Epilepsy affects at least 48,000 New Zealanders. Unfortunately, 35% of these people cannot achieve seizure control with conventional medications. Despite the addition of over 15 new anti-epileptic drugs, overall seizure control in newly diagnosed epilepsy patients has not fundamentally changed over the years.
Surgery may help some of these people but, for most of them, the medications do not work, and surgery is not an option. We need a third option.
Ketogenic diets are proven, effective treatments in children and adults with intractable, medication-resistant epilepsy
The “classic” ketogenic diet was introduced 100 years ago and, since then, several different versions have emerged, all of which are beneficial in epilepsy. The key to successfully commencing a ketogenic diet lies in education and support, but currently there is no formal ketogenic diet education and support programme available at Waikato hospital for children or adults with uncontrolled epilepsy (for adults, there is no formal support programme anywhere in New Zealand). We want to change that.
The Epilepsy Waikato Charitable Trust proposes that we fund trained ketogenic dieticians at Waikato hospital for children and adults with intractable, medication-resistant epilepsy. Such funding would provide a vitally-needed third option for children and adults with epilepsy, for whom the medications do not work, and for whom surgery is not an option.
If you want to help us create such an option, we would be grateful if you signed our petition, and so would the thousands of New Zealanders with uncontrolled epilepsy.
View Petition