Epilepsy and/or Epileptic people!

[Superman]

What is Epilepsy?
Science defines it as a chronic nervous disorder associated with abnormal electrical activity in an injured portion of the brain. Some people call it a vision, others say it's communication with God or an omen/sign of a future event... Lots of individuals doesn't believe in it and call Epileptics, crazy people who are in terrible need for therapy...
Epilepsy is all about abnormal sensations, confusion, and weird feelings.

History recalls many Epileptics:
-Joan Of Arc who received a divine commission to raise the siege of Orléans, to crown the Dauphin Charles King at Reims, and to drive the english out of France. She started hearing voices and having visions of personages when she was 13 or 14. She identified those personages as St Michael, St Margaret and St Catherine.

-Napoleon Buonaparte who was 9 years old when he first felt Epilepsy. He was in the Oratorian College at Autun.

-Molière (Jean Baptiste Poquelin): Epilepsy along with his creativity, as they say, helped him writing his plays or masterpieces.

-Alexander The Great: His first "Epilepsy" was at the age of 20 when he was placed on the throne of Macedon in 336 B.C. Many historians say that Epilepsy had to do with The Route Of Alexander (b/u) from Pella (Macedon) and all the way to Alexandria passing by Troy, Beirut, Sidon, Tyre, Gaza, Jerusalem, Babylon, Pura, Nysa and many others.

-Van Gogh: It was at Arles where he had his first Epilepsy, and that's when he started painting the world about him. He painted with hectic intensity.

-Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson): He was very shy and constrained with adults, and was seeking more and more the company of children. His stammer then disappeared and he started feeling Epilepsy.

-Flaubert who had an unshakable conscience based on style and reality. He came to terms with a nervous condition diagnosed as Epilepsy. He also had a divided character.

-Edgar Allan Poe had an unstable mind and his stories and poetry showed intense preoccupation with the morbid and the bizarre.

U also have Dante Alighieri, Axel Rudy Pell, Beethoven, Bosch and many others...

What do u think of this? Do u believe in Epilepsy? Do u think that such things are possible, exist or even justified?

[Fragrance of Roses]

Epilepsy is simply a neurological disorder characterized by sudden recurring attacks of motor, sensory, or psychic malfunction with or without loss of consciousness or convulsive seizures.

I think it is very absurd to assume that it is parapsychological!!!! It is simply a neurological disorder!!!

And since the human brain is soooooo complex, it is normal that it produces something above average or different from the norm if it is experiencing a disorder.

Most of the time I see that those people some call crazy are actually geniuses! They might be living in a different reality than us, and do not care much for the social formalities that we bind ourselves with. It is the same case here.

It is all in the brain! That's my take on it!

[kappa273]

Originally Posted by AbirWard

And since the human brain is soooooo complex, it is normal that it produces something above average or different from the norm if it is experiencing a disorder.

unfortunately, if u saw the movie "phenomenon" by John Travolta, it is a story, fake one and not true...

i am not sure how many in that list had seizures but i can at least tell u about 1 of them...

Beethoven didn't have seizures.. he was deaf and had some gastrointestinal disorder... it was always thought to be lead poisoning until 2-3 years when a new study of his letters and his biography revealed that he actually suffered from Crohn's disease....

kappa

[Osiris]

It is a neurological disorder, not a psychological one. A friend of mine has it and believe me, the seizures are way so scary!

Originally Posted by AbirWard

It is all in the brain! That's my take on it!

Our human brain! Everything is in there.. every single thing!

[Superman]

Originally Posted by kappa273

Beethoven didn't have seizures.. he was deaf and had some gastrointestinal disorder... it was always thought to be lead poisoning until 2-3 years when a new study of his letters and his biography revealed that he actually suffered from Crohn's disease....

Did u also know that he developped feelings to his nephew Karl? It was shown also in those letters u are talking about Karl was his joint ward...

Our human brain! Everything is in there.. every single thing!

It is in the human brain... U could be right! But lets talk at first about the visions of Joan Of Arc. Were they also in her brain? Or were they real visions and signs sent from God to lead the french army to Orléan and defeat the english?

[Fragrance of Roses]

Originally Posted by Superman

Did u also know that he developped feelings to his nephew Karl? It was shown also in those letters u are talking about Karl was his joint ward...

He was a very ill man indeed (No pun intended).

It is in the human brain... U could be right! But lets talk at first about the visions of Joan Of Arc. Were they also in her brain? Or were they real visions and signs sent from God to lead the french army to Orléan and defeat the english?

These are just simply stories that later became myths then legends. I am sorry to burst your bubble but to me, all those stories including the Biblical ones (old testament--which were written and altered by half a dozen Jewish Priests) were very much history taken out of context and turned into a simple fairy tale to serve their purposes!

You have to seperate myth from science. Concentrate on the brain! It is all in there! Al 3aqil! The brain! Maybe Joan Of Arc might have existed, and might have had a revelation, but this can be simply explained scientifically by analyzing the brain... it has nothing to do with epilepsy... maybe epilepsy does contribute by messing up the electrochemistry of the brain hence contributing to, maybe, the access to a different dimension... who knows?
The only thing I'd like to stress is the consideration of the possibility versus taking stories heik for granted without explaining them!

Also, I might add, who is God? And what is his place in this equation? What does he/she have to do with all this! What is his definition? This is an entire new topic that we cannot discuss here, but I just wanted to clarify my point of view in this regard!

(Side Note: I have always thought that mental disability is actually genius for it blocks certain parts of the brain to concentrate on others hence viewing the world from a different perspective).

[coralie]

What is epilepsy?

Epilepsy, a physical condition caused by sudden, brief changes in how the brain works, is estimated to affect one percent of the U.S. population, about 2.5 million people. In about half of all cases no cause can be found, but head injuries, brain tumors, lead poisoning, problems in brain development before birth, and certain genetic and infectious illnesses can all cause epilepsy.

Epilepsy occurs when nerve cells in the brain fire electrical impulses at a rate of up to four times higher than normal. This causes a sort of electrical storm in the brain, known as a seizure. A pattern of repeated seizure is referred to as epilepsy. Medication controls seizure for the majority of patients, who are otherwise healthy and able to live full and productive lives. On the other hand, at least 200,000 Americans have seizure more than once a month. Their lives are devastated by frequent, uncontrollable seizure or associated disabilities.

This past decade has seen a dramatic increase in our knowledge about epilepsy, but there remains much tragedy in the lives of many people with the disorder. To brighten tomorrow's outlook for those who must live with seizure, the epilepsy research community continues to concentrate its efforts on:

What are the causes of epilepsy?

Basic research aims to identify viral, genetic, or other factors that cause epilepsy. These findings provide the basis for developing new and improved methods of prevention and therapy.

What are the newest means of diagnosis?

Scientists are using promising new technologies such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetoencephalography to diagnose epilepsy and pinpoint seizure location.

Is there any treatment?

The goal of modern neurological research is to develop safe, well-tolerated drugs that control seizure. Basic research has brought some of the now more commonly prescribed anticonvulsant drugs to the market. Scientists are also developing ways to test new and better drugs in patients.

IMPROVING AND DEVELOPING NEW SURGICAL TECHNIQUES

This form of treatment, performed at epilepsy clinical research centers, is now an option for more people with epilepsy, including children. For patients whose seizure cannot be controlled with drugs, surgery can turn the dream of a seizure-free life into a reality. Improved technology has made it possible to identify more accurately where seizure originate in the brain and to what extent surgery may affect vital functions, such as smell and speech. As a result, investigators estimate that 2,000 to 5,000 new patients in the United States might be suitable for surgery each year.

What research is being done?

Hope for better treatments, a cure, and, ultimately, prevention of epilepsy lies in neurological research. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), one of the 17 National Institutes of Health (NIH) located in Bethesda, Maryland, is the nation's largest supporter of research on the brain and nervous system and a lead agency for the congressionally designated Decade of the Brain. The Institute conducts and supports a broad program of basic and clinical investigations aimed at increasing our understanding of more than 600 neurological disorders, including epilepsy. The Institute also studies the structures, activities, and vulnerabilities of the human brain. Most NINDS-supported research is conducted by scientists at public and private institutions, such as universities, medical schools, and hospitals.

Scientists in the Institute's laboratories and clinics also conduct a wide range of research studies. At the Institute's Bethesda, Maryland facilities, patients with epilepsy volunteer for extensive testing using exciting, new imaging technologies, participate in trials of new anticonvulsant medications, or undergo surgical treatment.

Epilepsy At A Glance
Epilepsy occurs when nerve cells in the brain fire abnormal electrical impulses known as a seizure.
In about half of all patients with epilepsy no cause can be found.
Basic research aims to identify viral, genetic, or other factors that cause epilepsy.

[kappa273]

Originally Posted by Superman

Did u also know that he developped feelings to his nephew Karl? It was shown also in those letters u are talking about Karl was his joint ward...


It is in the human brain... U could be right! But lets talk at first about the visions of Joan Of Arc. Were they also in her brain? Or were they real visions and signs sent from God to lead the french army to Orléan and defeat the english?

i don't know if he was homosexual or not... or he was suffering from homophobia and as such was married and had lovers...

as for the vision of Joan of Arc, we are not talking about epilepsy but perhaps about psychosis. This is when u develop hallucinations and delusions.
let's start with a clarification.. whether psychosis or not, she was able to unite France and kick the english out.

as for epilepsy and schizophrenia, i don't think there are any link or theories linking these 2 together...
this is opposite to mania (mood disorder) which is believed by some researchers to be seizures of the limbic system..

in all cases, these are all theories and clinical studies are not able to find links between the 2 besides sometimes some common medications.

kappa

[di]

The causes of epilepsy can be put into three different groups. Each group includes a number of different types of seizure.
Symptomatic epilepsy
When there is a known cause for a person's epilepsy starting it is called symptomatic epilepsy. The reasons can include head injury, infections of the brain such as meningitis, a stroke, or because of a scar on the brain. Images from scans of the brain may show what the cause is. The response to drug treatment can vary from person to person.
Idiopathic epilepsy
In this type of epilepsy, there is no clear cause for the seizures suddenly starting. It is thought having a low seizure threshold could be the reason. The person usually has no other disabilities. The response to epilepsy drug treatment is usually good.
Cryptogenic epilepsy
When it is not clear if epilepsy is symptomatic or idiopathic a person may be told that they have cryptogenic epilepsy. Unlike idiopathic epilepsy, it is not thought to have started because of a low seizure threshold. It's suspected that there is a physical reason that has yet to be found.

[Rors]

About therapy, there's an alternative medicine used to treat children with severe epilepsy. Its efficacy was very controversial few years ago due to the fact that its mechanism of action is unknown but it seems to be gaining more and more leverage as the years go by.
Here's an abstract of the ketogenic diet (source: Wikipedia):
The ketogenic diet is a treatment for epilepsy that relies on inducing a state of ketosis. The diet prescribes foods high in fat, and heavily restricts carbohydrate intake. As fats become the body's primary source of metabolic energy, ketones accumulate in the brain, which can alleviate epileptic symptoms. The diet is often perceived as more effective in children than adults, particularly when anticonvulsant drug therapy is ineffective (20%-30% of patients) or contraindicated, however, data from the 1920s and 1930s, as well as recently, shows similar results. However, the ketogenic diet is more restrictive for adults.

The diet provides 3-4 grams of fat for every 1 gram of carbohydrate and protein combined, calling for such foods as high-triglyceride dairy products (butter, cream, mayonnaise) and peanut butter. Carbohydrates, found in breads and starches, are reduced in the diet, and liquid and calorie intake are often restricted as well in order to aid ketone accumulation. Though superficially similar, this is not the same as the Atkins diet. This has been used as well for some patients with epilepsy, as well as a low-glycemic index diet. [1] Possible long-term side effects of the diet include:

kidney stones
abnormal liver function
high cholesterol
weight loss
dehydration
bone thinning
The diet is typically supplemented with calcium, vitamin D, iron, and folic acid.

Among the possible reasons the diet has not been widely adopted by doctors:

Lack of double blind studies. (see below)
Concerns about patient compliance with diet
Concerns about potential nutritional deficiency
It is possible that early anti-convulsants were statistically more effective than diets as treatment for new patients but that they worked on separate population groups.
Lack of knowledge and a dietitian to help manage children on the diet

Any input from doctors would be appreciated.