Epilepsy And Seizures

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Epilepsy Epilepsy is a neurological condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. Seizures are the most prominent characteristic of epilepsy. Seizures are caused by sudden burst of electrical activity in the brain. Although there are forty different types of this disorder each one represents itself with a unique treatment, prognosis and combination of seizure type. There is a variety of seizures a person with epilepsy may experience depending on which part of the brain is affected by the electrical burst of activity in the brain. It also depends on how much of the brain is affected. Seizures can vary in both intensity and amount of time they happen. Some people might not even know they had a seizure.…show more content…
Although most epileptic seizures can happen with little to no warning, some individuals with the disorder state they can sense a seizure coming on. Another interesting fact that I found was there is some research going on to figure out if and to what degree canine companions can sense when an epileptic seizure is about to happen in their epileptic owners. Although there is no hard evidence just yet on that theory there have been many studies happening. It is believed that the dogs are able to sense a seizure due to the release of chemical hormones they can smell. It was also believed in ancient times that epilepsy was a curse that afflicted individuals with the gift of prophecy and that theory provoked Hippocrates who went on to write the first book on epilepsy opposing the idea that people with epilepsy were cursed or that it gave them prophetic powers. He also classified epilepsy as a brain disorder. As time went on and we learned more about epilepsy many new treatments were put in affect some bogus and some that actually helped. In the 1920’s the Ketogenic diet was created and it is still used today. It is one of the oldest treatments for epilepsy. The diet simulates the effects of fasting, which can decrease the frequency of some types of seizures. My last interesting fact on epilepsy is that it is sometimes referred to as the Writer’s Disease. Many great authors during the course of history were noted to have epilepsy; Edgar Allen Poe, Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens are a few
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