Finally, Mayo Clinic Pediatric Neurologist Elaine Wirrell, an epilepsy specialist, proposed trading all of Max's meds for a radical change in diet. The Ketogenic Diet is very low in carbohydrates and super high in fats. Max's initial diet meal plan contained 80 percent fat.
"I just remember having tears and thinking how can I be giving my child so much fat," said Max's mother, Kristine Irvine. "The majority of his meal was bacon and butter, or oil and maybe one strawberry. It was very hard to adjust to that."
... Dr. Wirrell said the strict diet is worth a try for nearly any child who does not respond to medication. "Over half of them have a meaningful reduction of seizures and nearly a third of them become seizure free on the diet," she said.
... An obvious question the Irvines had was whether the cholesterol would create a new problem for Max's health. ... "We monitor the children very carefully," Wirrell said. "We monitor their blood for cholesterol problems. And in truth very few children actually end up with cholesterol or lipid problems on the diet."
- Excerpted from WCCO's High-Fat Diet Ends Epileptic Seizures For Boy
Somehow I doubt that I'd get the same advice from my doctor, although the note towards the end suggests that such a high fat content might not be the end of the world. Lots of bacon and butter I could live with... the flavored canola oil as a drink sounds rather disgusting though.
