Epilepsy Talk
Groundbreaking Report: A Giant Step for Epilepsy
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In a special presentation from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a groundbreaking report was released with 13 recommendations that the IOM designed to help improve care for all people with epilepsy…
The “SmartPen” –- PERFECT for Struggling Students!
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For all those struggling students, now there’s this new, incredible device called the “Smartpen”.
Yup. A pen can be smart.
Here is a pen that could transform the life of a learning disabled child. Or a physically challenged person.
How about a pen that might bring up the grades of a college student who finds it difficult to take notes fast enough to record the main points covered by lecturers?
A Smartpen is a computer in a pen that can capture handwriting at the same time as recording speech. Users can tap on their notes to replay what was recorded. Think of it as a digital “touch” pen…
Tags: answers, defines, digital, Epilepsy, help, improve grades, learning disabled, smartpen, struggling students
Increased Birth Defect Risks in Two FDA-Approved Epilepsy Medications
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Two epilepsy drugs – Lamictal and Keppra – which are currently listed in category C may be dangerous to a fetus and should be listed in category D, according to new data. The difference between the categories is that D shows evidence of risk, but the benefits outweigh the risks…
Tags: Birth Defects, dangers, Epilepsy, Keppra, Lamictal, pregnancy
Epilepsy Brought Alive By Three Amazing Talents
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Maggie Mendus, Tiffany Webb and Terry Tracy all have one thing in common: Epilepsy and a rare, inspiring talent. Through poetry, fiction and film, they take us on a jorney of what it is like to live through seizures with astounding depth and feeling.
Don’t miss any of these three creative break-throughs.
Tell Your Senators: STOP Cuts in Epilepsy Research and Disability Programs…Take Action NOW!!!
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Tell Your Senators: STOP Cuts in Epilepsy Research and Disability Programs!!! Take Action NOW!
The House of Representatives recently passed HR 1, a bill that would provide funding for millions of government programs for the remainder of the current fiscal year. The bill contains cuts to programs that are important to people with epilepsy including: $1 billion in research funding at the National Institutes of Health, of which $5 million will likely come from epilepsy.
The Senate is likely to vote on this same measure in the next week.
Please ask your Senator to vote against HR 1 when it comes to the Senate. Please also spread the word by telling a friend about these cuts, NOW.
MEG — Could It CURE Your epilepsy?
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Regardless of your age or epilepsy syndrome, all patients of all ages deserve the possibility of living seizure-free. And for those with intractable seizures, surgery is often the answer. But it’s a scary and risky proposition.
But, now there’s new hope when all else fails. A powerful new brain scanning tool which could make all the difference between successful and unsuccessful surgery. Even for those whose surgery has failed before.
Called the MEG (Magnetoencephalography), this powerful scanner acts as a real-time brain mapping and imaging device to determine where the epicenters of seizures are in the brain. It can detect changes in brain waves that occur on the order of milliseconds, as opposed to a second or more with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). And for a select few patients, those extra milliseconds can mean the difference between life and death.
Tags: brain scanner, CURE, death, Epilepsy, insurance approved, life, MEG, non-invasive, precise, surgery
Clinical Trials. YES or NO?
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If I was asked to take part in a clinical trial, I’m not sure what I’d say…
First there is the fear factor. Would I be a guinea pig for something dangerous? Would they take away my medicines? Would it hurt me? Would it change something in me?
I asked those very questions to Patient Advocate David Albaugh at Team Epilepsy. http://www.teamepilepsy.org/
Here’s what he had to say…
Tags: clinical trial, Epilepsy, hope, medications, progress
Your Child Has Just Been Diagnosed With Epilepsy…
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The diagnosis comes in. It’s epilepsy.
Your heart drops to the bottom of your stomach. You may panic…or cry…or call in the troops for support.
Whether your child is an infant, toddler, grade schooler, adolescent or young adult, how you behave now will make a world of difference to their future.
Here are some resources to help you help your child…
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