Living with Epilepsy

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Living with Epilepsy

The person suddenly cries out, loses consciousness, falls to the ground, and foams at the mouth. Their arms and legs jerk convulsively for several minutes. What would your reaction be? As a bystander, would you know how to assist this person? Could this happen to you? Epilepsy has been studied for a long time and it is important to have a basic understanding of this disorder.

According to Epilepsy.com, Epilepsy is " a neurological condition that affects the nervous system."(2006) Epilepsy is also known as a seizure. Epilepsy is usually diagnosed after a person has had at least two seizures that were not caused by some known medical condition. The word Epilepsy comes from the Greek word for seizure. Seizures are the major symptoms of Epilepsy. The seizures can be related to brain injury or family history but, Epilepsy does not tell us about the cause of Epilepsy, what type they are, or how severe they are. People call any tendency to convulsion, "Epilepsy." The word convulsions and Epilepsy and spells bring up in many minds the unjustified ideas of an impure life, an incurable disease, a public menace, a family disgrace, impending insanity and the like. If the public understood the realities of this disorder, the name would no longer cause embarrassment. With all its advantages, the word Epilepsy is so firmly embedded in our language that it will probably never be dropped. What is important is that the person and society learn about their condition regardless of the technical terms that are associated with Epilepsy.

There are different causes of Epilepsy. Anybody could have a seizure if the right conditions are there. One of the causes of Epilepsy is having a disease in the brain, a tumor, or scars tha...

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...re they take their medication regularly. Many problems have been associated with Epilepsy that can easily be treated. It is very difficult to live with Epilepsy and it is not an easy task. With more knowledge about epilepsy, hopefully this would put others more at ease if they were to encounter someone else having a seizure. They would know exactly what to do.

Bibliography

M.D Puttam, Tracy. Epilepsy: What it is & What to do about it. New York: Lipponcott, 1958, 1-186.

Minters, Frances C. & Ph.d Sands, Harry. The Epilepsy Fact Book. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1979, 1-100.

Ph.d Wright, George N.. Epilepsy Rehabilitation. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1975, 1-219.

"What is Epilepsy." Epilepsy, www.epilepsy .com/epilepsy/ history. February 27,2006.

"Controlling Epilepsy." FDA, www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/CONSUMER/con00142.html. February 27,2006.

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