Introduction
Matthew 17:15-16 states, “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him” (NLT). Epilepsy is a lifelong disorder that causes seizures. It affects approximately sixty-five million people across the world. Of that sixty-five million, three million people reside in the United States. Epilepsy is the fourth most prevalent neurologic disorder in the world (Epilepsy Foundation, n.d.). Because it affects people from all age groups, education on epilepsy needs to be more widespread.
Purpose and Learning Objectives
The purpose of this paper is to define what primary epilepsy is, to discuss traditional, complementary, …show more content…
Reason for Topic
My reason for writing this paper was to learn more about a disease of the neurological system and therapies that treat it. Epilepsy stood out to me because my cousin suffered from severe epilepsy when she was a child. I can recall the moment when they had to air flight her to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City for treatment while she was having a grand mal seizure.
Medical Condition and Diagnosis
In order to understand the definition of epilepsy, one must first be able to recognize the definition of a seizure. According to Pathophysiology by Copstead and Banasik, a seizure is defined as "a transient neurologic event of paroxysmal abnormal or excessive cortical electrical discharges that is manifested by disturbances of skeletal motor function, sensation, autonomic visceral function, behavior, or consciousness” (Copstead & Banasik, 2013). An epileptogenic focus is formed when neurons become more active due to change in the membrane potential of the cell. The epileptogenic focus then discharges an abundant amount of electrical signals from the cortex in the brain. Other neurons adjacent to the over active cells or related by synapses may collaborate to cause an even greater effect. These brain waves from the seizure are in sequence with each other and different from a normal rhythm. The brain waves are then tracked with an electroencephalography and aid in the diagnosis of a seizure disorder (Epilepsy,
Matthew 17:15-16 states, “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him” (NLT). Epilepsy is a lifelong disorder that causes seizures. It affects approximately sixty-five million people across the world. Of that sixty-five million, three million people reside in the United States. Epilepsy is the fourth most prevalent neurologic disorder in the world (Epilepsy Foundation, n.d.). Because it affects people from all age groups, education on epilepsy needs to be more widespread.
Purpose and Learning Objectives
The purpose of this paper is to define what primary epilepsy is, to discuss traditional, complementary, …show more content…
Reason for Topic
My reason for writing this paper was to learn more about a disease of the neurological system and therapies that treat it. Epilepsy stood out to me because my cousin suffered from severe epilepsy when she was a child. I can recall the moment when they had to air flight her to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City for treatment while she was having a grand mal seizure.
Medical Condition and Diagnosis
In order to understand the definition of epilepsy, one must first be able to recognize the definition of a seizure. According to Pathophysiology by Copstead and Banasik, a seizure is defined as "a transient neurologic event of paroxysmal abnormal or excessive cortical electrical discharges that is manifested by disturbances of skeletal motor function, sensation, autonomic visceral function, behavior, or consciousness” (Copstead & Banasik, 2013). An epileptogenic focus is formed when neurons become more active due to change in the membrane potential of the cell. The epileptogenic focus then discharges an abundant amount of electrical signals from the cortex in the brain. Other neurons adjacent to the over active cells or related by synapses may collaborate to cause an even greater effect. These brain waves from the seizure are in sequence with each other and different from a normal rhythm. The brain waves are then tracked with an electroencephalography and aid in the diagnosis of a seizure disorder (Epilepsy,