Natural Remedies for Epilepsy: Epsom Salt and Other Treatments

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Epsom Salt
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 09/12/2024
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THE EFFECTIVE USE OF SMALL NON-DEHYDRATING DOSES OF EPSOM SALT IN EPILEPSY: A STUDY OF ONE HUNDRED AND NINE (109) CASES*

BY ALEXANDER WOLF, NEW YORK 1936

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1039000/?page=1

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

1. The normal range of magnesium is 2*9 to 4 0 mgm. per 100 c.cm. Of whole blood with an average value of 3861 mgm.

2. In 100 epileptics the blood magnesium ranged from 2-67 to 4-80 mgm., with an average value of 3-47 mgm.

3. Thirty-three (58 per cent.) out of 57 cooperative epileptics were helped by small, daily, non-dehydrating doses of Epsom salt.

4. In a control group of 35 patients taking mineral oil and 15 unco-operative patients taking Epsom salt irregularly, only six patients (12 percent.) showed slight improvement.

5. There was no correlation between degree of improvement and quantity of Epsom salt administered, blood magnesium level, colour or age, except in the psychoses with cerebral arteriosclerosis, in which ages, necessarily advanced, ranged from 60 to 73.

6. In 33 improved cases, six diagnostic groups showed the following percentage improvement:-

Psychosis with cerebral arteriosclerosis .. 76-6 per cent.

Dementia praecox ..... ………………… 720

General paresis ...... …………………...60'0

Epilepsy without psychosis ... …………. 590

Epilepsy with mental deficiency ... ……..490

Psychosis with epilepsy .... …………… 33-8

7. Kidney disease was not present in the patients who responded to treatment; and hypermagnessemia was never sufficient to produce drowsiness or coma.

8. Three patients showed lower than average blood magnesium during convulsions, but reacted poorly to magnesium therapy.

9. Magnesium in small daily dosage is effective in some epileptics neither by filling an elemental deficiency nor by dehydration.


Epsom Salt
Posted by Katherine (Albion, NY) on 01/25/2022
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Hello! I have taken Tegretol for about 30 years now and it works pretty well, I guess. I tend to have break through seizures under specific conditions though such as delaying to take my meds, stress, ice cream, monthly cycle changes, lack of sleep and especially if fasting is combined with any of these. I started taking 1/2 tsp Epsom salt with orange juice daily about 2-3 weeks ago in addition to a daily B6 supplement. I also decided to eliminate aspartame from my diet and recently began switching from coffee to black tea. (Just to paint a full picture). I just had a very stressful weekend during a hormonally triggering time of the month, forgot my meds one morning and no breakthrough seizures whatsoever. I haven't experienced interferences with Tegretol personally but we're all different. Maybe try looking at other triggers too: preservatives, alcohol, too much caffeine, irregular or unhealthy eating habits, insufficient or low quality sleep etc.


Epsom Salt
Posted by Violet King (Spain) on 08/03/2017
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Editor's Choice

Take half a teaspoonful of Epsom Salts.....food quality.... in a small drink of orange juice every morning, and see the results!! Fantastic when even the grand mal fits cease....and its all natural too......Try it!


Epsom Salt
Posted by Pam (New York) on 10/16/2016
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Epsom Salt is also is helping my 28 year old son. Seizure free since first dose over three months ago. Grateful.


Epsom Salt
Posted by Talassis (London) on 09/24/2016
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Editor's Choice

Someone in my family developed grand mal seizures just over a year ago at the age of 52. He had 4 big seizures within a 6 month period, lost part of his memory & he refused to take any form of meds. I read here on EC about Epsom salt and I immediately bought food grade Epsom salt. He takes half teaspoon in the morning & same in the evening with pure orange juice. We also had to cut out on food additives & went on natural food.

It's now 8 months of seizure free & we thank God & EC for this forum. It will take a while for the body to rid the toxins so don't give up. Epsom salt is natural and has no side effects.

I hope this post will help someone & save lives.


Epsom Salt
Posted by Louis (Montreal, Canada) on 12/01/2014
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For Epilepsy you can take a bath once a week in epsom salt and no more epilepsy or seizure since for me.


Epsom Salt
Posted by Janice (Eupora,ms) on 12/30/2013
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My son 23 and has been having seizures since he was 1year old. He ran out of one of his meds and could not get it until today. He started having seizures back to back all night and I found this article and decided to try the Epsom salt and I am happy to say after giving him the Epsom salt mixed with orange juice he has not had one seizure since 8:00 this morning. Thank you!


Epsom Salt
Posted by Jtdds (Rochester, Ny) on 11/26/2011
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Editor's Choice

I think I'm on to something regarding magnesium for seizure control. Before you spend a fortune like I did on Liquid magnesium, transdermal magnesium and Magnesium oxide supplements, try this...

Buy a small quantity of Epsom Salt from the drugstore. In a coffee mug, crush it into a very, very fine powder. Stir 1/2 to one teaspoon of the powder into a small sip of orange juice, open your mouth wide and swallow, being careful not to leave any magnesium granules at the bottom of the glass. My seizures are cured. DO NOT STOP TAKING YOUR SEIZURE MEDICATION UNTIL YOU HAVE DONE THIS SUCCESSFULLY FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR AND EVEN THEN TAPER OFF OF IT SLOWLY WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN'S ADVICE!


Epsom Salt
Posted by Ahmed (Niles, Il) on 03/05/2011
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I have 9 years old son suffering from nocturnal seizures since 3 months old. His seizures started after taking his first vaccination shot. We tried many medication for 3 years and nothing really worked. Then we started giving him herbal (ayurvedic) medicine which helped to control but did not completely stopped them. His EEG results showed improvement but at least we were happy as their were no side affects. We gave him for 3 years then stopped as it did not stopped completely.

After one year without any medication I found this link and read everyone comments. I have started epsom salt in orange juice. Last night when he got up from the deep sleep he was just staring at us but did not had any seizure or convulsion. I was really happy with this first step. I am going to continue this formula and hope and pray to God it helps him out. And I hope it helps to improve his speech. I pray for all of those who are going through pain. I am just worried how long should we use this epsom salt and are their any side affects on long term usage.


Epsom Salt
Posted by Jualsy (Torrevieja, Alicante. Spain) on 08/28/2010
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Editor's Choice

Epilepsy has been around for a long time and it has interfered with the quality of life for a lot of people. The medication that is recommended may stop the fits, but the side effects can be dismal, and the epilepsy continues and the medication recommended has to be increased. After doing research on the subject, because I had a good friend who was on the strongest medication and was STILL having grand mal fits every day, I was impressed enough to ask her to trust me to try something. The solution is to take magnesium in the form of Epsom Salts. Half a teaspoon in orange juice every morning. From the first dose her fits stopped. She ceased taking the medication and her quality of life was restored, after suffering for over 12 years. I advertised in the paper for more people with the complaint and visited them at home and recommended the Epsom Salts. In EVERY case it worked. My chemist refused to sell Epsom Salts to me any more as he said I didn't know better than the doctors, but there were many more places to buy it!! I contacted the Epilepsy Sopciety and offered to give a talk at their meetings..... But they didn't want to know!! I can recommend it with confidence........ Half a teaspoon of Epsom Salts in some orange juice...Try it!!


Epsom Salt
Posted by Jualsy (Torrevieja, Alicante, Spain ) on 08/28/2010
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It doesn't matter when you take it. The results will build up and you will see the difference almost immediately.


Epsom Salt
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 04/07/2009 490 posts
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Hello,

Sorry your 13 year old has seizure problems. If she is a normal sized l3 year old dosages would be the same as for adults, and since the recommended laxative dosage for epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) is 1 to 2 tsps I would try giving her 1/2 tsp. morning & bedtime. Another form of magnesium is magnesium oxide which you can buy tablets of it combined with vitamin B6 (Beelith tablets) and give her l morning & bedtime.

Since magnesium probably works to combat seizures by competing with monosodium glutamate (MSG) for sites in the brain, I suggest you google "excitotoxins" to find a list of names they hide MSG under in the ingredients lists of foods. Another excitotoxin you need to eliminate is aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal). When reading those ingredients lists, be especially alert for any "hydrolyzed plant (corn, soy, pea, etc) protein as it contains both MSG and aspartame.


Epsom Salt
Posted by Catherine (Wellington, New Zealand) on 10/25/2008
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My journey into nutrition started in the 70's with Adelle Davis' books. She recommended magnesium (epsom salts) for Epilepsy. I have told this to various people over the years and offered them the books to read, amazingly they didn't want to do the research, preferring the allopathic methods of treatment. Ms Davis was also a strong proponent of folic acid to prevent spina biffida! This has only recently been taken seriously..but her evidence could have saved much untold misery for unfortunate families during these intervening years.

In one of her books Ms Davis referred to another nutritionist from the 40's who opined that unless magnesium levels in the diet were improved, within a generation we would't be able to tell from the backview the difference between boys and girls!!! Well girls used to have waists (18" to 22") and boys always had physiques, maybe lack of magnesium affects the hormones somehow.


Epsom Salt
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 11/16/2007 490 posts
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Look in any pharmacology book and it will tell you that magnesium (Epsom salts is one form of it) is the second most plentiful cation of the intracellular fluids and is essential for the activity of many enzymes and plays an important role in neurochemical transmission and muscular excitability. Deficits cause a variety of structural and functional disturbances. Epsom salts is given IV to prevent seizures in pre- eclamptic/eclamptic women to prevent seizures. Mg is a co- factor of all enzymes involved in phosphate transer reaction. Mg deficiency causes increased irritability, disorientation, convulsions (seiures) and psychotic behavior.It also had a direct effect on the neuromuscular and cardiovascular system. Hypomagnesium (deficit) occurs with vomiting, diarrhea, diuretic meds, and alcoholism (also our fast, junk food diets. You have lucked up and discovered what I often tell people" IF YOU CAN CURE THE PROBLEM WITH A VITAMIN OR MINERALS, THE PROBLEM IS NOT DISEASE, IT IS A DIETARY DEFICIENCY. Neurosurgeon Russell L. Blaylock, tells that excitotoxins also cause seiures, so I urge all readers to type in excitotoxins and hit go: copy the names they hide the excitotoxins under, then head for your kitchens and read ingredients on all foods there (including your raw, must be cooked chicken and beef), your canned foods, salad dressing, and sauces. You will learn that your food chain is as monosodiumglutamate laden as any stir-fried Asian meal. You just might find what is causing your seizures in the food you eat. If yours are caused by excitotoxins, we might ask Ted if magnesium is an antidote for MSG. If it is, then perhaps we should start giving alzheimers, Parkinson diseae patients Epsom salts 7 watch for improvement. The lovely part of taking epsom salts instead of anti-convulsants and anti-hypertensives is that it will quickly tell you when to quit by the diarrhea which is an early side effect. The medical field is not going to tell you to take epsom salts for seizures, even though it gives it for the same, because they can't patent, nor do you need to keep coming back to them for presciptions. But in defense of the individual doctors (a few of which would like to tell you about it), if they did and the AMA (the strongest union in the country) would jump on their case in a hurry and find some way to re-voke their license to practice medicine. Let's all say "THANK YOU, GOD" for the Ted's in this world.



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