Epilepsy’s Big Fat Answer

Editor’s Note: Epilepsy and seizures affect nearly 3 million Americans of all ages. The incidence is greater in African-Americans and in socially disadvantaged populations, and about 200,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed each year. Despite these alarming figures, no magic pill exists to eliminate convulsions. While drugs work for some, others find them ineffective. What seems to work just as well, if not better, especially in children, is a relatively unknown, high-fat diet. The author, John M. Freeman, M.D., one of the nation’s leading advocates for its use, writes about the evolution of the diet and its struggle for acceptance.