Symptoms:
There are several types of, what are called, seizures:

Absence (petit mal): A blank stare lasting about half a minute, and the person is unaware of his surroundings. Most often in children.

Complex partial (temporal lobe): A blank stare, random activity, and a chewing motion. No memory of this seizure afterward. An aura, or warning indication, may occur before. It may be a certain odor, sound, thought, etc. No after memory of the seizure.

Myoclonuc: Brief but massive muscle jerks.

Simple partial (Jacksonian): Jerking begins in the fingers and toes, and progresses throughout the body. The person remains conscious.

Simple partial (sensory): Things that do not exist are seen, heard, or sensed. A general seizure may follow.


Cause:
Epilepsy is defined as an episodic disturbance of consciousness, during which generalized convulsions may occur. There are recurring seizures, generally one of seven patterns (listed above). This is caused by electrical disturbances, in the nerve cells, in a portion of the brain.

Electroencephalographic studies reveal a direct relationship between changes in electrical brain potentials and the occurrence of seizures.

Epilepsy is the most common form of seizures, also called convulsions or fits. Epilepsy can be caused by injury to the head, neck, or spinal cord, especially before or during birth. High fevers during early childhood or infectious diseases can also cause it. Heredity can be involved. Oxygen deprivation at birth or a later head injury may be causal factors.

A variety of factors may trigger the onset of a seizure. Oddly enough, an important one is constipation in the transverse colon. Eating bread, especially soft bread, is known to lead to seizures.

An improperly functioning ileocecal valve is a possible cause. This permits powerful toxins to enter the blood stream and affect the delicate nervous system and brain.

During a seizure, the person may fall during the attack, often injuring himself; he may bite his tongue, pass urine, and awake to realize something has happened because of muscular soreness.

There is a tendency to sleep following the attack. Sometimes attacks occur only during sleep.

Some seizures take the form of antisocial or unnatural conduct.

On recovery, amnesia is generally complete, so no effort is made to hide what happened. The epileptic may gradually deteriorate.

Treatment:
During the attack, arrange the head to facilitate breathing. Prevent the tongue from being bitten or from obstructing the windpipe. Place a pad between the teeth during the attack. Afterward allow him to sleep.

See "Convulsions" for more information on dealing with them.

Prevention:
Do not eat soft bread; better yet, do not eat any bread. You may find that you should not eat mush either.

Keep the colon clean. Take enemas or colonics weekly if necessary. Pressure from a clogged colon can press against the ileocecal valve and release toxins which are absorbed by the bloodstream.

If the bowels do not move each day, take a lemon enema (juice of 2 lemons in 2 quarts water) before going to bed that night.

Drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices.

Include raw vegetables in your diet.

Check your diet with pulse and other tests, to see which foods are a problem. Use rotation diets to this objective. (See "Allergies" and "Pulse Test.")

Avoid white sugar and white-flour products. Avoid fried foods, animal protein, and artificial sweeteners.

Maintain a well-balanced, nutritious diet. Do not overeat! Do not take in excess amounts of food or fluid at one time.

Take manganese supplementation. A lack of it can produce epilepsy. Women who lack it can give birth to epileptic children.

Vitamin B6 deficiency has been linked as a factor in some cases of epilepsy. When given to some babies, in their formula, the epilepsy ceased.

Deficiencies of vitamins A, D, folic acid, zinc, and aurine (an amino acid) are also involved.

Magnesium deficiency may cause muscle tremors and convulsive seizures. Epileptics have a lower than normal amount of this mineral. Infants with excess calcium intake had a magnesium loss. Yet other studies revealed that calcium was also important.

Avoid alcohol, caffeine, pesticides, and aluminum cookware. High levels of aluminum have been found in the brains of those with epilepsy. Aluminum is a conductor of electricity, and trace amounts in the brain may trigger seizures.

Toxic metals (lead, copper, mercury, and aluminum) are known to cause seizure. Hypoglycemia is linked to convulsions. Serum glucose levels fall just before a seizure.

The artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet) has been linked to seizures. Beware of lead poisoning also.

Allergies cause seizures in some. This includes chemicals, pesticides, food additives, or common foods such as peanuts.

Doses of folic acid, in excess of 400 mcg per day, can trigger seizures.

Have a hair analysis done, to see if a metal toxicity could be involved as a causal factor.

In some instances, a ketogentic diet is prescribed; but, if used, it should be under the guidance of someone who understands how to apply it: This diet is keyed to restricting protein and carbohydrate intake, increasing fat intake, and producing acid levels in the bloodstream which act to inhibit brain stimulation of seizures.

Avoid the herb, sage. This herb should not be used by anyone with a tendency to seizures.