Epilepsy: Causes and Natural Treatment

Epilepsy means interception.  It is a disease that has been known since antiquity and frequently affects about 0.5% of the population.  I can affect people of all ages.

What is epilepsy?

This is an illness characterized by one or several neurological disorders that can cause recurrent seizures which frequently leave neurobiological, cognitive, psychological and social consequences.

What is an epileptic convulsion?

It is caused by an over excitement brain anomaly which causes a reaction in the body that occurs suddenly and for a short amount of time.  The convulsion is characterized by an abnormal synchrony and excessive neuronal activity which generate temporary, involuntary and compulsive body movements that can be violent and aggressive, sometimes hurting the person who suffers from them.  The crisis can last from seconds to minutes, or in rare occasions, it can continue for hours.

Possible causes of epilepsy (it is not always possible to identify the cause)

• Any sorts of brain damage, be it cranial trauma or results of illnesses like meningitis, tumors, etc.
• Abnormal sodium or glucose levels in the blood.
• Violent suppression by some medications, alcohol, and drugs, especially in adults.
• Genetic predisposition.
• Kidney failure, uremia, electrolyte imbalances and nutritional deficiencies.
• Use and abuse of drugs (cocaine, amphetamines, alcohol or other recreational drugs) could cause convulsions.
• Cardiovascular accidents.
• Metabolic disorders could cause seizures.  In newborns, hypocalcemia, hypoglycemia, pyridoxine deficiency, and phenylketonuria are all causes of seizures.

Emotional causes: in the same way that we could inherit our grandfather’s eyes and our dad’s height, etc., we can also inherit, for example, our grandmother’s insecurities, our father’s resentment, our mother’s depreciation, etc.  Illnesses are hereditary sometimes because we also inherit the emotional world from our family tree, and emotions play a largely influential role in what we suffer from.  In this case, epilepsy is related to an emotional world with deeply rooted emotions such as violence or rejection of life.  This can represent a great struggle or a confusing, violent, absurd, and aggressive place; a place of strict and severe judgement.  This way of translating life could create great feelings of fear and self-violence, which the body will absorb and translate into this disease.

Types of epilepsy

Idiopathic: the cause of this type of epilepsy in unknown and could present at any age.  No other neurological anomalies are present, and the patient generally has some sort of family history with it.

Symptomatic: there could be several different causes of this type of epilepsy which include congenital abnormalities and prenatal injuries.  These types cause convulsions to appear during infancy and childhood.

A few symptoms (according to the International League against Epilepsy):

• Partial simple seizures: this manifests as a violent body shaking that could have previous symptoms like itching or sensory symptoms like flashes of light of ringing.  Symptoms like sweating, redness, pupil dilation, etc., could also present.  When psychic symptoms present, there is also likely a consciousness deterioration.  
• Partial complex seizures: in addition to violent body shakes, this deteriorates consciousness

Diagnosis: requires a physical examination that involves a detailed neuromuscular check-up, and a detailed description of brain activity by an electroencephalogram.  Examinations to determine the cause of the epilepsy and its location could include lab work and research like an MRI, tomography, and lumbar puncture.

Epilepsy treatment

• People who suffer from this condition should avoid dangerous situations or those that threaten their safety in times of crisis.
• Seizure symptoms can be reduced with proper diet and rest.  Abstinence from drugs and alcohol can also decrease the probability of setting off a seizure in an epileptic person.
• In general, recurrent seizures are frequently prescribed pharmaceutical treatment with the purpose of preventing a crisis.  This medical treatment is administered when there are no symptoms for at least four years.  However, the need to medicate oneself could reduce and even eliminate over time according to the results of some alternative treatments.
• Some types of child epilepsy are solved or decrease with age.  If four years have passed with no seizures, medication can be reduced or stopped.
• If you  have identified the cause, it should be treated specifically, as in the case of tumors, which may require surgery.

Helping someone who’s having a seizure

An epileptic crisis could sometimes present complications which are caused by hits, falls, or involuntary biting of the tongue or lips.  In this case, try to help the person by controlling their arms and their movements, moving them away from dangerous objects and giving them a harmless object to bite so as to avoid hurting themselves with a bite.

Natural and Holistic medicine to support an epileptic person

Natural medicine is a type of medicine that has the enormous advantage of helping the person not only fight or reduce symptoms, but it attempts a deep cure for the condition by taking into consideration all aspects of the human being, like their personal life, family habits, way of seeing and feeling life, etc.

To help a person with epilepsy you must consider their diet.  A ketogenic diet could be a “basic principle” for beginning to cure this illness.  This diet consists of a dietary regimen high in fats, which facilitates a chemical reaction in the body that could help reduce the epileptic crises.

A few popular remedies for fighting this condition is to mix rosemary with equal parts Rue (Herb-of-grace).  Boil for 10 minutes and drink as an infusion.

• Bioenergy could help balance energetic and electric circulation in the body, which is why a bioenergetic session could be greatly helpful.
• Reflexology, acupuncture, etc., are practices that, if accompanied by a transpersonal psychological therapy, could be very effective at treating this problem.

References

1. Hay, L.L. 1984. You can heal your life. Paperback: 272 pages. Publisher: Hay House Inc.; 2 edition (January 1, 1984). Language: English. ISBN-10: 9780937611012. ISBN-13: 978-0937611012. ASIN: 0937611018

Revised by: Dra. Loredana Lunadei on 11/18/2018

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