Epilepsy, a neurological disorder is caused by inexplicable nerve cell activities in the brain. These activities lead to abnormal and recurrent episodes called seizures. Seizures can get triggered by lack of sleep, tiredness, excessive alcohol intake and stress.
America has an appalling incidence rate for epilepsy, and the figures have only worsened over the last few years. Capping the analysis at five years, the number hovers close to 3 million a year. It is in our best interest that we delve deep and keep ourselves abreast of the treatments available for epilepsy before it reaches epidemic proportions. Here are some of the best treatment for epilepsy that you need to know about.
Proper diagnosis
Navigating through various treatments, it is imperative that patients find a comprehensive epilepsy center where there are specialized doctors and surgeons for the job on the hands. A clinical approach to getting started with the treatment could be taking all the prescribed tests done. For patients previously diagnosed with epilepsy and patients who have had multiple seizures in the past, the doctor may do an electroencephalogram test to gauge the medical history of the patient. For children and adults who have had their first seizure, an image scan or MRI can be done to rule out other possibilities, like a tumor.
Try the VNS treatment
Epilepsy occurrences have been baffling doctors and neurosurgeons for years now, and we still do not have a lucid account of why some people respond to antiepileptic drugs and the rest do not. In 1997, a study was done at the American Academy of Neurology which led to the formulation of Vagus Nerve Stimulation(VNS) as the method to reduce seizure occurrence by a whopping 50 percent. The US Food and Drug Administration, in 1999, approved VNS for the treatment of seizures caused by anxiety and depression in patients that are 18 years or older and those who had not responded adequately to at least four antidepressant treatments. The treatment involves a process that usually delivers electrical impulses to the vagus nerve. The goal of doctors has always been total seizure control in patients reporting epilepsy symptoms. This is usually why most doctors find VNS as the best treatment for epilepsy.
Antiepileptic drugs
Talking about the more recently preferred treatments for epilepsy, more than 70 percent patients have responded well to the antiepileptic drugs prescribed by doctors. Patients taking antiepileptic drugs and those undergoing surgery have attained good to complete control over their epileptic seizures. Drug medication being successful in most cases of epilepsy, there can be major side effects of these drugs. Patients often suffer from problems relating to mood, attention, and behavior as a result of antiepileptic drugs. Also, if surgery is not an option, patients should consult their doctors and get guidance regarding the right treatment and the appropriate combination of medicines. Use of antiepileptic drugs, ideally, should depend on the patient’s age, lifestyle and the type of seizure. Pregnancy is another crucial factor which needs to be taken care of before starting the drug cycle. There are around 26 anti-epileptic drugs with each being used for treating a different type of epileptic seizure. Each drug tends to work better with certain kinds of seizures than for others. In general, AEDs work by either enhancing the excitation or by reducing the inhibition. Technically and precisely, these drugs alter and regulate the electrical activity in the neurons by juggling with the ion (sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride) concentration in the cell membrane of the brain.
Natural remedies are considered best treatment for epilepsy
With an ever-increasing number of people seeking natural remedies for all kinds of ailments, many epilepsy patients find refuge in herbal remedies and consider these as the best treatment for epilepsy. Usually, the herbs that are known to lessen and control the symptoms include valerian, lily of the valley, peony, skullcap, tree of heaven, mistletoe, groundsel, and the like. Similarly, several studies have found many Asian medicines to have anticonvulsant effects on the ailment.
Vitamins that help control seizures
Often, the drugs that are used to treat epilepsy can cause several vitamin deficiencies. It is therefore important that you include vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B-6, magnesium, and the like.
Dietary changes do help
Apart from medicines and other remedies, dietary changes may prove to be the best treatment for epilepsy that can significantly help reduce seizures. Some diets that turn out to be helpful include ketogenic diet, low carb and high-fat diet, and an improved type
Putting it in a nutshell, the best treatment for epilepsy for anyone hit by the disorder varies primarily with factors as generic as someone’s age to technical parameters such as sodium ion concentration in 95 percentile neurons of the cell membrane. Seeing people across the globe, responding well to the medication they receive, a remarkable reduction in the grisly number of patients succumbing to the disease is certainly achievable.
