What not to do with epilepsy - a detailed analysis of risk factors

For a disease such as epilepsy, vitamins are an important treatment measure.

This is particularly true for folic acid, as the amount of this component in the brain decreases for some time after a seizure.

Let's consider whether it is possible to take folic acid in the treatment of epilepsy, and how to do it.

The use of B vitamins to normalize the functioning of the nervous system among patients with epilepsy

Group B is one of the most common vitamin complexes for preventing the manifestations of epilepsy. The main role of this group is to act as a catalyst for cellular metabolism, which leads to stabilization of the patient’s brain and nervous system.

The most commonly used representatives of the B vitamin group for the treatment of the disease are:

• Riboflafin is one of the most important factors in the formation of red blood cells in the body, therefore it is widely used for the treatment of organs and tissues that are characterized by a high density of blood vessels. This is especially true for brain damage, which includes epileptic seizures.
• One of the main functions of pantothenic acid is considered to provoke the secretion of fatty acids and act as a catalyst for the acetylation process, including the absorption of folic acid, which is one of the most common vitamin elements prescribed for epilepsy.
• The presence of a sufficient amount of folic acid in the body is one of the most important conditions for the development of the circulatory and immune systems, providing the necessary environment for the survival of new cells. The main problem is that the human body cannot produce it on its own, and auxiliary elements are needed for its absorption. Its deficiency is especially acute during tonic-clinical attacks.

Auxiliary elements

For better absorption of the elements described above, it is also recommended to use related substances from the B vitamin group: vitamin H, biotin, carnitine, coenzyme R and vitamin B A to bring folic acid into an active state, it is necessary to absorb a proportional dose of B6.

Treatment of helminth infections with chemicals

The antihelminthic drugs used are thiabendazole (Mintezol), mebendazole (Vermox), medamine, diethylcarbamazine, which are very toxic (destroy the liver, kidneys, and brain). In addition, they are not effective enough against tissue forms (parasite larvae found in granulomas in internal organs), so the number of helminths in the body may not change (or they will soon restore their appearance if a nutrient medium conducive to their reproduction remains inside the body), and in It’s also time for liver, kidney, and central nervous system diseases caused by drug intoxication to appear. After treatment with chemical drugs, a course of rehabilitation with natural drugs is necessary.

Features of the use of vitamins E for the regeneration of nerve cells

Tocopherol, or vitamin E, is included in most drug complexes for the treatment of epilepsy and other disorders of the circulatory and nervous system. The most active element of the group is alpha-tocopherol, which is designed to enhance the anticonvulsant effect of other medications and trace elements used to treat the disease.

Also, one cannot fail to mention that tocopherol helps normalize blood flow, which leads to the prevention of pressure surges and anemia, which can provoke an epileptic seizure.

Moreover, tocopherol is prescribed to pregnant women to prevent the development of brain pathologies that can cause the development of epilepsy in the fetus.

Can it be cured completely?

The disease is neurological and manifests itself in the form of convulsive attacks that occur suddenly.

Most often, such attacks are accompanied by a fall, foam appears from the mouth, convulsions occur throughout the body, and the patient makes terrible inhuman sounds. The picture is unattractive.

Seizures can also manifest themselves in other ways. A person, being in a vertical position, simply falls out of reality for a few seconds.

At this moment he stops reacting to everything happening around him. If you do not pay attention to this behavior in time, it will contribute to the further development of the disease.

In older people, epilepsy can occur due to stress, severe trauma, or a heart attack. But most often the symptoms of the disease appear in childhood.

Causes of epilepsy in children:

1. Fetal hypoxia at 9 months of pregnancy.
2. Intrauterine infection during pregnancy.
3. Birth damage.
4. Heredity.
5. Diseases of the cardiovascular system.
6. Brain tumor.
7. Traumatic brain injury.

Always be attentive to your child. If you notice something suspicious in his behavior, you need to contact a neurologist.

To make a diagnosis, the doctor will conduct all the necessary studies, video monitoring, and send you for tests. The sooner you start fighting, the higher the chances of success.

If epilepsy is treated for up to a year, the prognosis is very favorable, up to complete recovery.

At an older age, it will not be possible to completely get rid of the disease.

But the attacks can be brought under control. It is enough to follow the doctor's instructions.

If seizures do not recur over several years, the doctor will stop taking anticonvulsants.

In this case, the attacks may never happen again.

The use of vitamin D in the treatment of epilepsy

Most vitamin and mineral complexes imply possible changes in blood pressure, therefore, in combination with the active elements, a regulator must be prescribed. Most often, D2 (ergocalciferol) is used, much less often D3 (cholecalciferol).

In addition, representatives of group D are designed to absorb calcium and phosphorus, which are necessary for the normal development of the muscular and bone skeleton, as well as strengthening the body's immune system, which are necessary factors for reducing the risks of an epileptic seizure.

It is important to understand that both of the above elements are toxic and have a cumulative effect. An overdose of drugs can have very serious consequences, so the dosage must be strictly regulated by the attending physician, and regular biochemical monitoring is mandatory.

Epilepsy and employment: does an employer have the right to fire an employee due to a seizure?

Finding employment is not an easy task for anyone, but for people with epilepsy it is a real challenge.

Dmitry Z. turned 18 in July, and he was faced with the question of finding a job. On the Internet, the young man found a vacancy as a sales consultant in a construction hypermarket in Yekaterinburg. After passing the interview, the young man received the position, but he only managed to work in the new place for only a short time: two weeks later he had an epileptic seizure. Colleagues were scared, and the next day the managers of the hypermarket asked Dmitry to write a letter of resignation of his own free will.

Due to inexperience and ignorance of his rights, the young man quit himself.

Dmitry became an epileptic 8 years ago. His attacks are infrequent and mostly nocturnal. Therefore, this does not particularly bother him in life. However, as it turned out, it is almost impossible to get and hold a job with epilepsy. Before reaching the age of 18, the young man more than once encountered the fact that employers refused him even unofficial employment after learning about his illness.

However, Dmitry does not have a disability. Doctors believe that the disease does not interfere with the young man’s life.

“A person with epilepsy who also has some other intellectual component, mental retardation, for example, can become disabled. It’s just that someone with seizures won’t give you a disability. Moreover, if they are not private, isolated and do not interfere with the quality of life,” said CSTO epileptologist No. 1 Artem Volodkevich.

According to him, people with epilepsy cannot work at heights, on the railroad, or in the kitchen. The positions of driver, hairdresser, miner, geologist and others are also prohibited. However, the work of a programmer, fashion designer, accountant, artist, or operator is quite suitable for epileptics. It should be calm and non-risky, so that in the event of a possible attack, harm will not be caused to people around.

“It is certainly possible to work as a sales consultant in such cases,” Volodkevich believes.

From a legal point of view, an employer does not have the right to fire an employee for an epileptic seizure, and the managers of the Yekaterinburg construction hypermarket broke the law by firing Dmitry.

“The employer had no right to fire him. This is forced resignation. These issues are resolved in the courts, this is a violation,” the labor inspectorate told EAN.

According to lawyers, it is quite difficult to prove the fact of coercion. However, if a person still has correspondence or recorded telephone conversations, then coercion is provable.

“A sales consultant is not a position for which you need to undergo a medical examination, there are no special health requirements in this case. The fact that he had a seizure at work is not grounds for dismissal at the employer’s initiative, it is not a disciplinary offense, Dmitry did nothing wrong,” the lawyers say.

According to them, even if an employee hit his head hard during an attack and was injured, the employer would not be held responsible for this, since such an injury is not considered work-related.

“The employer is most likely afraid of material losses. For example, if a young man is injured during an attack, the employer will then have to pay him sick leave. And a person with epilepsy can break some goods, this again means material losses and problems,” experts say.

This case is far from the first and not the last, and the law in such situations is constantly violated.

Ekhtiram Sh. from Bogdanovich has been suffering from epilepsy for 13 years, now he is 28. The young man was luckier than Dmitry. He had no significant problems with work, but his illness prevented him from getting the education he dreamed of.

“I was just lucky when I got a job. Employers asked what to do if an attack suddenly happened. I told them everything. There were seizures, of course, at work... The only thing I regret is that because of epilepsy I was not accepted into college. I entered the theater school, EGTI, because I have been singing all my life, one might say. But I was refused. They said it would be a big workload, but they didn’t need such responsibility,” says Ekhtiram.

Now he performs only in restaurants and small concerts. Although the young man does not have a disability either. Doctors do not have a clear opinion whether people with epilepsy can work on stage.

Thus, patients with rare epileptic seizures, who by law have minor restrictions in choosing a profession, are often left without work due to the arbitrariness of employers. And even if you can sometimes be lucky with employment, the range of professions prohibited for epileptics is artificially narrowed by the heads of organizations. At the same time, patients with epilepsy most often do not receive any social benefits from the state.

Photo: pixabay.com

Other vitamins

In the treatment of epilepsy, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is very often used, which stimulates brain activity and also prevents the formation of free radicals in the body. In addition, a very important function of ascorbic acid is to provoke the production of anti-stress hormones, which eliminates psychological triggers of epileptic seizures.

A mandatory element that should be included in the complex of drugs for the treatment of this disease is biotin (vitamin H). It is used to restore the balance of the gastric environment, as well as to strengthen the nervous system. In addition, biotin significantly accelerates protein synthesis.

Tests and diagnoses

A parasitological diagnosis of the presence of worms in the human brain is rarely established; even with intestinal helminthiases, only 12-20% of stool tests for worm eggs are positive. Ascariasis can be asymptomatic and cause severe and even fatal cases. Toxocariasis is diagnosed only by the presence in the tissues of characteristic granulomas formed by larvae and determined by puncture biopsy of the liver or lungs. The symptoms of the initial stage of helminthic infestation (acute phase) are no different from the most common acute respiratory infection. The chronic phase occurs with relapses and remissions, so the same patient may have significant fluctuations in blood test values.

Indirect signs of the presence of parasites in the brain are headache, narrowing of the visual field, blurred vision, increased intracranial pressure, purulent discharge from the ears during a stroke. Parasitic intoxication is manifested by increased excitability and sleep disturbance. Insomnia may be the only sign of the presence of worms in the body, which is especially pronounced in children and the elderly.

Microelements

Maintaining the balance of vital microelements is important for the prevention of most diseases, including regular epileptic seizures. You can significantly reduce the risk of recurrence of seizures by regularly taking medications containing magnesium and calcium.

It is important to understand that the content of the above elements in the body is periodic. It can sharply decrease due to stressful situations and physical activity, which can lead to the risk of a seizure.

Therefore, the attending physician limits risk factors for a sharp drop in microelement levels and prescribes an individual regimen.

How to get rid of parasites?

In order to eliminate the consequences of the vital activity of parasites in the body (restore damaged organ tissues and their functions), remove the decay products of parasites and strengthen the immune system, we propose a comprehensive approach to the sanitation of the body, the ultimate goal of which is not only to get rid of parasites, but also to create conditions unfavorable for their reproduction.

Natural preparations - Metosept , Vitanorm , Regesol , Bactrum , Neuronorm , Maxifam (or Chromatsin ), Cymed , Imcap (or Fomidan ) correspond to this approach, because have confirmed their effectiveness.

Computer and TV

Flashing light at different frequencies, watching television programs, light music and computer games provoke attacks. Limiting TV viewing and computer use is possible and necessary.

Natural phenomena that can provoke attacks are not subject to restrictions. They can be sparks of snow in the light, reflections of water.

If you deprive children of playing on the computer and watching their favorite cartoons, you can cause psychological trauma. But you can teach your child to follow the rules:

• TV only 1 hour a day;
• distance from the screen or monitor - at least 2 m;
• mandatory additional lighting;
• the TV screen should be small and the image should be in color;
• exclude viewing if the child is very tired.

Children should not be deprived of the opportunity to work on a computer, because time requires skills in working with new technologies. A computer can become a means of professional implementation when working from home.

Children master program material in many subjects using a computer and educational games. A new opportunity to communicate with peers will appear.

When working with a computer, you need to take a break for 10-15 minutes after half an hour of work. At this time, the eyes rest. The child should be at a distance of 70 cm from the monitor. It is necessary to exclude glare from windows and lighting fixtures, which cannot be turned off when working with a computer. Contraindications for working with a computer include poor sleep the night before and child fatigue.

Dangerous products

It is important for epileptics to treat their diet correctly and not eat everything that comes to hand. You should make the right diet. After all, some foods can trigger both migraine and epileptic seizures.

Most often, people with epilepsy are advised to eat more dairy products. But this does not mean that you need to exclude vegetables and meat from your diet. This food can be eaten, but it is better boiled. You need to eat varied and balanced. Food should be tasty and enjoyable. Proper nutrition helps increase the time between attacks. It is better to choose a diet together with your doctor.

If you have epilepsy, drinking alcohol is contraindicated. It is recommended to exclude even low-alcohol drinks. They aggravate the course of attacks. It is better to replace them with kvass, soft drinks, and cocktails.

It is not recommended to eat a lot of carbohydrates. The brain runs on glucose, but too much of it can trigger seizures. A protein-fat diet is preferable. Epilepsy attacks are also provoked by drinking too much liquid and overeating. You should eat no later than 2 hours before bedtime.

It is better to exclude salty and pickled foods or consume them to a minimum. You should also limit spices, smoked, and hard-to-digest foods. There is no need to add a lot of sugar or salt to your food.

Coffee lovers are concerned about whether it is possible to drink coffee if you have epilepsy. Doctors believe that it is better not to drink caffeine-containing drinks. But if you're a big coffee drinker, it's okay to treat yourself every once in a while. It is better to choose soft varieties of insoluble drink and dilute the coffee with milk. This also applies to tea.

Diet features for adults:

• You should eat about 4 times a day in small portions.
• For your table, you should choose food rich in proteins to restore the liver. After all, anticonvulsant medications have a negative effect on the liver.
• Foods containing vitamin B6 must be included in the diet.
• Food should not be eaten very cold or very hot.
• It is better to use gentle cooking methods.
• The consumption of “empty” carbohydrates, which quickly satisfy hunger, should be kept to a minimum.

What safety measures need to be followed

If the attacks do not go away completely, you need to take care to follow some safety rules.

These recommendations are simple, they are aimed at preventing traumatic situations from occurring during an attack:

1. Don't be on top. If such a need arises, you need insurance.
2. Do not stand on the edge of a railway platform, on the roof of a high-rise building, etc.
3. Move away from open fires and fires.
4. Stay near the reservoir only if accompanied by a loved one.

In all other cases, those suffering from this disease can lead a full active lifestyle.

Who should the patient tell about his illness?

Colleagues should know that they have a person with epilepsy working with them. This will help provide timely qualified assistance during the next attack. This information should not be hidden from the employer. The boss will sooner or later find out about everything himself, which will lead to negative consequences, including dismissal.