MIGRAINE: RESULTS OF TREATMENT BY KETOGENIC DIET IN FIFTY CASES

Early in my experience with the ketogenic diet,1 it was tried in cases of migraine. Since then Lennox and Cobb,2 in their monograph on epilepsy, have stated that it would be of interest to know whether the induction of acidosis is of benefit in cases of migraine. Since the original report from the Mayo Clinic,3 Schnabel4 has reported his experience with a ketogenic diet in cases of migraine.Some of the recent etiologic theories and therapeutic suggestions are of interest in considering the justification of a ketogenic regimen in cases of migraine. R. and S. Weissmann-Netter5 found apparent changes in the acid-base balance: the hydrogen ion concentration and alkali reserve are normal in the periods of freedom from attacks but a tendency to alkalosis develops forty-eight hours prior to an attack. The recent method of studying acid-base equilibrium by hyperpnea or overventilation of the lungs,