Directory of health resources for healthcare professionals.

Drugs are the most widely used and, for most people, the most effective way of controlling seizures. But they are not the only way, and they do not help everybody. If no conventional drug treatment seems to have much effect on the frequency or severity of your seizures, it is worth trying a more unorthodox approach as well. However, this should not be your only form of treatment if you have frequent seizures. Even if anticonvulsant drugs work well for you, you may be able to improve your seizure control still more by using one of these complementary methods.
Anything that affects your own attitude of mind or makes you feel better or happier is likely to improve your seizure control. And so, although there is no real scientific evidence that, say, faith healing or acupuncture or hypnosis can influence seizures, if you feel you would like to try them they may very well work for you. Certainly they will have no harmful effects.
It is worth considering an alternative approach to seizure control if:
•   You have no warning (aura) that a seizure is starting and so cannot use many of the self-help measures;
•    Your seizures are poorly controlled by drugs alone.
If you are interested in trying any of the alternative approaches to seizure control discussed below, get in touch with the British Epilepsy Association (see Appendix) who will help you contact the appropriate centre.
*36\193\2*

In theory you inject a known amount of insulin into your leg, it is absorbed in a standard time and reduces the blood glucose by a predictable amount over a given time. Wrong. Your body is not a machine. Firstly, many people (including doctors and nurses) make errors in drawing up their insulin so that 36 units may actually be 34 units on Monday, 35 units on Tuesday, 37 units on Wednesday, 36 units on Thursday, and so on. Pre-mixing in the syringe may alter the characteristics of your insulins – if you mix, say, Monotard and Actrapid, and do not give it immediately, much of the Actrapid will be converted into Monotard before injection. Mixtures of isophane insulins and soluble insulins are stable (e.g. Velosulin and Insulatard). Then you have to inject the insulin into the subcutaneous tissue below the skin. Not into the skin – that hurts and makes a white bump. Not into the muscle – that hurts and your insulin is absorbed much faster than you expect. Occasionally a trickle of insulin may leak out of the injection hole. The blood supply to the injection site varies – more in hot weather or a warm bath, less in cold water or a cold shower, more when you are exercising – especially if you are using the muscles below your injection site.  The nicotine in a cigarette has variable effects upon your circulation.
Damian, a twenty-year-old history student, came home from a class, took his insulin and had a quick bath before his evening meal. He was found unconscious in the bath sometime later.  He had become hypoglycemic because the hot bath water warmed his injection site and the insulin was rapidly absorbed at a time when he was due for a meal. The insulin also has to break down ready for use. Soluble, regular, clear insulin does not need to do this, but other, cloudy insulins have been treated to slow down their absorption from the injection site. Their crystalline structure may be different or they may have zinc or protamine added. Studies have shown that the amount of isophane insulin left at the injection site 24 hours after a single injection varies from none to 50 per cent of the original dose. There is less variability in the absorption of clear, soluble insulins than of modified insulins. This observation partly explains why some people taking Monotard insulin need to inject it twice a day and others have nocturnal hypoglycemia following a once-daily pre-breakfast injection. Unfortunately, the absorption is not always consistent for one person and may vary from day to day.
Obviously insulin is not the only factor influencing the blood glucose – food, exercise, your weight, general fitness, hormone state, other medication, illness, stress and so on can also affect glucose concentrations.

*14/102/5*

This glossary describes of some of the key foods that can form part of a low G.I. diet.

Popcorn (G.I. of 55) • A surprisingly low G.I. for a processed product The type of starch or changes to its structure in the popping and cooling of the popcorn may be the cause of the lower G.I. Popcorn is a high fibre snack food.

Porridge • Published G.I. factors range from a low 42 up to 66 for ‘one minute oats’. The additional catting of rolled oats to produce quick cooking oats probably increases the rate of digestion causing a higher G.I.

Pumpernickel bread (G.I. of 41) • Also known as rye kernel bread because the dough it is made from contains 80 to 90 per cent whole rye kernels. It has a strong flavour and is usually sold thinly sliced. Because it is not made with fine flour, its G.I. is much lower than ordinary bread. Available in supermarkets and delicatessens.

Quick-cooking wheat (G.I. of 54) • Whole wheat grains which have been physically treated to allow short cooking times, it Is most often used as a substitute for rice. The whole grain structure also acts as a barrier and so reduces its digestibility and hence lowers the G.I.

Rice bran (G.I. of 19) • Rich in fibre (25 per cent by weight) and oil (20 per cent by weight), rice bran has an extremely low G.I. It is available in the cereal section of supermarkets as Sunfarm Rice Bran from Sunrice Australia.

Spaghetti (G.I. of 41) • While both fresh and dried pastas have a low G.I. this is not the case for canned spaghetti. Canned spaghetti is generally made from flour rather than high protein semolina and is very well cooked—two factors which are likely to give it a high G.I.

Sultanas (G.I. of 56) • Sultanas are less acidic than grapes and this may account for their slightly higher G.I. since increased acidity is associated with lower G.I. factors.

Sweet corn (G.I. of 55) • Raw, fresh, frozen or canned varieties would be suitable to use. Corn on the cob has a lower G.I. than com chips or cornflakes. The intact whole kernel makes enzymic attack more difficult.

Sweet potato (G.I. of 54) • Belonging to a different plant family to regular potato, sweet potatoes are mainly available either white or yellow/orange in colour. The ‘sweetness’ comes from a high sucrose content. Sweet potato is high in fibre. It has a lower G.I. than regular potato varieties.

Vinegar (G.I. = 0) • All types of vinegars, even in small amounts (1 tablespoon) contain adds which put a break on stomach emptying and slow down digestion in the small intestine. The most effective appear to be red and white wine vinegars.

Yoghurt (G.I. of 33) • A concentrated milk product, soured by the use of specific bacteria. All varieties have a low G.I. including those containing sugar. Artificially sweetened brands have both a lower G.I. factor and contain fewer kilojoules.

*157\33\4*