Some people with a low seizure threshold have found that paying attention to particular foods and environmental factors can make a difference to their seizures - sometimes a dramatic one.

Allergy is a debated issue - some doctors say it is much less common than most people believe; others say it is a sign of a poor diet which is deficient in nutrients; yet others believe allergy is a natural reaction to an increasingly toxic environment. How do you tell if you are allergic to food? Apart from obvious reactions like a seizure or feeling dreadful, allergy may be more likely if you tend to suffer from other allergy-related conditions such as asthma, eczema and hayfever.

Common food allergens include:

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Because anti-epileptic drugs affect the way calcium is metabolized by the body, women with epilepsy are advised to think about their long-term bone health from the word go. Women in general, who have a one-in-three chance of developing osteoporosis (thinning bones) in later life, are advised not to wait until their fifties but to start taking action in their thirties when the skeleton is still forming. For the woman with epilepsy, though, this could be a concern which starts with drug treatment. Osteoporosis in the UK affects 3 million and causes more than 200,000 fractures a year, around 40 of which a day prove fatal. If you’re concerned, you could contact the National Osteoporosis Society for further advice; and a bone density scan is available on the NHS to all at high risk of osteoporosis.

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Drugs may work well for many people with epilepsy, which allows them to lead full and normal life. Other drugs less easy to find, either because of side effects, or simply because it does not work. Although many drugs have a time to be effective, the truth is that up to 20-30 percent of people with epilepsy do not respond well to drug therapy. If the drugs are proving ineffective, your doctor may try a higher dose, or another drug or a combination of both drugs.

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