A new study that was published in the December 3, 2012 issue of the journal Epilepsy Research is suggesting that epileptic kids who are resistant to drugs and on the ketogenic diet may find that there are some benefits to fasting.

According to the study, which was conducted at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, fasting may work when in conjunction with the diet to lessen the number of seizures the patient has. However, it seems to do this through different means — at least according to the long-held belief that the diet and fasting share a common mechanism.

“Our findings suggest that fasting does not merely intensify the therapeutic effects of the ketogenic diet but may actually represent an entirely new way to change the metabolism of children with epilepsy,” says lead investigator Adam Hartman, M.D., a pediatric neurologist at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Researchers analyzed data collected from six kids aged 2 to 7 who were on the ketogenic diet. During the study, those kids were asked to fast on certain days. What they found was that all of the kids had seizure disorder that the diet couldn’t correct by itself. Four of those kids had between 50 and 99 percent fewer seizures after fasting was used in addition to the diet. While more studies will have to be conducted in order to confirm these findings, this does provide enough benefits to give doctors a chance to lower children’s use of potentially harmful seizure drugs like Topamax.

Epilepsy is often treated with dangerous anti-seizure drugs like Topamax, which is linked to babies being born with birth defects, including PPHN, oral clefts, spina bifida and neural tube defects, when the mothers take the pills while pregnant.

If your baby has suffered from birth defects after being exposed to Topamax in-utero, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your child’s injury.