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Epilepsy, An Electrical Storm in the Brain
In early civilizations, the site of an epileptic seizure caused humanity to react in either terror or awe. The person living with epilepsy would be thought of either possessed by evil spirits or as having the ability to speak with the gods.
Even in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, parents hid away their son or daughter who suffered from the “scourge” in asylums to not bring harm to the family. It has only been in the last part of the nineteenth and this century that a deeper understanding, new tests, and treatments have been found.
So, what is epilepsy? Epilepsy is a brain condition that affects the entire nervous system and disrupts normal brain activity. When the brain wave patterns become abnormal, the person will experience an “electrical storm” in their brain or seizure.
What is a Seizure?
A seizure is a sudden, uncontrollable electrical disturbance in the brain that causes convulsions, periods of strange behavior, and/or a loss of awareness. There are many different types of seizures that range by how severe they are, and they can last from thirty seconds to several minutes.
According to the Epilepsy Foundation, below are listed some facts everyone should know about epilepsy.
