Lecture Discusses Diet For Treating Child Epilepsy

The Faculty of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Professions at Birzeit University hosted on February 27, 2016 a lecture introducing the ketogenic diet as an alternative means of treating children with poorly-controlled epilepsy.

A clinical dietician at Caritas Baby Hospital, Marian Petro, gave an in-depth look at the ketogenic diet. This diet is used to reduce chemical medications for treating children with neurological diseases. It is carefully planned to meet all of a child’s caloric needs for growth and development, but also contains high amounts of fat, low carbohydrates and adequate protein, which has proven to be very effective in treating seizures.

Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Professions Munir Qazzaz said that the faculty strives to nurture students’ knowledge of nutrition, dietetics and metabolic demands for humans. “Together, with a multi-disciplinary team, we work to enhance students’ learning experience and provide a rich opportunity for them to learn in a range of areas.”