Methods Of Treating Epilepsy

Deep Brain Stimulation

This is another way of using electrical impulses to control epileptic seizures. A seizure is caused by an abnormal burst of electrical impulses, but deep brain stimulation provides a steady electrical current that prevents those bursts. Electrodes are placed in the brain to help control the flow of electricity in much the same way a pacemaker controls the heart's function. This can be an effective treatment for controlling seizures when other methods have failed. Alternatively, this can sometimes be the preferred choice over more invasive, or high risk, procedures. Before the electrodes can be inserted into the brain, the doctor will have to run tests on the patient to ensure the therapy will work effectively and safely. This includes using having an MRI or a CT scan to help map the brain and determine the best locations for the electrodes. While the electrodes won't eliminate seizures, they do help control them and limit their frequency. In one study, it was found individuals experienced fifty-six percent fewer seizures, after having the electrodes for two years.

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Ketogenic Diet

Using the ketogenic diet to treat epileptic seizures is not new, even though the diet has been gaining in popularity in recent years. The diet mimics fasting, which has been used to treat epilepsy for centuries. Individuals with epilepsy were often ordered to only consume water for extended periods because it was discovered starvation would eliminate epileptic seizures for long periods. Children as young as ten were subjected to this treatment after other efforts had failed. Today, the ketogenic diet relies on a high fat, low carbohydrate diet to produce the same effects. Since the body thinks it's starving, it releases ketones, which convert fat to energy. Although it's not known why, those ketones also prevent seizures from occurring. Changing your diet may be a simpler way to reduce seizures than to endure invasive procedures, though this won't cure the disease. In many cases, this can be the only way to control the frequency and duration of seizures in more severe cases of epilepsy.

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