Epilepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system, thus it is basically a neurological disorder. In this the nerve cell activity of the brain is disrupted and causes seizures along with episodes of unusual behavior along with the loss of consciousness. The symptoms of the seizure can vary and some people with epilepsy just stare blankly for few seconds when a seizure takes place, while some twitch their arms and legs repeatedly.

Symptoms of Epilepsy:
As epilepsy is caused by the abnormal activities in the brain cells, seizures affect the processes with which the brain coordinates. Some signs and symptoms are:

Staring blankly
Confusion which is temporary
Uncontrolled jerking movements of the legs and arms
Loss of awareness and consciousness
Psychic symptoms
Mostly the symptoms vary depending on the type of the seizure. The seizures are further classified into focal and generalized depending on which part of the brain shows abnormal activity.
Focal seizures
When seizures are due to the abnormal activity of the cells in just one area then it is known as focal seizures. These seizures are of two types:

Simple partial seizures or the focal seizures without loss of consciousness. These seizures basically alter the emotions and the things like change in smell, look, sound and taste. These also result in the involuntary jerking of the body like the legs and arms, with spontaneous sensory symptoms like the tingling and flashing of the lights.
Complex partial seizures or the focal dyscognitive seizures. These seizures have a loss of awareness and consciousness. One might just stare blankly into space in this seizure and performs repetitive activities like swallowing, chewing, walking in circles and chewing.
Generalized seizures
There are six types of generalized seizures. These are:

Absence seizures, also known as petit mal seizures, are commonly seen in children and are characterized by subtle body movements like lip smacking and eye blinking and staring blankly into space. These also cause loss of consciousness.
Tonic seizures lead to stiffening of the muscles. These affect the muscles of the legs and arms and also cause to fall to the ground.
Atonic seizures are also called as drop seizures. These cause loss of control in the muscles, thereby leading to collapse or fall.
Clonic seizures are the rhythmic and jerking muscle movements. These affect the arms, face and neck.
Myoclonic seizures appear as twitches in the arms and legs.
Tonic-clonic seizures also known as grand mal seizures are very dramatic and lead to body stiffening, abrupt loss of consciousness, shaking and loss of bladder control and tongue biting.

Epilepsy - How Seizures Affect It?

Epilepsy is a disease that affects the brain's nerve cells and triggers the release of abnormal electrical signals. This can cause temporary malfunctioning of the other brain cells and result in seizures and sometimes loss of consciousness. Epilepsy can affect both children and adults.

Causes of Epilepsy

The cause of this condition isn t very evident; however, few causes of epileptic seizures to metion are brain tumours, injury, infections in the brain or birth defects. Some doctors believe that epilepsy is caused due to genetic mutations and is an outcome of abnormal activity of cells in the brain. Other causes for this condition can be alcohol or narcotics withdrawal and electrolyte problems.

 Symptoms

Repeated seizures

Impaired memory

Bouts of fainting

Short spans of blackout

Sudden bouts of blinking and chewing

Panic

Inappropriate repetitive movements

Types of Seizures
A seizure, also known as fit, is usually a brief episode characterised by uncontrollable jerking movement and loss of awareness due to abnormal neuronal activity in your brain. A collective occurrence of these seizures causes epilepsy.

 There are three types of seizures based on aetiology:

Idiopathic: This kind of seizure has no apparent cause.

Cryptogenic: The doctors believe that there is a cause for the seizure but cause cannot be detected.

Symptomatic: These seizures occur due to a reason, as a symptom of some neuro-medical condition.

Role of Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a form of healing based upon the principle of  Similia similibus curentur  or  like cures like . It was founded by a German doctor, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann in 1810. Homoeopathy offers vast scope in the treatment of various illnesses, both acute and chronic including epilepsy. Homeopathy takes into account the entire person like the patients family history, past history, etc. Homoeopathic doctors study each case thoroughly, analyze and evaluate the symptoms and then prescribe the medicine.

Homeopaths treat the patient s mental, emotional and physical make-up i.e. the constitution. This is known as  constitutional treatment . Constitutional treatment treats the disease and removes it from its roots. The Constitutional method is employed in the treatment of epilepsy in Homoeopathy. This method is gives amazing results in many cases.

Homeopathy has immense scope in the treatment of Epilepsy. In fresh cases, where the child is new to epileptic treatment, homoeopathy can relieve complaints by giving  constitutional treatment .

In other cases where the child is already taking treatment, homoeopathy can taper off the doses gradually and thus treat the patient effectively. Thus, in both the cases, homoeopathic treatment is beneficial in treating epilepsy.

In either of the cases, a constitutional medicine is given to treat epilepsy. Constitutional treatment relieves the patient from seizures, convulsions, etc. Thus the child can attend school daily and concentrate on his studies. In about 1/3 cases of epilepsy, a surgery known as  seizure surgery  is performed. Regular constitutional treatment is very useful in such cases.

Homeopathic medicines are completely side-effect free and are not habit-forming. They can be taken by children, adults and even by pregnant women. They must be taken only after consultation from a homoeopathic practitioner.

Epilepsy - Causes, Symptoms & Homeopathic Treatment Of It!

Epilepsy is a disorder in the central nervous system characterized by recurrent seizures. An unexpected rush of electrical activity inside the brain leads to a seizure. Brain activity becomes abnormal and leads to periods of unusual behaviour with loss of awareness at times.

Seizures do not always include unusual muscle movements or convulsions. Untreated seizures can seriously affect the lives of children having them. Epilepsy affects both men and women regardless of their ethnic background and age.

Signs of Epilepsy:

A staring spell
Momentary bewilderment
Loss of consciousness
Jerking movements of arms and legs.
Panic or anxiety
Kinds of Seizures:
Seizures are normally classified as focal or generalized depending on the commencement of abnormal brain activity.

Focal (partial) seizures result from abnormal activity in a particular area of the person's brain. Simple partial seizures may change emotions or the way things smell, appear, feel, sound or taste. It is characterized by tingling and dizziness.
Complex partial seizures or focal seizures with impaired awareness entail a modification of or loss of awareness and consciousness. Repetitive movements are performed during such seizures such as hand rubbing, walking in circles or swallowing.
Thorough testing is needed to differentiate epilepsy from other neurological disorders such as narcolepsy, migraine or mental illness.

Generalized seizures normally affect all areas of the brain and consist of:

Tonic seizures lead to muscle stiffness and normally affects muscles in the person's back, legs and arms.
Atonic seizures or drop seizures lead to a loss of muscle control which makes a person abruptly collapse or fall down.
Myoclonic seizures are visible as short jerks or twitches of a person's arms and legs.
Clonic seizures are characterized by repetitive or rhythmic jerking muscle movements.
Tonic-clonic seizures cause sudden loss of consciousness, quivering and body stiffening.
Absence seizures might take place in clusters and lead to momentary loss of awareness.
Symptoms of Epilepsy:
The main symptoms of epilepsy are seizures and it differs from one person to another.

Symptoms of Focal (partial) seizures include:

Dizziness
Change or modification in the sense of smell, taste, hearing, sight or touch.
Twitching and tingling of limbs.
Symptoms of Complex partial seizures include:

Unresponsiveness
Staring blankly
Performing repetitive movements
Loss of awareness or consciousness
Genetics may provide a person with a natural seizure threshold as a person who is susceptible to seizure triggers is said to have inherited a low seizure threshold. A higher threshold conversely makes a person less liable to have seizures.

Epilepsy is a comparatively common neurological disorder that affects innumerable people worldwide and treatments range from medication to surgery.

Epilepsy - Signs and Symptoms You Must Know!

The brain contains numerous nerve cells which help in its normal functioning. Epilepsy or seizures occur when there is a disruption in the activity of the nerve cells in the brain. A neurological disorder of the CNS (Central Nervous System), epilepsy can affect all and sundry, irrespective of their age, sex and ethnicity. However, children and aged people (above 60 years) are more susceptible to the condition. A study suggests approximately 10 million people in India suffer from epilepsy.

Types of Epilepsy
Based on the activity of the brain that causes an epileptic attack, Epilepsy can be of two types - Focal or Generalized
Focal Epilepsy: An epileptic attack triggered by unusual activities restricted to a particular area of the brain.

In some cases, focal epilepsy may result in unconsciousness. A person may also lose awareness and become unresponsive (keeps staring into space), a condition termed as Focal Dyscognitive Seizures. A person with this condition may behave strange, such as walking in circles, chewing or rubbing their hands.
In another type of focal epilepsy known as Focal seizures without loss of consciousness, a person does not lose consciousness. In such cases, there may be sudden and involuntary jerking of the arms or the legs. There may also be dizziness or a tingling sensation.
Generalized Epilepsy: Here, the seizures or epilepsy result from unusual activities throughout the brain. Generalized epilepsy, may, in turn, be of the following subtypes

Tonic seizures: This affects the muscles of the legs, arms, or the back, causing them to stiffen and tighten up.
Atonic seizures: Here, a person may suddenly fall down due to loss of muscle control. The condition is also known as Drop Seizures.
Absence seizures: Mostly affecting children, the affected person may lose awareness (temporary) and behave strangely such as staring into spacing, smacking their lips, or blinking their eyes continuously.
Clonic seizures: They are characterized by sudden and continuous jerking movements of the arms, face, and neck muscles.
Tonic-clonic seizures: Here, a person may suddenly lose consciousness. There are violent shaking and stiffening of the body. Some people may even be seen biting their tongue.
Myoclonic seizures: In this arms, and legs of a person suddenly twitches and jerks.

What triggers an Epilepsy?
Epilepsy may be an outcome of the following factors

Medical conditions such as stroke or even brain tumors may affect the normal activities of the brain, thereby resulting in epilepsy. Diseases such as Viral Encephalitis, AIDS or Meningitis act also act as a trigger, accelerating the chances of epilepsy.
Developmental disorders such as Neurofibromatosis or Autism can also trigger epilepsy.
In some cases, epilepsy may be a genetic predisposition. Thus, a person with a family history of epilepsy may suffer from the condition.
Epilepsy may also be an outcome of a prenatal brain injury due to oxygen deficiency or an infection to the mother.
People with dementia may also suffer from an epileptic attack.

Epilepsy - Know The Most Common Types!

The word epilepsy brings to mind visions of people frothing at the mouth and rolling on the ground. However, epilepsy affects each patient in a different way. This can make it hard to recognize at times. In the more serious cases of epilepsy, an epileptic attack can make a patient injure himself or develop other life threatening conditions. In rare cases, epilepsy can even cause death. Thus it becomes imperative to understand how to deal with epilepsy.

Treatment options for epilepsy can be categorized as medication, surgical procedures and dietary changes.

Medication
Medication for epilepsy is prescribed on the basis of the symptoms presented and the type of epilepsy the patient is suffering from. In most cases, seizures can be controlled with a single type of medication, but in others, the doctor may need to prescribe a combination of medicines to control epilepsy. These forms of medication do have side effects and hence any reactions to the medication must be immediately brought to the doctor's notice. The dosage for epilepsy medication may need to be varied with time. An epileptic patient should never discontinue medication on their own.

Surgery
Depending on the type of seizures and the area of the brain affected, a doctor may advise surgery in cases of severe epilepsy. Surgery can help reduce the number of seizures experienced or completely stop them. Surgery to treat epilepsy is of many types. Some of the common procedures are:

1. Surgery to remove tumor of any such conditions that may be triggering the epileptic attacks
2. Surgery to remove a small section of the brain from where a seizure originates. This may also be referred to as a lobectomy.
3. Multiple subpial transaction or a surgery that involves making a series of cuts in the brain to prevent the seizures from spreading to other parts of the brain.
4. Surgery to sever the neural connections between the right and left hemispheres of the brain.
5. Surgery to remove half the brain's cortex or outer layer

Dietary changes
A diet rich in fats and low in carbohydrates can help reduce seizures. This is known as a ketogenic diet and aims at making the body break down fats instead of carbohydrates. It can cause a buildup of uric acid in the body and thus should be practiced only under the guidance of a dietician. In cases where epileptic attacks are triggered by malnutrition and birth defects, taking vitamin supplements can help lower the frequency of seizures.

How to Deal with Severe Epilepsy

Over 60 million people around the world suffer from epilepsy. This can be described as a brain disorder that causes seizures. However, it is important to note that seizures are not synonymous with epilepsy. A patient may be diagnosed with epilepsy only if there have two or more seizures that are unrelated to other medical conditions. Here are five facts you should know about epilepsy.

An epileptic person can have many different types of seizures.
Seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain cells. There are many different types of seizures. Seizures can make a person make abnormal movements, make him or her stare into space, make him or her unable to speak or make them shake vigorously and fall to the ground. Some seizures are easy to identify while others may go unnoticed.

Epilepsy can be caused by many factors
There are a number of factors that can cause epilepsy. The most common amongst them are - deprivation of oxygen at the time of birth, brain infections, head injuries, stroke, neurological diseases, tumors and genetic disorders. Infections can also cause epilepsy. In some cases, the actual cause may be difficult to identify.

A healthy diet, protecting the head from trauma (by wearing a helmet) and exercising can help prevent epilepsy. Expectant mothers should also follow a healthy prenatal plan.

The effect of epilepsy is much more in women as compared to men
Both men and women are susceptible to epilepsy. However, epilepsy can be harder to manage in women. This is because of their hormone structure. Pregnancy can also make epilepsy hard to manage and the seizures could also affect the baby. Thus, it is essential for pregnant mothers with epilepsy to take extra precautions and follow their doctor s advice strictly.

Epilepsy can be treated
Though epilepsy cannot be cured, there are many ways of treating epilepsy. The best form of treatment depends on the patient s medical history and neurological exams. Medication to stop seizures is the most common form of treatment. A special diet may also be prescribed along with this. In some cases, surgery may also be advised. Nerve stimulation may also be used to treat this condition.

Epilepsy is not contagious
Anyone can suffer from epilepsy but it cannot be transferred from one person to another. Thus, if you see someone having a stroke, you must immediately try to help them without worrying about your own health.

Epilepsy - 5 Common Facts About It!

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