Selinium, Seizures, Seborrhea

[RobinN]

Something caught my eye today on a Yahoo group that I read, and there was the connection between seborrhea (cradle cap) and selenium. Since my daughter has had this issue since she was quite small and it has reoccurred lately, I thought I would follow this link.

Similar to our discussion at:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/dandruff-shampoo-fights-epilepsy-913/

But there is a connection between selenium deficiency and seizures. I find that interesting because it is also what is used to treat seborrhea, and is in many of the dandruff shampoos.

Oxidative stress and generation of reactive oxygen species are strongly implicated in a number of neuronal and neuromuscular disorders, including epilepsy. The functions of selenium as an antioxidant trace element are believed to be carried out by selenoproteins that possess antioxidant activities and the ability to promote neuronal cell survival. Because of this protective role of selenium against oxidative damage, a case-control study was designed to compare its serum level between intractable epileptic patients and normal subjects. Eighty patients who met the criteria of intractable epilepsy were compared with a normal control group of the same age, socioeconomic level, and place of living. Serum selenium level was measured with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The mean (+/- S.D.) of serum selenium were 68.88 (+/-17.58 ) ng/mL and 85.93 (+/-13.93) ng/mL in the patient and control groups respectively. Independent sample t test with P < 0.05 indicated a significant lower mean of serum selenium in the patient group compared with that of the normal control group. However, there was no association between serum selenium and some suggested predictive factors of intractable seizures, including age at the onset of seizures, neonatal seizure, neurologic impairment, and etiology of epilepsy. Measurement of serum selenium in patients with intractable epilepsy should be considered.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17162193

Less commonly, seizures are the result of a metabolic disease, an inherited disorder that results in an inability to properly utilize a particular nutrient in the body, such as a vitamin or an amino acid. “Seizures associated with metabolic disorders usually begin soon after birth and rarely start after age six,” says Robert J. Gumnit, M.D., president of the Minnesota Comprehensive Epilepsy Program and director of the Epilepsy Clinical Research Center at the University of Minnesota, both in Minneapolis.

In about half of these cases, the metabolic disorder can be figured out. “A specialist, a pediatric neurologist, may consider 20 to 80 different metabolic disorders that are most commonly associated with seizures,” Dr. Gumnit says. Sometimes seizures can be controlled by a diet that restricts certain foods. Children with a condition called phenylketonuria, for instance, need to avoid the amino acid phenylalanine, found in large amounts in aspartame (a sugar substitute).

Adding more of a nutrient may help others. Children who develop seizures because their bodies have a hard time using vitamin B6, for instance, may take 25 to 50 milligrams of B6 each day, an amount large enough to overcome metabolic roadblocks.

If you think your child has seizures because of a metabolic disorder, see a specialist for a diagnosis, Dr. Gumnit urges. Don’t try to treat a metabolic disorder on your own.

Seizures can also be caused by nutritional deficiency. “Most doctors, however, think that nutritional deficiency is only rarely the cause of repeated seizures,” Dr. Gumnit says. Shortages of magnesium, thiamin, vitamin B6 and zinc have been reported to be associated with seizures in some individuals. These nutrients, among numerous others, are needed for normal chemical reactions in the brain.

Nutritional support for people with seizure disorders, then, involves correcting metabolic problems and nutritional deficiencies. In some cases, it may also involve taking larger amounts of certain nutrients to help protect against drug-related damage and, in theory at least, against damage caused by the seizures themselves.

“There’s absolutely no reason that optimum nutritional support can’t be combined with traditional treatment,” Dr. Neubrander says.

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/10/57.cfm

The mineral selenium, another nutrient with antioxidant properties, also appears to help control seizures in some children, says Georg Weber, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and a researcher at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Dr. Weber has found that some children with severe, uncontrollable seizures and repeated infections have low blood levels of glutathione peroxidase, a selenium-dependent antioxidant enzyme.

“We’ve found that giving these children 50 to 150 micrograms of selenium a day significantly reduces their seizures,” Dr. Weber says. “We believe that these children have a metabolic problem that prevents them from using selenium properly and that the problem may be far more frequent than has been believed.”

Talk to your doctor if you’re thinking about taking selenium supplements yourself and especially if you’re considering giving them to your child with epilepsy, Dr. Weber says. Although he has found amounts up to 150 micrograms a day to be safe for children with severe deficiency, children’s needs can vary greatly depending on the amount of deficiency they have, and giving too much selenium could be detrimental to their health.

For adults with epilepsy, experts who use nutritional therapy recommend 50 to 200 micrograms of selenium daily to control seizures. But be sure not to take more than 100 micrograms daily without medical supervision. You can get more selenium from foods if you eat lots of garlic, onions, whole grains, mushrooms, broccoli, cabbage and fish.

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/10/57.cfm

Treating dandruff, seborrhea, or tinea versicolor (a fungal infection). It may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor.

Selenium/Urea/Zinc Pyrithione is an antiseborrheic, antifungal medicine. It decreases skin cell growth associated with flaking and itching. It also kills sensitive fungi.

http://www.drugs.com/cdi/selenium-urea-zinc-pyrithione.html

Curious as to whether this could possibly be a difficult cycle for some.

 

[speber]

I found this out in the strangest way Robin...

...by watching 'Evolution'...a really goofy movie with David Duchovny and some other chumps in it!
They managed to work in the fact Selenium was in dandruff shampoo and used a firetruck to spray 1000's of gallons of it on an alien!

A million uses that stuff...

:rock:
Spencer

 

[RobinN]

Don't you find it interesting though? Here they have found that deficiency in selenium can cause seizures. Many have excessive tingling and burning of the scape, and dandruff shampoos tend to help that. My daugter has a crazy crusty surface at times to her scalp and for a while behind her ears, and selenium is suppose to help this.

Now going to check to see if she is taking this in any of her supplements. We may start washing her hair twice a day. I have increased garlic in her diet, and she loves broccoli and whole grains, but the others are not tasty enough to her.

 

[brain]

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor AKA BDNF

You might find this EXCEPTIONALLY
INTERESTING ...

Have you ever heard of BDNF?

I am wondering if your daughter suffers
from it ...


Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

High BDNF levels

High levels of BDNF and Substance P have been found associated with increased itching in eczema[1].

Epilepsy

Epilepsy has also been linked with polymorphisms in BDNF. Given BDNF's vital role in the development of the landscape of the brain, there is quite a lot of room for influence on the development of neuropathologies from BDNF.

Levels of both BDNF mRNA and BDNF protein are known to be up-regulated in epilepsy (Gall C, et.al. 1991). BDNF modulates excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission by inhibiting GABAA-receptor mediated post-synaptic currents. This provides a potential reason for the observed up-regulation.

 

[RobinN]

Interesting, I will look at this more clearly when I am not so tired.

 

[T's Dad]

Very interesting thread, Robin. Our little one has seborrhea as well. She did have substantial metabolic tests, but nothing came back as unusual. So I'll have to check and see if they specifically tested for selenium. Thanks.

T's Dad

 

[RobinN]

We have never had metabolic tests done. I would be interested, but then again Rebecca is taking quite a few supplements at the moment. I picked up some selenium last night and picked up some shampoo with zinc in it.

 

[RobinN]

I began giving Rebecca a supplement of selenium this past month. We have seen a remarkable decrease in seizure activity. By more than 50%. Is it related... who really knows for sure, but for now I will be continuing.

Selenium

Since selenium and vitamin E function synergistically, both must be taken to correct a deficiency in either. Because studies have shown that people with epilepsy have low levels of selenium, supplementation with selenium and vitamin E results in fewer seizures. Selenium is an excellent antioxidant. p.122

Vitamin E

In an experimental study, discussed in "Is There a Role for Vitamin E Therapy in Epilepsy?" by A. Ogunmekan, eighteen children between the ages of five and twelve who had at least six tonic-clonic seizures per month were given 400 mg of vitamin E a day in addition to their medication. After two months, sixteen had improved seizure control, with a 50-75% reduction in seizures. p 117

In a double-blind trial, twenty-four children with epilepsy received vitamin E or a placebo. There was a significant reduction in the number of seizures in ten out of the twelve patients given vitamin E, compared to none of the twelve given a placebo. This study suggests that adjunctive treatment with vitamin E can be of value for people with difficult-to-treat epilepsy. The exact mechanism is unknown, but vitamin E is nontoxic and should perhaps be considered for those whose epilepsy cannot be controlled by conventional treatment. Such therapy might also allow reduction in doses of anti-convulsant medications. In general, begin dosage at 300 IU; increase up to 2,000 IU under nutritional supervision. p 118

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Treating-Epilepsy-Naturally-Alternative-Therapies/dp/0658013793/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206813902&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Treating Epilepsy Naturally : A Guide to Alternative and Adjunct Therapies (9780658013799): Patricia Murphy: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51d%2B0bAmoQL.@@AMEPARAM@@51d%2B0bAmoQL[/ame]