Seizures – Symptoms and Treatment

Seizures – Symptoms and Treatment

A fit or seizure is a medical condition characterized by unreasonably immoderate activity in the brain. There is a series of chemical reactions, which leads to an imbalance between the brain cells.Commonly, a seizure is a symptom of epilepsy. However, a person facing issues such as trauma, hypoglycemia, hypoxia or drug abuse may also have seizure attacks.

Seizures often point at some disease in the brain that may stand undetected. Not all of them are noticeable and may affect individuals differently. People suffering from fits experience unrestrained movement or transitory loss of consciousness of the surroundings. Usually, electroencephalography is conducted to find out the level of electrical activity in the brain.

A seizure goes through three stages. The first stage is known as the aura. It is a symptom that warns the occurrence of a seizure. The second stage is the ictal stage. This is marked by the actual escalation in electrical activity in the brain. The last stage is the postictal stage where the recovery takes place. It is not necessary that every person will pass through all the stages or experience the same duration.

Following are the signs one needs to be aware of to detect the occurrence of seizures at the earliest.

  • A headache accompanied by giddiness  – Persistent headache along with the feeling to vomit all the time can be an essential symptom of seizures.
  • Peculiar feelings – Déjà vu and Jamais vu are common feelings experienced before a fit. These can lead to jumbled thoughts and panic attacks.
  • Unclear vision – Everything around can look blurry and confusing. Imaginary objects can begin to appear in front of the eyes (hallucinations).
  • Blackout – The major symptom of seizures is the loss of awareness or loss of consciousness. One loses sight of the situation or can even faint temporarily. Momentary memory loss can also be noticed.
  • Uncontrolled body movement – This is another important symptom. It includes synchronized shaking of different body parts, rapid blinking of eyes, tilting of the head, etc. At times, an individual may also encounter rigidity of muscles accompanied by no movement at all.

The intensity of the symptoms varies from phase to phase and from individual to individual.Whatever, the cause may be, it is essential to undergo a treatment for seizures. Though there has not been any widely publicized treatment for seizures, the condition can be controlled up to a great extent using the following methods.

  • Diagnosis – The first step in the treatment for seizures is the diagnosis of the problem and the reason behind it. Some health conditions are often confused with seizures. This can lead to wrong medication making things worse for the individual. A CT scan or an MRI can be performed initially to test the seriousness of the problem. It is followed by electroencephalography and electrocardiography if the problem is at an advanced stage.
  • Psychological counseling – It is necessary to make the sufferer realize that they are not the only one facing the problem. There are several cases of people around the globe who have successfully managed it by strictly following the suggested treatment for seizures. This can help in gaining better cooperation from the patient’s side.
  • Physical environment – Whenever an individual is about to face a seizure, he should be moved to an isolated place with no dangerous items. In this way, the individual can be prevented from hurting himself or others. He should not be forced to act in any manner.
  • Medical prescription – Doctors normally prescribe benzodiazepine medication. Lorazepam and barbiturates are common anti-convulsive medicines administered to the sufferer. They help in controlling the intensity of seizures and effectively managing them. These are one of the effective treatments for seizures.
  • Differentiated diet – For patients under the age of 12, a ketogenic diet is suggested that focuses majorly on fats. However, it becomes difficult to follow the diet for more than a year as it places a strict restriction on the consumption of carbohydrates.
  • Surgery – Vagal Nerve Stimulation, lobectomy, neurostimulator implantation, and lesionectomy are a few surgeries performed on patients above the age of 12 years. These prove to be an effective treatment for seizures.
  • Rehabilitation – Seizures instill fear among the individuals as it is quite difficult to predict them. They may always be afraid of the occurrence of another seizure. It is important to guide them regarding the necessary precautions that should be taken. These include refrain from swimming alone, driving with helmets, avoid working at heights and others.

If seizures are not given timely attention, they can pose a serious threat to life. Since they cannot be cured, measures should be taken to prevent them from occurring. One should get proper sleep, manage stress and depression, consume a balanced diet, follow the full course of medicines and avoid undue strain on the eyes.Abstain from doing any activity that can trigger a possible seizure. Alteration of behavior and lifestyle is the key to successful treatment for seizures.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.
Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.
How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.
All You Need to Know about Cat Food

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.