Dr. Vinayak I Kadlimatti

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:

1. Staring blankly
2. Confusion which is temporary
3. Uncontrolled jerking movements of the legs and arms
4. Loss of awareness and consciousness
5. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Atonic seizures are also called as drop seizures. These cause loss of control in the muscles, thereby leading to collapse or fall.
4. Clonic seizures are the rhythmic and jerking muscle movements. These affect the arms, face and neck.
5. Myoclonic seizures appear as twitches in the arms and legs.
6. 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. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a neurologist.

Migraine Clinical Picture

What Symptoms Occur During a Migraine Attack? •

Migraineurs have recurrent, severe, and disabling attacks of headache, often unilateral and pulsating, along with symptoms of sensory disturbance, such as light, sound, and odor sensitivity. Nausea and neck stiffness are other common symptoms, and symptoms can be aggravated by movement.

• Some patients experience dizziness during attacks.

• About 20–30% of patients experience aura and neurological symptoms (e.g., visual disturbances), which usually precede the headache phase of an attack.

• Premonitory symptoms such as yawning, irritability, tiredness, cravings, and difficulty concentrating sometimes precede headache onset.

What Is Migraine Aura, and What Symptoms Can Occur?

• An aura is any neurological symptom that occurs shortly before the headache attack. Visual symptoms (e.g., flickering lights or zigzag phenomena), somatosensory symptoms (e.g., paresthesias), speech problems, and rarely, motor symptoms can occur during aura.

• Symptoms usually last >5 and <60 minutes.

• Before migraine can be diagnosed, other possible neurological deficits must first be excluded.

• Cortical spreading depression (see below) is thought to be the pathophysiological cause.

What Can Trigger a Migraine?

• Menstruation

• Shortness of sleep, irregular sleep, or too much sleep

• Stress (or in some patients, relaxation from stress)

• Alcohol (e.g., red wine)

• Caffeine (e.g., coffee, chocolate)

• Foods containing glutamate or aspartame

• Dehydration

• Vasodilating drugs (e.g., nitrates) Epidemiology

How Many People Are Affected by Migraine?

• Women: about 13–18% of the population

• Men: about 5–10% of the population

• Numbers may be lower in Asian populations Chronic Migraine About 4% of the adult population experiences chronic headache, i.e., headache on 15 or more days a month. About half of this group has chronic migraine, and the other half has chronic tension-type headache  Disorders/Abnormalities That Can Be Comorbid with Migraine

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Fibromyalgia

• Back pain

• Hypertension

• Stroke and cardiac disease

• Childhood vomiting

TREATMENT

ONLY HOMOEOPATHIC MEDICINES CAN CONTROL THIS

Epilepsy is a disorder of the nervous system which is characterised by the tendency of a person to have seizures. Seizures occur due to abnormal and excessive nerve cell activity in brain. The result is abnormal behaviour and sensations, including loss of consciousness. There are a variety of seizures with different symptoms depending on the part of brain involved. Progressive myoclonus epilepsy is an epilepsy syndrome, which is caused by genetic disorders. It features a combination of myoclonic and tonic-clonic seizures along with progressive neurological decline. It is often characterised by unsteadiness, muscle rigidity, and mental deterioration. Such a type of epilepsy is quite rare. Seizures are difficult to control and patients often lose thinking abilities as well.

Also in such a condition patient may have more than a dozen different diseases. The symptoms get worsened over time. Such a disorder can be present in any of the sexes. It can appear in infants as well as adults.
Progressive myoclonus epilepsy is not a single disorder but is a combination of syndromes with various names. Some of them are severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy which is also called Dravet syndrome, then is Unverricht-Lundborg disease also called Baltic myoclonus, Lafora disease and finally Mitochondrial encephalopathies.

Causes and triggering factors of epilepsy seizures
The main causes of Progressive myoclonus epilepsy include Lafora body disease, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, Unverricht - Lundborg disease, sialidoses, storage diseases, and some inborn metabolism issues. These seizures can be triggered by light, noise, sleep loss, alcohol intake and cigarette smoking.

Top natural homeopathic remedies for epilepsy

1. Cicuta is considered by far the best homeopathic remedy for epilepsy where violent distortions occur in the body. The distortions are most frightful. The person is totally unconscious. The face may be blue and the jaw appears locked.
2. Artemisia Vulgaris is considered for treating epilepsy with Petit Mal seizure. The main symptom is frequent brief episodes of seizures in a short time period.
3. Stramonium is used for epileptic convulsions which arise after exposure to bright light or shining objects. The patient in this case is conscious but experiences jerk in the muscles of upper body.
4. Cuprum Met is used for seizure attack in knees.
5. Bufo Rana is of great help when the patient experiences attacks during sleep.
6. Hyoscyamus is used in case of epileptic fit.
7. Homeopathic medicines for epileptic fits during fever (Febrile seizures)
8. Belladona and Nux Vomica are the natural Homeopathic medicines that are very beneficial in cases of febrile seizures.
9. Natural homeopathic medicines as per type of seizure in Epilepsy

The natural Homeopathic medicines for treating Petit Mal Seizures are Artemisia, Belladona, Zincum, and Hyoscyamus. Agaricus and Cuprum are prescribed for Clonic Seizures. Cicuta and Plumbum are helpful in case of Tonic Seizures.