Epilepsy

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder causing unusual behavior, sensations, and loss of awareness due to changes in the neurological functioning of the brain. Anyone may have periods of seizures- men and women of all ages and ethnic backgrounds.

People with epilepsy may have two or more unprovoked seizures. The seizure could be due to the disruption of electrical activity in the brain, which affects the communication amongst brain cells.

There are two forms of seizures- generalized seizures affect the whole brain, and partial seizures affect a portion of the brain. Strong seizures can cause severe complications and painful muscle cramps, while mild ones may cause you a lack of awareness.

Yearly epilepsy affects millions of people around the world, and only medications and therapies are a source of hope for people. Sometimes surgery can help control seizures in the majority of cases. Some children with epilepsy may outgrow the condition as they age.

Signs

Seizure is one of the main signs of epilepsy. But other conditions also accompany during the course asking for an immediate response from your doctor, such as:

  • Blackouts or short term memory loss
  • Intermittent fainting is characterized by the loss of bladder or bowel control, biting your tongue, extreme tiredness, and loss of consciousness to understand or perceive surroundings.
  • sudden stiffness
  • repetitive movements that seem involuntary
  • sudden bouts of blinking without apparent stimuli
  • peculiar changes in senses, such as smell, touch, and sound
  • panic or anger attacks
  • Uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs

The signs may vary depending on the type and intensity of seizures. In people with epilepsy, the type of seizures is usually the same every time, so signs will also be similar in the different episodes.

When to see a doctor

It is imperative to seek consultation with your doctor if any of these symptoms occur repeatedly.

  • The episodes of seizure last more than five minutes.
  • Consciousness doesn’t return soon.
  • The recurrent seizure follows immediately.
  • You have a fever.
  • You’re pregnant.
  • You have diabetes.

Causes

Epilepsy has no rational cause in half the people with the condition. Though there are some general causes in other people as well:

  • Genetic influence: Some types of epilepsy are characterized by genetic influence. Likely there is a genetic influence in people who have some part of the brain affected. Certain genes make a person vulnerable to conditions to certain conditions that trigger seizures.
  • Brain disorders: Disorders like tumors, strokes can also cause epilepsy. Stroke mostly causes epilepsy in people in their late 30s. Traumatic events such as accidents or head injuries also put you at risk of epilepsy.
  • Developmental disorders: Epilepsy is also linked to developmental disorders like autism and mental retardation.
  • Prenatal injury: The babies are prone to brain damage when they are in the mother’s womb. The possible factors linked to prenatal injury include poor nutrition, infections in the mother, and oxygen deficiencies. Brain epilepsy often leads to cerebral palsy or epilepsy in children.
  • Infectious diseases: Such as AIDs, viral encephalitis, meningitis, AIDS, can cause epilepsy.

Risk factors

Several factors may increase your risk of epilepsy, such as:-

  • Family history: Having a family history of epilepsy likely increases your risk of developing signs of epilepsy.
  • Age: The occurrence of epilepsy is most common in children and adults.
  • Family history: If you have a family history of epilepsy, you may be at an increased risk of developing a seizure disorder.
  • Accidents: Accidents cause most head injuries and so increases the risk of epilepsy. Fortunately, you can always take preventive measures to prevent head injuries.
  • Dementia: Dementia which is the loss of memory elevates the risk of epilepsy in older adults.
  • Vascular diseases: Vascular diseases cause brain damage and possibly leads to epilepsy.
  • Seizures in childhood: High fevers in children link to seizures but the risk is high only if a child has long episodes of seizures, a family history of epilepsy, or any nervous system disorder.

Diagnosis

Imaging tests can help a doctor diagnose if you have epilepsy, which may be as follow:

  • An electroencephalogram (EEG) test detects electrical activity in the brain using electrodes attached to your scalp.
  • CT and MRI scan to check for structural irregularities. MRI helps rules out abnormal brain functioning, and CT may help detect the place in the brain from where the seizures appear.
  • Magnetoencephalogram uses magnetic signals which can identify irregularities in brain function.

Other tests may include:

  • Neurological tests help diagnose your health condition and determine the type of epilepsy you may have.
  • Blood tests help identify the underlying cause of epilepsy, such as genetic conditions or infections.

Ayurvedic treatment for epilepsy

As per Ayurveda, the classification of seizures rule out the type of epilepsy. Seizures are classified as Vataj, Pittaj, Kaphaj & Sannipatik.

The characteristics of each seizure are as follow:

  • Vataj: Aggravated by Vayu, this seizure lasts for a short time resulting in increased respiratory rate, foam from the mouth, and fits.
  • Pittaj seizures: Aggravated by Pitta Dosha, this seizure causes sweating, yellowish foam from the mouth. The temperature of the body rises after this form of seizure, and you feel dehydrated after the seizure.
  • Kaphaj seizures: Vitiated by Kapha Dosha, this form of seizure lasts for a long time, ranging from seconds to minutes. The patient who experiences this seizure feels heaviness in the body.
  • Sannipatik seizures: This type of seizure is caused by the aggravation of all three Dosha.

For each type of seizure, there is a customized ayurvedic treatment that fits the health need of an individual.