Epilepsy Talk
The Stats and Facts of Epilepsy
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I call epilepsy a “stealth” disease, because it’s difficult to imagine how so few people can know about a disease that affects so many.
For example, few people know:
* Epilepsy affects over 2.2 million Americans of all ages – almost twice the number who have Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Autism spectrum disorders combined…
Tags: 2.2 million Americans, children, death, Epilepsy, facts, genetics, head injury, soldiers, stats, Stroke, uncontrolled, underfunded
Epilepsy – Yes or No?
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Epilepsy is not a dirty word. Neither is pseudo-seizures. But they both coexist, side by side.
One of the most common complications is the misconception that people who suffer from pseudo-seizures are hypochondriacs, hysterics, or “faking it.” The name for the condition alone, “pseudo-seizures,” perpetuates that misunderstanding.
Tags: "pseudo-seizures", diary, EEGs, Epilepsy, false, grand-mal, hypochondriacs, misdiagnosis, Panic Attacks, petit mal, physical, Physiologic Non-Epileptic Seizures (NES), Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures – (PNES), psychological, symtoms, trauma, true, Video EEG Monitoring
Preparing your child for brain surgery
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There is no “welcome” sign to the world of childhood brain surgery. And the resulting combination of fear, shock, and pain is almost too much to bear.
No amount of preparation or knowledge can help to ease or minimize the situation.
But preparing a child for surgery emotionally, is one of the most important things you can do. Surgery, without proper explanations and preparation, can traumatize a child…
Tags: books, brain, children, doctors', emotions, explanations, fear, hospitals, knowledge, nurses, preparation, reassurances, surgery
Autopsies – Where Did They Go?
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50 years ago, it was pretty easy to find out the cause of a loved one death.
Not so anymore.
An investigation published by ProPublica shows that hospital autopsies have become a rarity…
Tags: autopsies, insurance doesn't pay, mistakes undiscovered, not required, rare
Epilepsy Nightmares – WHY?
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Fear. Screaming. Visions. Bright lights flashing. Hallucinations. Tongue biting. Pain. Paralysis. Pins and needles. Bed wetting.
Do any of these sound familiar?
One person described it as: “During the nightmares, I often get up and run out of the room screaming while still asleep, as if something is chasing me.”
It’s agony. And there’s little to explain it or stop it in its tracks…
Tags: anti-seizure medication, Epilepsy, fear, nightmares, REM, seizure monitor, sleep deprivation, TLE
Epilepsy Scholarships
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When I first started this article, I thought I was whistling in the wind. But I was happily surprised. Epilepsy scholarships do exist!
Some foundations and businesses award thousands of dollars towards your college education, others provide a few hundred. But the more you apply, the better chances you’ll have of getting at least some kind of assistance with your college tuition.
For five good epilepsy scholarship sponsors click on: http://www.collegescholarships.org/health/epileptic-students.htm and you’re off to a really good start!
If You DON’T Have Epilepsy, Then WHAT Is It???
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You might call them “imitators” of epilepsy, but that’s kind of extreme. You might say “similar” or you might say “confused”, which I think they are.
In a previous article titled “Conditions Commonly Misdiagnosed as Epilepsy” http://epilepsytalk.com/2010/02/17/conditions-commonly-misdiagnosed-as-epilepsy/ I thought I had it all covered.
But, believe it or not, that was just the tip of the iceberg. I dug deeper and researched further and here is what I learned about signs and signals which might cause epilepsy, might show the same symptoms of epilepsy, or might be masquerading in their own way as epilepsy…
Tags: Encephalitis, Epilepsy, Hypoglycemia, imitators, infection, Malnutrition, Meningitis, Migraine, Narcolepsy, Panic Attacks, similar, Stroke, Syncope (fainting), Tumor
Laughter as effective as cocaine?
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Yup. A comic cartoon fires up the same brain centre as a shot of cocaine, researchers report.
A team at Stanford University in California asked lab mates, spouses and friends to select the wittiest newspaper cartoons from a portfolio. They showed the winning array to 16 volunteers while peering inside their heads with an MRI.
The cartoons activated the same reward circuits in the brain that are tickled by cocaine, money or a pretty face, the neuroscientists found. (Wow!)
Medical mistakes out of control!
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Believe it or not, the total number of medical errors and deaths in the U.S. equals SIX jumbo jets crashing every day! If a Jumbo Jet crashed and killed 280 people everyday…365 days a year…year after year…would you be concerned about flying? Would you question the Federal Aviation Administration? Would you demand answers?? Think about it…close to 100,000 people dying every year from plane crashes. Sounds Ridiculous??!!
Tags: #1 killer, deaths, diagnostic, inpatient, medical errors, outpatient, surgical, treatment
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