Epilepsy Seizures

Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain characterized by spontaneous repeated seizures of any type occurring without an immediate cause.  Epilepsy can affect people of any age.

The seizures of epilepsy, called fits or convulsions are a result of abnormal electrical signals of the brain. A seizure may last from a few seconds to minutes. The type of seizure depends on the part of the brain affected and the cause of the seizure.

Causes of Seizures
 In most cases the cause of the seizure cannot be identified; these seizures may begin between age 5 and 20.  Seizures may also be as a result of an inherited abnormality.  Other causes are:

• Head injury
• Birth trauma
• Strokes
• Family history of seizures
• Infections
• Injury during development in the womb

Some seizures are related to: Exposure to drugs, withdrawal from drugs, abnormal levels of sodium in the blood or to abnormal levels of glucose in the blood. If these seizures cease after correcting the problems, a diagnosis of epilepsy cannot be made.

Types of Seizures
The two main types of seizures are Generalized and Partial.
 
1-Generalized seizures affect all or most of the brain, they can be tonic-clonic or absence seizures.

Tonic-Clonic Seizures- In this type of seizure there is violent muscle contractions of the whole body.  It is the most frightening of seizures. The following may occur:
The body will go rigid and stiff.
Breathing may stop temporarily.
The person may utter a cry and fall to the ground.
The person may bite his tongue causing bleeding
There is confusion following the seizure.
There may be incontinence of urine and loss of consciousness.

Absence Seizures- In Generalized Absence seizures there may be minimal or no movements at all, except for eye blinking. There could be sudden loss of awareness or loss of full consciousness .This type of seizure occurs most often in childhood.

2-Partial Seizures-Partial seizures affect only a portion of the brain; it can be a simple partial seizure or a complex partial one.

The person with a partial seizure may have abnormal feelings or sensations.  Other signs  are:

• A strange smell or odor
•  Hallucinations
• Muscle contractions of a part of the body
• Nausea
• Sweating
• Feelings of déjà vu

In partial complex seizures there may also be a change in personality and meaningless behavior. There may be confusion and loss of memory.

Seizures may change over the years. Persons who have lived with epilepsy for many years may find that their seizures change as they age.

When to seek medical Attention?
Call emergency 911 if the person is having a seizure for the first time or is not wearing a medical alert bracelet.

If the person is a known epileptic call emergency 911 when:
There are repeated seizures with loss of consciousness and consciousness is not regained between seizures
There are repeated seizures over a few minutes
The seizure is lasting longer than is normal for that person

Individuals living with epilepsy would contact their health professional if their symptoms change or become worse. They would need to contact their health professional for any change in medication.

Managing Weight With Diabetes

Being overweight increases your risk for developing type 2 diabetes. If you are both a diabetic and  overweight you are dealing with two health issues. 

Once diagnosed with diabetes, maintaining good health will require both weight control and disease management. This will require health care at home; you will require special care to control your blood sugar.

 After seeing a diabetes specialist you will need to self-care at home to control your blood sugar and weight. Self-care will help you maintain good health.

A healthy weight will help you manage diabetes. A healthy weight will improve your blood glucose and prevent complications from diabetes. Any weight loss plans would be integrated with blood glucose management.

 Diet and physical activity are important in maintaining a healthy weight, but you will also need to keep your blood glucose within a target range

Remember your weight loss and lifestyle changes can affect blood glucose. Monitoring your blood sugar at home will allow you to keep track of its’s progress. There are many self monitoring glucose devices for home use that are simple to use, get one so you can monitor your blood glucose keep records of their value 

Set a goal to lose the excess weight by making changes to your diet and improving physical activity. 
Know your body mass index, this can be calculated online and is available free. Your body mass index (BMI) will be 25 and over if you are overweight and 30 and over if you are obese. 

Once you are diagnosed with diabetes work on losing 5-10 % of your body weight. You can calculate it online and from home. Ca

 If you are on medication for diabetes, tell your doctor about your plans to lose weight and ask for support and recommendations.

 Most medical professionals do not include weight control in their care so you will have to manage your weight at home with self-care.

 Weight management programs will help. Here is a weight management program that is easy to use and free, it will enable a diabetic to self-care with or without medical supervision for diabetes.
 Click Here to read about this FREE program. It can help you self-care at home, lose weight and manage your diabetes.

Eat Fish -Not Supplements

Unhealthy eating is the #1 avoidable risk factor for non-communicable diseases such as stroke, cancer and heart disease. Fortunately it is also the simplest risk factor to modify.

For healthy eating,  it is recommended that a diet includes 2 servings of fish per week, also recommended is omega 3 and 6 fish oils.

According to a recent study 2 servings of fish per week reduces the risk for strokes, but not fish oil supplements. This is another reason to place diet as number 1 and not rely on supplements.

For the study, researchers examined the association between oily fish and the risk of strokes or mini strokes; The study was a very large one involving 800,000 participants from 15 countries.The researchers examined the participants fish and long chain omega 3 fatty acid consumption. 

The study found that those who eat two to four servings of fish per week had a 6 % lower risk for strokes. Fish oil supplements were not linked to reduced risk for the disease.
 
During the study, 34,817 strokes and mini strokes were recorded.
Read more On the study

Fish is a healthy alternative to animal meat, it is recommended instead of red meat. Too much red meat has been linked to the cause of colon cancer in industrialized countries.

These oily fish that are so good for the diet are:

• Salmon
• Sardines
• Mackerel
• Trout
• Tuna

 You can develop healthy eating habits by being your first health insurance.
Click Here.