London, UK (PRWEB UK) 15 September 2013
The Epilepsy Foundation of America has awarded a Swedish company a $25,000 (15,962) grant to continue developing a bicycle helmet that could potentially offer protection to people with epilepsy, it was announced August 29th. Worn as a collar around the neck, the Hovding-Airbag for Cyclists contains a folded airbag which is shaped like a hood when inflated and is automatically deployed in the case of a collision, protecting the wearers head. Currently, design allows for single use during cycling but the new grant has been awarded to help Hovding adapt the technology to the needs of people with epilepsy, turning it into a reusable airbag for recurrent seizures. (http://www.epilepsyresearch.org.uk/airbag-helmet-wins-epilepsy-foundation-grant/)
Yourwellness Magazine was inspired to look at other potential new ways to help people with epilepsy, and turned to a recent study which found that using components of the ketogenic diet in a pill can be an effective treatment for the condition with fewer side effects. The study, Seizure control by ketogenic diet-associated medium chain fatty acids was published in the June 2013 edition of the journal Neuropharmacology, and identified the specific fatty acids in a ketogenic diet that contain the potent antiepileptic effects. Yourwellness Magazine noted the views of study researcher Professor Robin Williams from the Centre of Biomedical Sciences at Royal Holloway, This is an important breakthrough. The family of medium chain fatty acids that we have identified provide an exciting new field of research with the potential of identifying, stronger, and safer epilepsy treatments. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028390812005382)
Yourwellness Magazine commented that this study could mean a huge breakthrough in ensuring the wellbeing of epileptic children and adults, as the high fat, low carbohydrate ketogenic diet is thought to mimic aspects of starvation, by forcing the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Yourwellness Magazine also explained that as the pill can also control seizures without any of the negative side effects of the diet, it can save epileptic patients from constipation, hypoglycaemia, retarded growth and bone fractures. (http://www.yourwellness.com/2013/01/epileptic-diet-could-be-replaced-with-better-pill/#sthash.FcVCb2q2.dpuf)
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Yourwellness Magazine Investigates Future Help for Epilepsy Sufferers