Epilepsy, what can we do?

Across the entirety of England, 600,000 people are diagnosed epileptics, with an estimated 7000 more undiagnosed sufferers. 

So, what causes an epileptic fit? There is no simple answer to this question as there are dozens of forms of Epilepsy, each with their own individual triggers, a few examples are:

• Photosensitive: Possibly the most well known form of epilepsy, known triggers are rapid flashing light, rapid movement and moving intricate patterns.
• Temporal Lobe: The most common of all forms of epilepsy, linked to the temporal lobe in the brain and triggered by sleep depravation, moments of stress or recently after the ingestion of drugs or alcohol.
• Absence Epilepsy: Most common in children, absence fits differ from most forms of epilepsy as they are represented via the sufferer staring blankly and becoming unresponsive, as if they weren’t there. The only known trigger for Absence fits is a lack of sleep.
• Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy: Representing 5-10% of all forms of epilepsy, this is most common around the teenage years and is usually triggered by extended periods of sleep deprivation.

 It is difficult to tie all epilepsies down to a single root cause, as different epilepsy forms often originate from different areas of the brain and some even show no causal signs, leaving medical experts baffled to what started the development of epilepsy.

This is not to say that there are no known causes, to the contrary in fact, scientists have discovered many causes of epilepsy, such as;

1.       Prenatal or Neonatal injuries.

2.       Injury to the brain.

3.       Developmental problems or congenital problems.

4.       Disorders: Commonly a stroke or TLA.

5.       Metabolic abnormalities: E.g. Diabetes, Kidney failure, electrolyte imbalance, Phentlketoneuria, Nutritional deficiency.

6.       Brain Tumour

7.       Infections: E.g. Brain abscess, encephalitis, neurosyphylis.

8.       Hormonal Changes

9.       Degenerative Disorders

It has also been theorised that a lack of magnesium or zinc can lead to the development of epilepsy. This theory came to fruition when it was shown that increasing the flow of Magnesium or Zinc into the body via supplements that the sufferer will begin to show a decrease in seizure frequency and intensity.

A further known causer of Epilepsy is the sweetener Aspartame, which is rich in asapartic acid. This acid is an excitotoxin a known neurotoxin that is noted as causing nerves to “Over-excite” and burn themselves out, occasionally causing an epileptic fit as it does so.

The final triggers I will go into detail on is microwave and radio-wave radiation, several theorists have claimed that the form of these radiation waves causes the agitation of the brainwaves and the cells that can activate an epileptic fit. However these are only theories and require further investigation.

To combat the effects of epilepsy naturally, there are several available methods to increase your resistance to their onset.
The first few are linked to the most well known activators; Sleep, Stress, Drugs, Alcohol and lack of food. These five instigators are relatively easy to address, firstly make sure you are receiving no less than 8 hours of sleep a night, doing so will keep your mind refreshed and active, decreasing the chances of a misfired synapse (a lesser commonly known activator).
Stress, unlike sleep is more difficult to address, as more often than not, the cause of this stress is often not within your control (monetary issues, problems at the work place or even a problem in the family) and therefore you simply cannot “Turn off” the stress. One of the easiest way to relieve the stress would to be to consult a therapist, however there are many other things you can do to relieve stress, many of which will be subjective to you as an individual, going for a long open air walk for example may work for some, in short do what you love and you should naturally calm. It should be noted however that stress, although a common trigger, is not always relevant, if you find that you are under no stress and are still suffering from fits, then you can discount stress as a cause.

Thirdly, the ingestion of non-prescription drugs and alcohol rapidly increase the chances of having an epileptic fit, so reduce your intake of Alcohol (If not completely stop drinking) and do not make use of any non-prescription drugs. In addition be sure to check with a medical expert that any prescriptions you may be on cannot agitate the chances of an epileptic fit.

Finally, make sure you never skip a meal as it has been demonstrated that by missing meals and causing your blood sugar levels to drop you are more likely to have a fit. It is a nice and simple way of fighting off the symptoms of several forms of epilepsy.

As I mentioned earlier, it is believed that a deficiency of magnesium is core to the development of multiple forms of epilepsy. Therefore an obvious way to combat the development of epilepsy is to increase the magnesium levels in your body, there are of course many ways to do this, they key two being supplements and Epsom Salts.
Epsom salts (or magnesium sulphate) are easily procured and high in magnesium, the idea way to get more magnesium into the body. Epsom salt, whilst easy to buy, must be carefully scrutinized to assure its safety. You see, commercial Epsom salt is rife with impurities which are potentially hazardous to humans if ingested, therefore it is important to make sure you are only buying “Food Grade” Epsom salt. If you choose to utilize Epsom salt, my recommended way of taking it is as follows:

• Measure out half a teaspoon of Epsom salts.
• Measure half a cup of fruit juice (to taste)
• Mix the salts into the juice.
• Drink once a day in the morning.

By doing this each morning you can help to increase the amount of magnesium in your body, which will naturally build your resistance to the onset of epileptic fits.

However, if you choose to not take Epsom salts, there are other methods of building up you magnesium levels, such as the aforementioned supplements, but certain foods, such as Cashews, Almonds and Spinach all contain natural deposits of magnesium, so integrating them in your diet will prove beneficial.

Like magnesium, a low level of Zinc in the body can be attributed to causing and creating symptoms of epilepsy, so by taking regular Zinc supplements or eating foods rich in zinc (Oysters, Lamb, Peanuts, Crab etc) you can build up your natural Zinc levels. Vitamin B1 is also believed to be deficient in the bodies of many suffering from epilepsy, and it has been shown that by increasing the amount of Vitamin B1 in the body lessens the chances of developing epilepsy or the chances of entering a fit.  

With these simple changes and additions to ones lifestyle you should be able to further you bodily defences against the onset of epileptic attacks, but don’t forget one thing, Epilepsy is a serious illness and the advice of your Doctor or medical practitioner should be adhered to for your own safety.