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:

-wheat and other gluten-containing foods such as rye, barley, oats, buckwheat, and prepared foods containing these ingredients. Wheat allergy is usually viewed as causing coeliac disease, often linked with epilepsy, when the body is prevented from absorbing nutrients (malabsorption syndrome) by persistent diarrhoea, vomiting and poor appetite. It is thought to be due to an inability to digest wheat gluten, which contains an intestinal irritant, gliadin. Coeliac disease may put people at greater risk of seizures because nutrients such as iron and calcium are more easily lost, -milk and dairy products -sugar and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame eggs -peanuts -fruits such as citrus fruit and strawberries shellfish -food additives and preservatives

Social drinking Some people with epilepsy prefer not to drink at all, but many do enjoy going out with friends to the pub or having a glass of wine at dinner. This shouldn’t be a problem though you may want to double-check with your doctor if you can safely drink on your current anti-epileptic medication and if so, how much.

Research suggests that drinking more than two units of alcohol in less than 12-15 hours significantly increases the risk of seizures in people with epilepsy. (A unit of alcohol is a half-pint of beer or cider, a glass of wine or sherry, or one measure of spirits such as whisky or gin.)

Sometimes it is not so much the alcohol as how it is drunk - that is, if it forms part of late nights, missed meals, or forgotten tablets, all of which can make seizures more likely. Some people don’t take their drugs while drinking as a precaution against a seizure but it is more important to take your medication as usual and drink moderately. It can also be important to look after yourself after drinking, as many seizures take place after alcohol has been consumed due to alcohol withdrawal. So, it may be helpful to arrange for a lie-in after a particularly demanding social evening!

While it is much more socially acceptable not to drink these days, especially with drink-drive campaigns, it is possible to join in the fun without making it obvious you’re drinking less than others. Ploys include drinking alcohol-free wine or beer, taking half-pints instead of pints, or mixing beer or wine with soft drinks such as lemonade.

Moderate wine drinking may be better than beer or cider if you are taking carbamazepine, because people on this drug are less able to deal with large amounts of fluid, which may occasionally be dangerous as it can cause water intoxication.

Tags: Epilepsy

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