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Letters to the Editor: Epilepsy and Hypoglycemia
Published in American Journal of Natural Medicine, Vol. 2, No. 10, December 1995.
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Dear Editor:
Ex-United States President Harry S. Truman, when asked, “What’s new?” replied, “Anything you haven’t heard before.”
In this connection, in 1963 we reported the relationship of carbohydrate metabolism and (grand mal) epilepsy in eleven age- and sex-paired epileptic and nonepileptic patients, using the then-popular Cortisone Glucose Tolerance Test.1 It was abundantly clear that the epileptic patients had notable lower blood sugar levels at all temporal points except the 30-minute determinations. During these many years, we have continued to observe this pattern with other measures of carbohydrate metabolism.
Additionally, the Physicians’s Desk Reference (PDR) notes that one of the effects of Dilantin Phenytoin Sodium, aside from its anticonvulsant action, is its hyperglycemic effect.2
I hope that this letter will encourage further investigation of this longstanding and not-too-well known relationship.
References Cited:
- Cheraskin, E. and Ringsdorf, W.M., Jr. “Epilepsy and the Consent Glucose Tolerance Test.” Lancet 83: 248-250,1963.
- Physicians’s Desk Reference. Oradell, Medical Economics Company, Inc. 1994.
Editor’s note: Dr. Cheraskin’s contributions to nutritional medicine are well known and appreciated. A true legend in the field, we feel honored to have received a letter from Dr. Cheraskin. If you would like to send us a letter or article for publication, please do so.