Epilepsy is a condition in which seizures occur on a repeated basis. Seizures occur in the brain when too many nerve cells “fire” too quickly creating what has been referred to as an “electrical storm”. There are over 40 different types of seizures. Symptoms can either include convulsions, such as in tonic-clonic (a.k.a. grand mal) seizures, or no convulsions, such as in absence (a.k.a. petit mal) seizures. Other symptoms of seizures include: confusion, fainting, blackouts, blank staring, sudden and unexplained falls, episodes of blinking and chewing at inappropriate times.
The highest incidence rates of epilepsy have been reported in both the very young, particularly in the first few years of life, and the very old402. Currently the worldwide annual incidence rate of epilepsy is 68 per 100,000 people and in the U.S.A. the annual incidence rate is 35.5-38.6 per 100,000 people(403). The Epilepsy Foundation estimates there are 326,000 children in the U.S.A. who have been diagnosed with epilepsy making it the 4th most prevalent neurological disease. Epilepsy not only lowers the quality of life of those who suffer its symptoms but also has a negative impact on their longevity. Two recent studies in Nova Scotia and the Netherlands have found that children with epilepsy are 5 to 9 times more likely to die than healthy children(404,405).
It is well known that aluminum causes seizures in monkeys. In 1954 it was reported that three months after aluminum hydroxide is injected in the brains of rhesus (macaca mulatta) monkeys, chronic epileptic seizures are observed in the monkeys that by EEG correlate with those in humans(406). In 1978 chronic temporal lobe seizures were induced in 11 monkeys with bilateral implantation of aluminum hydroxide in their hippocampi (407). The hippocampus is a known hotspot for aluminum accumulation in humans(266). In 1982 chronic absence seizures (a.k.a. petit mal epilepsy) were induced in juvenile rhesus monkeys with bilateral implantation of aluminum hydroxide in their thalami408. Aluminum induced chronic epileptic seizures in monkeys have been shown to spontaneously continue for at least 7 years(409).
It is also well known that aluminum causes seizures in humans. Aluminum encephalopathy is a neurological condition due to aluminum accumulation in the brain usually occurring in humans undergoing regular dialysis treatment(410). Epileptic seizures are observed in 57% of those diagnosed with aluminum encephalopathy(411). Dialysis-associated seizures were seen in 7.2% of 180 children and adolescents on regular dialysis treatment410. Seizures have also been observed after 6 months of occupational exposure to aluminum and 36 to 42 days after the use of aluminum containing bone cement during brain surgery(413,414). Serum aluminum concentration is normally less than 1mcg/L but in the cases of exposure to aluminum containing bone cement it was 4.4 to 4.3mcg/L(413,414). High serum aluminum levels are a predisposing condition for epileptic seizures(476). A person who drank water containing high levels of aluminum sulfate developed late-onset epilepsy and died of asphyxiation associated with an epileptic fit. Autopsy and analysis of their hippocampus revealed very high levels of aluminum (4.35 mcg/g dry weight)477.
It has been reported that regular treatment with an aluminum chelator (e.g. DFO a.k.a. desferoxamine) concomitantly lowered serum aluminum levels and abolished epileptic seizures478. Does supplemental OSA stop seizures by removing accumulated aluminum from the body? This question has been answered recently by a group of parents of children with seizures who had their children drink OSA rich silica water.
The following anecdotal data from Facebook ( a group where my wife is a moderator) strongly suggests that routine OSA supplementation can in some cases stop seizures in children:
1. “We started drinking Fiji water in January. It is now July and my child has been myoclonic jerk free since February. Honestly didn’t think Fiji water was a factor so we stopped Fiji for two weeks just to see. Some jerks returned so we started it back up and so far none. We are sticking with Fiji”. July 2018
2. “I have a similar story to yours. My 5 year old is still seizure free after starting on Fiji water. The last seizure was in November. I am not going to lie – sometimes I think it is not really the Fiji water? But seriously there is no other explanation!” July 2018
3. “We have been free from seizures for 11 months all from Fiji water.” Sept. 2018
4. “We have been seizure free since March. Been using only Fiji since for all water intake.” September 2018
5. “My son was on Fiji water for three weeks before we didn’t see any more seizures. When we make ice tea or fresh lemonade, we only use Fiji water. Also, I dilute his juices with Fiji water. There have been times where he’s gone 1-2 days without drinking Fiji water. He’s been seizure free for one year now. I haven’t even mentioned it to the doctor that it was after drinking Fiji water. I just don’t want to hear how it is impossible that water can do such thing.” September 2018
6. “My son is one month seizure free and 2 months since last seizure clusters. He has been on Fiji water for 2 months. I can’t express how grateful I am for the Fiji water. It’s amazing. My son has been having seizures for almost 10 years. For last 8 years, he had been having 10-20 seizures a month.” September 2018
7. “We are going on 5 months of using Fiji water and have seen changes in frequency of my son’s seizures from weekly to every 5 weeks. We are quite happy with the results as this has worked better than the different medicines we have tried.” August 2018
8. “My daughter is 6 months seizure free today! She has never reached the six month mark before, so it’s a pretty big deal. She has had no med changes but we switched her to Fiji water exclusively. Maybe it’s coincidence, but maybe not!” – Oct. 2018
9. “My son has Dravet syndrome. We made a 100% switch to Fiji water. Things may have picked up a bit at first (not really sure since he was having so many every day). He went seizure free on day 9 and was for 30 days. After that the daily drops came back but not as frequent or as strong. Before Fiji he was falling on his face over 25 times every day. Since starting Fiji he hasn’t hit the ground since. He went over a year on Fiji and never hit the ground.” – Jan. 2019
10. “My granddaughter has stubborn infantile spasms as well and was also on ketosis when her mom put her on Fiji. The Fiji helped her go from hundreds a day to just a few. It was incredible!” – Dec. 2019
11. “We just got back from a trip to Mexico with our family. My son has epilepsy that is mostly resistant to meds. My son had a seizure the night before we left to Mexico. The resort we stayed at had strictly Fiji water! So we all were only drinking it. As I think back to the 12 day trip, he was swimming all day and definitely some later nights (seizure triggers being tired) but he did not have a seizure the whole time! Now was it a coincidence or was it the water!? I definitely won’t be stopping the Fiji water anytime soon!” – Jan. 2020
12. “My daughter has autism and epilepsy and since starting her on Fiji water I have seen a big improvement with her. Not one seizure even when she had the flu just before Christmas, she has started talking, giving eye contact. I honesty can’t believe the difference with her. I just switched my daughter to Fiji (she’s always drank bottled water anyway). She has just under a liter a day and has been on it for 4 months.” – Jan. 2020The results of an informal survey of 55 parents giving silica water to their children for controlling seizures revealed the following: 26 found at least 75% reduction, 12 found 25%-74% reduction, 3 found less than 25% reduction, and 14 found no reduction in seizures. Increased speech was observed by 43 of 55 parents after giving their children silica water.
Since OSA in Fiji water is known to only remove aluminum from the body, including the brain, these results give confirmation to the theory that in some cases accumulated aluminum in the body is a causal factor of seizures.
I do recommend starting OSA rich water slowly (i.e. one cup a day for adults and one-half cup for children) and then increasing to 3 to 4 cups a day, if there are no adverse side-effects (see Chapter 7 for side-effects). Both Fiji water and Silicade contain 124ppm of OSA and most children and adults do not have side-effects when drinking these silica waters.
Children get the largest amount of aluminum in their bodies from aluminum containing vaccines1. For instance the DTaP vaccine, for diphtherias, tetanus, and acellular pertussis, contains the highest amount of aluminum (e.g. 375mcg) as aluminum hydroxide per dose of any vaccine given to children. Note that aluminum hydroxide causes seizures in monkeys(406-409). DTaP vaccine is given four times at 2, 4, 6, and 72 months of age in the U.S.A. The warning given to parents regarding this vaccine is: “Talk with your doctor if your child has a seizure or collapsed after a dose of DTaP”(415). Dravet syndrome is a refractory epileptic syndrome that is linked to inflammation following vaccination with vaccines containing aluminum adjuvants(479).
In order to prevent seizures after being given an aluminum containing vaccine it is recommended that you give your child OSA rich water for at least two months after a vaccination with an aluminum containing vaccine. The only caveat is there has been no study of vaccine efficacy as a function of OSA concentration in drinking water.
Excipients are all ingredients used in a vaccine except the weakened or killed disease virus or bacteria that act as the antigen. The CDC maintains an online appendix of the “Pink Book” titled “Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary” with a table of “Excipients Included in U.S. Vaccines by Vaccine”. Vaccines that contain aluminum are listed in Table 37. In order to keep current on vaccines that contain aluminum look for aluminum or alum containing vaccines in this table:https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/b/excipient-table-2.pdf
266. Andrasi, E., et al.; Brain Al, Mg, and P contents of control and Alzheimer-diseased patients; J. Alzheimer’s Dis.; 7:273-84 (2005)
404. Camfield, C.S., et al.; Death in children with epilepsy: a population-based study; Lancet; June; 359(9321):1891-5 (2002)
405. Callenbach, P.M., et al.; Mortality risk in children with epilepsy: the Dutch study of epilepsy in childhood; Pediatrics; June; 107(6):1259-63 (2001)
406. Kopeloff, L.M., et al.; Chronic experimental epilepsy in Macaca mulatta; Neuology, 4:218-227 (1954)407. Soper, V., et al.; Chronic alumina temporal lobe seizures in monkeys; Exp. Neurology; Oct.; 62(1):99-121 (1978)
408. David, J., et al.; Behavioral and electrical correlates of absence seizures induced by thalamic stimulation in juvenile rhesus monkeys with frontal aluminum hydroxide implants: A pharmacologic evaluation; J. Pharmacological Methods; May; 7(3):219-229 (1982)
409. Ward, A.A.; Topical convulsant metals. In: Experimental models of epilepsy. A manual for the laboratory worker, eds. D.P. Purpura, et al.; pp.13-35 New York: Raven Press (1972)
410. Alfey, A.C.; Aluminum toxicity in patients with chronic renal failure; Ther. Drug Monit.; 15:593-97 (1993)
411. Elger, C.E., et al.; Therapeutic problems in patients suffering from aluminum encephalopathy; Neuroimmunologie spinale krankenheiten neuropsychologie metalische enzephalopathien neurologische notfalle interventionelle neuroradiologie verhandlungen der deutschen gesellschaft fur neurologie; 4; K. Poeck, et al. editors; Springer (1987)
412. Glenn, C.M., et al.; Dialysis-associated seizures in children and adolescents; Pediatr. Nephrol.; 6(2):182 (1992)
413. Freiman, S.B., et al.; Seizure and elevated blood aluminum in a remelt furnace operator: connection of coincidence?; Am. J. Emergency Med.; May; 23(3):419-20 (2005)
414. Hantson, P.H., et al.; Encephalopathy with seizures after use of aluminum-containing bone cement; Lancet; Dec.; 344:1647 (1994)415. CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Vaccines and Preventable Diseases; https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/should-not-vacc.html
477. Mold, M., et al.; Aluminum in brain tissue in epilepsy: A case report from Camelford; Int. J. Environ. Res. Pub. Health; 16(2129):1-11 (2019)
479. Auvin, S., et al.; Altered vaccine-induced immunity in children with Dravet syndrome; Epilepsia; 59:e45-e50 (2018)
Dennis N Crouse, PhD Harvard, Scientist and Author