EPILEPSY and HEALTH ARTICLES
We hope that you enjoy reading this selection of helpful and informative Articles. We will endeavor to update them at regular intervals.
Now you have been Diagnosed, now what?
You, or one of your children, have just been diagnosed with Epilepsy. Diagnosing took weeks and often months. You may even have felt that it was “just one of those things”. A bug or a virus. Or if it was your child that he/she may just have been trying to get your attention by having “funny spells” or even a temper tantrum now and then. And at your Doctors visit you didn’t get any immediate answers and you may have been sent home until the next episode. Often many visits later, and many tests later, you now finally have a DIAGNOSES. What do you do? How are you supposed to feel? How can you cope? What will people think? Who can I trust to support me?
You may go through a period of anger, shock or denial. This can’t be happening to me, or to my child. You may even wonder if this is a disease that is “catchy” and if any other children or other loved ones will get it too. And when all this passes, you are left with - confusion.....or asking, what IS Epilepsy?
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Welcome to this edition of the Epilepsy and Health Newsletter. Please feel free to email us at any time if you have any questions or would like clarification.
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As time passes you will find that you have many more questions that you need answers for. Do NOT be afraid to ask. Ask your medical care person. Be honest with your doctor and try to remember all details of your questions. Write them down as soon as you think about them, and ask if there are pamphlets or other literature for you to become informed. Ask questions of others who are coping with the same diagnoses, remembering that we are all individuals and what affects one person may not affect another person the same way. We all have different coping skills.
Your own seizures may seem to be the same type as another persons’, but the results can be totally different with you, therefore you may not be prescribed the same medication or dosage. Tell your doctor the truth about how you feel. This will help your doctor in getting the correct medication and assistance for you. Learn as much as you can about what you may expect of the future living with this condition, as this will enhance your coping skills. Learning to cope may make living with your diagnoses much easier and can also help get you past that initial denial period.
After starting medication you may experience an increase in seizures rather than a lessening until the medication dose is adjusted for your particular need, and this may bring on many negative feelings. It would be beneficial to see a counsellor or join a support group. Dealing with any diagnoses of ill health, the stress of change in your life, and even the inability of the skills to handle this, may for some lead to depression. Consider seeing a health professional to help you, and show you ways to accept these changes in a positive way.
Depression is not the same as the sadness we all feel sometimes. Epilepsy can affect the way your brain functions in obvious and not-so-obvious ways. It can have an impact on your moods and reactions. Some people with Epilepsy are at higher risk of depression than the general population. You may not experience the following problems, but you should know that they are not uncommon among people with Epilepsy.
Feeling tired or down all the time
Losing interest in people or things around you
Sleeping too much or maybe not enough
Noticeable changes in your weight, or appetite
You find it hard to concentrate
Sudden mood swings, feeling sad, afraid, irritable, or angry. Any of these may be directly related to your seizures or they may be related to the medication you have been prescribed.
If you are feeling any of these all the time, especially when trying to come to terms with your newly diagnosed condition, ask your Medical provider for help.
Parents will wonder if their child will grow out of this or will this be a condition for life? In order for you to be able to help your child understand and cope, learn all about your child's condition. What kind of medications will your child be prescribed and will he/she even be able to take them. Medications are not only available in pill form, but for children they are often supplied as a liquid, or sprinkles, and some are dissolved in liquid, juice or milk. Medications for children are also available in the chewable form with a more pleasant flavour added. Be sure to ask for the options available.
Children should be treated as normal as possible as this will help them cope in public or at school. Be vigilant but do not restrict them in their activities .Go with them and join in with them while they are having fun. Be aware of the dangers of their activities and daily life and find ways to let them enjoy themselves while being watchful.
Meet with their teachers so they too can understand and possibly take the time to educate others in the class.
Learn more about some of the good and reputable websites to check out for information:
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/ (you can find one in almost every country - here is one for Australia http://www.epinet.org.au/
UK websites are another good source - http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/
And http://www.epilepsy.com/ - is packed with information
As well as http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/epilepsy/epilepsy.htm
Join other parents who have children with epilepsy and if there aren’t any around where you live you can join a support group online. You will get lots of good information from many of the members and hear their stories of how they coped. http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=parents+with+children+of+epilepsy+
If your child is in their teen years there is one for teens to get together and talk about their issues -
http://www.epilepsy.com/group/975909
Your visit to the Doctor to learn of your diagnoses will no doubt have been a stressful one. Perhaps you had never heard of the word Epilepsy before. This is the time to start doing some research. Reading books about the condition or looking on the internet.
-Find out as much about Epilepsy as you possibly can. Ignorance is not bliss.
-Make a list of all the things that happen, when they happen, keep a calendar marking down each seizure and how it happened. Take this with you to your doctor on your next visit as this will help him decide about medication that is right for you, and prescribe the correct dosage.
-Make another list to take with you of all the questions you may have on a daily basis no matter how silly you think they may sound. Here are some of the questions you may ask: -
· When is it definitely necessary to call for advice?
· How often and what time of day should I take my medications? What kind of a reaction may I expect?
· What kind of side effects can I expect? And if I do get side effects how soon can I expect to get over them?
· How long does it take for my body to get used to these new medications? and can I take any other medications or over the counter products with them?
· What if I have no one around me at the time of the seizure, will I be safe? (learning safety features is a must)
· Can you explain to me what happens when I have a seizure as I have no recognition of it afterwards?
· What happens if I miss a medication, should I call you or what do I look for? Is there a way to take these to make it easier not to forget?
· Should I tell my boss I have Epilepsy, will you support me when I do?
· What should I tell my friends, family and co-workers about my seizures?
· Will I be able to drive?
· I play football, is it safe for me to continue? I love to swim, am I still able to do so safely?
· Now that you have given me medication, should I avoid drinking alcohol?
· Is there such a thing as surgery that can stop these seizures?
· What other options are there for me?
I am sure you will have many more questions to add to the list. Write them down as soon as you think about them and make sure you get some answers.
Some useful memory tips may include the following
Make lists – always put these lists in the same place so they are easy to find
Take notes during phone conversations ie: time of call, what call was about, person spoken to, action needing to be taken
Keep a calendar, find one with enough space to write items on specific days
Keep a daily Diary – write in this at the same time every day
Take notes at work, write in a book rather than tear off type notes
Use alarms, pill holders with compartments, or other medicine reminders and organizers
Use a tape recorder to record important things so that you will remember them
Take pictures
Learning more about your diagnoses and finding out as much as you can about treatment or other options may help you to become more positive about your condition.
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If you would like to receive a copy of any previous Newsletters please send a reply email with the name of the requested copy in the subject line. Some of these are archived on our website.
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If you have any questions about what you have read here, about Epilepsy, or the side effects of medications, or any other Health issue you may be concerned about: please contact us at www.2betrhealth.com
(Sometimes our email addresses can get blocked by filters, so if we did not get back to you when you used the first email address, please use these other email addresses.)
“The Doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in cause and prevention of disease” Thomas A. Edison (1847-1931
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Keeping Healthy
The research is clear. Diet and nutrition play key roles in supporting good health (WHO, 2003). Ignorance may be bliss in some cases, but it can be downright dangerous when it comes to your healthcare.
One of the greatest challenges to our healthcare system is the dramatic rise in the incidence of both obesity and diabetes. In the US and Canada, diabetes has increased over 500% during just the last generation. The fact that diabetes is the leading cause of amputations, kidney failure, neuropathy, adult blindness, and premature death due to cardiovascular disease, creates great concern. It just makes sense that rebalancing our healthcare system to include a larger emphasis on primary prevention should be an essential step. And we need to can act now. We know enough today about the principles of primary prevention, and about the basics of a healthy lifestyle (nutrition, exercise, stress management, avoidance of smoking, etc) to implement significant improvements without delay.
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Welcome to this edition of the Epilepsy and Health FREE Newsletter. Please encourage your friends and family, who have an interest in health and wellbeing, to subscribe via our website www.2betrhealth.com . A copy of our some of our previous Newsletters can be viewed online at our website address.
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To keep good health you need to take some preventative measures. First you will need to recognize a possible risk. And if you are exposed to this risk you would need to know how you can protect yourself and avoid getting sick. To start this learning process, you need to sift fact from fiction and know how to utilize this information.
Your body has a very sophisticated protective system, including an immune system and inflammatory processes, plus many other functions that protect you "behind the scenes".
It goes without saying that a healthy body is your first and most important line of defense. It is your best protection. Your body's main area of defense is your immune system. We often hear about our Immune System in terms of being improved by certain vitamins. It seems a simple solution but in actual fact your Immune System is very complex and performs many different functions. A few individual vitamins will not fill all its requirements. A strong Immune System will keep you healthy for a long time. But once it has exhausted its supply of nutrients and can't borrow any more from any part of its system, things start to breakdown. It also stands to reason that the more you look after it, and the less you give it to "correct" or render harmless, the longer it will serve you.
The most important medical discovery of the last half-century concerns "free radicals" and "anti-oxidants". Free radicals have been linked to at least 60 diseases. And we now have evidence that anti-oxidants can stop and (in some cases) can even reverse the damage done by free radicals. Here is how it works. When you produce more free radicals than you can manage, you create what is known as oxidative stress. We all understand that oxygen is essential for life itself; however, it is also inherently dangerous for our existence. The same process that causes a cut apple to turn brown or metal to rust also causes your body to rust inside. This process of oxidative stress, (STRESS is the important word here) is the underlying cause of the overwhelming majority of chronic degenerative diseases. These are diseases like heart disease, diabetes, strokes, cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and the list goes on.
Because of our stressful lifestyles, polluted environment, and over- medicated societies, this generation must contend with more free radicals than any previous generation.
There are many things that increase the number of free radicals you produce, and incidentally, many of these are Triggers also for Seizures and they include:
· Lifestyle choices
· Poor Nutrition
· Unhealthy weight management
· Excessive Stress
· Excessive Exercise
· Pollutants in our air, food, and water
· Sunlight
· Radiation
· Medication
· Cigarette smoke
· Excessive Alcohol consumption
And there are many more that can be added to the list. Some we have more control over than others.
Oxidative stress is literally the dark-side of oxygen. However, we are not totally defenceless against this process. Antioxidants have the ability to neutralize a free radical. Balance is the key. You need to have enough antioxidants available to handle the number of free radicals produced. Then you are able to prevent oxidative stress from occurring.
Our bodies, and each of the cells that compose them, are complex, living systems comprising diverse structures (organs and organelles) that carry out a multitude of integrated biological functions. The importance of a balanced and varied diet is self-evident. It is important to eat a diet that supplies a wide array of nutrient-dense foods; a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and one that supplies all the essential micro-nutrients, including the right amounts and kinds of carbohydrate, protein, and fat.
While diets high in cholesterol are bad for the brain, getting plenty of omega 3 fatty acids, found primarily in fish is vital for heart health, and experts tell us we should be eating several servings of fish every week. Supplements of Omega 3 can be of additional benefit.
DHA is found in high concentrations in the brain and is needed for healthy cognitive function. It is widely believed to have an anti-inflammatory effect and is known to have a protective benefit on the heart. The most concentrated source of DHA is oily fish, such as salmon, tuna, herring, sardines and mackerel.
Good wholesome food intake plays an important role in maintaining optimum fitness and health, body structure and function as well as maximum immunity against disease. Many fruits and vegetables primarily valued for their powerful antioxidants may in fact provide multiple benefits for the aging brain.
New research has also shown that B vitamins, such as niacin and folic acid, are vitally important to brain function and may help keep the mind sharp. Found in a range of foods, including lean meat, fish, legumes, dairy products, grains and green and leafy vegetables, B vitamins appear to help control inflammation and may play a role in the development of new brain cells.
Besides eating more fruits and veggies, avoiding saturated fats and trans fats may also help prevent age-related memory loss. When it comes to the amount of fat in the diet, researchers have found that what’s good for the heart is good for the brain. In the same way that reducing levels of bad cholesterol can prevent arteries from becoming ravaged by atherosclerosis, low cholesterol levels in the diet may also help protect brain cells.
Comprehensive antioxidant protection requires that we consume not only vitamins C and E, but also a full spectrum of antioxidant molecules, all of which are essential for long-term health. Furthermore, we now know that advanced levels of many of the essential nutrients--including vitamin E, vitamin D, and selenium--far in excess of Recommended Daily Allowances, are required to support long-term health
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant, which is very important in the protection of brain and peripheral nerve cells.
Vitamin C can concentrate in the tissue and fluid around the brain and nerves. It is able to pass through the blood brain barrier, and in fact, vitamin C levels are ten times higher in this tissue than in the plasma. When you realize that vitamin C is not only a great antioxidant but also has the ability to regenerate vitamin E and glutathione, it becomes a very important nutrient in protecting brain and nerve cells.
Vitamin D. There are scores of studies supporting the role of calcium and vitamin D supplementation for promoting strong, mineral-rich bones and reducing the risk and progression of osteoporosis. A striking proportion of your body's peak bone mass is built when you're a teenager. Any steps you take now to build bone mass and ward off osteoporosis are certainly a good thing.
The incidence of type-2 diabetes is lower among women who get adequate calcium and supplement with vitamin D. Elevated intakes of calcium and vitamin D, especially from supplements, are significantly associated with lower incidence of type-2 diabetes.
Article Source: Diabetes Care 29:650-656, 2006.
Research has shown that diets in industrialized countries generally fail to supply even minimal levels of many of the essential vitamins, antioxidants and minerals.
These deficits are particularly worrisome for vitamins A, E and B6, as well as for folate, calcium, magnesium, zinc and copper.
In summary then, our bodies' cells are complex, integrated, living systems requiring all the essential vitamins, antioxidants and minerals--in adequate and balanced amounts--to survive and thrive.
As with most things in life, you are responsible for yourself and for what goes on in your body. So you have to know what your body needs and what you put into it will do to you, or for you. It doesn't matter if it's a vegetable or a supplement. The responsibility is yours alone. You may ask for advice, but the end decision is yours. What you put in your body should help your entire body stay healthy: be it food at the dinner table or a supplement to complement the food just eaten.
So protect yourself by learning these basic principles. Become aware of your own body's needs and supply them. The timeframes of primary prevention are measured in decades and lifetimes, not in hours, days, months, or years. Prevention is always the best approach.
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If you have any questions about what you have read here, about Epilepsy, or side effects, or any other Health issues you may be concerned about please contact us at www.2betrhealth.com
In our next Newsletter we will talk about what it feels like, and offer coping strategies, when first diagnosed with Epilepsy.
Copies of our previous Newsletters are archived on our website. We have also recently added new pages titled “Triggers for Seizures”. Take a look around the information we have provided.
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“The Doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in cause and prevention of disease” Thomas A. Edison (1847-1931)
