1. When Neurons Misfire
Epilepsy is a medical condition where the brain is bombarded with an electrical surge, either in its entirety or in an isolated section. A healthy brain experiences approximately 80 electrical pulses per second. During an epileptic episode, the brain is attacked by as many as 500 pulses per second for a short period of time. Depending upon where these pulses occur, an epileptic episode could result in a loss of consciousness or uncontrollable twitching and convulsing known as a seizure.
2. One Name for Many Conditions
Epilepsy is a general term that encompasses a larger group of specific disorders. Parietal lobe epilepsy is a seizure that effects part of the brain, although it can spread. Occipital lobe epilepsy affects the eye and is often accompanied by rapid blinking, while temporal lobe epilepsy attacks the brain closest to the ear and can alter memory. Frontal lobe epilepsy manifests itself in short, frequent seizures. Absence epilepsy is a seizure that results in a loss of awareness. These episodes are often so short, they go totally unnoticed.
3. You May Never Know Why
Epilepsy can be hereditary. It could also be the result of drug or alcohol abuse, or exposure to certain chemicals such as lead or carbon monoxide. Epilepsy might be caused by trauma from a brain injury, or a prenatal injury, or the result of a vehicle accident or fall. Oftentimes, the underlying cause of epilepsy is never determined.
4. A Multitude of Epilepsy Triggers
There are a variety of things that can trigger an epileptic episode. Some of the more commonly known epilepsy triggers are drug or alcohol use, migraines, the flickering lights of a television, lack of sleep, too much stress and certain antidepressants. If you were diagnosed with epilepsy and are on anti-seizure medications, suddenly stopping your treatment can also trigger seizures.
5. Managing Epilepsy
The most common epilepsy treatments include anti-seizure medication, which a doctor will prescribe based on the condition and the type of seizures that accompany it. There are surgical treatments for epilepsy, but surgery will typically not be considered until several medications have failed to work effectively. However, there are exceptions to this; if the existence of a cyst or tumor is thought to be triggering the epilepsy, then a doctor would certainly try removing it. A ketogenic diet is another treatment, although it's difficult to stick to. A ketogenic dieter is limited to eating little more than lettuce, cucumbers, fats and creams, which forces the body to burn all the fat stored in the body. This diet is mostly used to treat small children but can cause malnutrition.
