and 400 years prior in Hippocratic recordings as a treatment for people with seizures.

The essence of the Ketogenic Diet is that fat is by far the main source of calories. This flips the old school food pyramid we grew up with on its head. You know the picture recommending something like 6-8 servings of bread, pasta and cereals on the bottom and only a tiny amount of oil, cream and butter on the top each day with veges, fruit, meat and eggs in the middle. Forget that!

'Refractory', 'intractable' and 'drug resistant' are all terms for epilepsy which does not respond readily to antiepileptic medication.

Some children will eventually outgrow their epilepsy. For other children, seizures may be a part of their life long journey but even so there are many management options to reduce the seizure frequency and intensity and allow the child to develop to their full potential. This is a short summary of the most common options.

Receiving an epilepsy diagnosis can rock the most resilient of families. Without too much of an introduction everything has changed and now seizures are a part of your life. How on earth does a parent cope?

Excellent explanation of what a Ketogenic Diet actually is. This article on theconversation.com also goes into more depth about the use of the diet in epilepsy and also the potential as a complimentary therapy for malignant glioma brain cancer.

The Matthews Friends latest newsletter Summer edition has some updates on things happening in Canterbury New Zealand! The new ketogenic dietary therapy service at Christchurch Hospital, and an article on a fundraiser at Avonhead School where one of their students has recently started the Keto Diet.