Myths And Misconceptions: The Evolution Of Epilepsy

The Evolution of Epilepsy Epilepsy is a neurological condition where the patient suffers from sudden and recurrent convulsions, sensory loss, or a loss of consciousness due to irregular electrical signals in the brain. Despite what many people may think, epilepsy has been around since the ancient times. “Multiple references to epilepsy can be found in ancient texts of all civilizations, most importantly the ancient Greek medical texts…” (Magiorkinis). Because of how long this brain disorder has been around, there has been quite a bit of speculation around the condition. As awareness of epilepsy arose, so did the myths and misconceptions. Many people believed that epileptics are possessed by the devil himself, thought that epilepsy is contagious,

The first reference regarding the association of electric stimuli and brain activity came from the work of Fritsch (1838-1927) and Hitzig (1938-1907)” (Magiorkinis). An EEG is one of the most important tests that doctors run to confirm that a patient is indeed epileptic. An EEG technician uses gel to stick little electrodes to your scalp that can read the magnetic brain waves, she or he will then ask you to breathe in and out very fast, they can also flash lights next to your eyes. Doctors do this so they can provoke a seizure to see how and what triggers someone's seizures, what their seizures look like, and where their seizures originate from in the brain. All of these factors help doctors figure out what type of seizures the patient may have, if they do in fact have epilepsy, and what medications to start the patient on. Tests also help the classification of seizures. Basically, the word seizure is a general term, but there are multiple types of seizures. There are four main classifications of seizures. The first type of seizures are called focal seizures which start on one side of the brain. Another classification of seizures are generalized seizures where the seizure starts on both sides of the brain. The next classification is called unknown onset seizures which is where people are classified when neurologists aren’t sure where the seizure starts, but can

With the wide variety of treatment options, one might think that everyone finds relief with medicine, but there are very rare cases that medicine, surgery, and diets do not work. In these cases, another medicinal option that is recommended is the use of medical marijuana. This puts many families in tough situations depending on where they live because some states do not offer medical marijuana legally. Some people find a fix while on the ketogenic diet. “The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high fat, low carbohydrate, and controlled protein diet that has been used since the 1920’s…. The ketogenic diet is an established treatment option for children with hard to control epilepsy. Some adults may benefit from dietary treatments…” (“Ketogenic”). Many people turn to diets when their medicine quits working or stops working as well as it once did. For a majority of epilepsy cases, medicine does help with seizures and the other effects of epilepsy. As beneficial as medications may seem, some have side effects that can render the quality of life. “Adverse effects of drugs also play a major role in ensuring quality of life in epilepsy patients along with the effects of epilepsy” (Verma). Normally, once an epileptic is on medicine, they stay on it for their whole life. “ For the most definitely diagnosed epilepsy, long-term treatment with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) is needed” (Verma).