EPILEPSY IS A PHYSICAL CONDITION CHARACTERIZED BY SUDDEN, BRIEF CHANGES IN HOW THE BRAIN WORKS. IT IS A SYMPTOM OF A NEUROLOGICAL DISORDER - A DISORDER THAT AFFECTS THE BRAIN AND SHOWS ITSELF IN THE FORM OF SEIZURES
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
26 March is Purple Day For Epilepsy Awareness
Founded in 2008, by nine-year-old Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada, with the help of the Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia, Purple Day is an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. On March 26, people from around the globe are asked to wear purple and spread the word about epilepsy.
Why?Epilepsy affects over 50 million people worldwide. That's more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's disease combined. Why purple? Lavender is the international colour for epilepsy. Getting involved is easy. Wear purple and encourage others to do the same. Host a Purple Day party or fundraising event at your home, school or business. And most importantly, get real facts about epilepsy by browsing this site at www.purpleday.org
Friday, March 19, 2010
Epilepsy Myth led to killing of boy.
Man ate boy's brain to cure epilepsy.
By MSN NZ
Friday, March 19, 2010
A Chinese man has been arrested after he allegedly killed a boy and ate part of his brain in a failed attempt to cure his epilepsy. Wang Choaxu, 29, allegedly believed a myth that eating a child's brain can cure people of fits, the Sun reported.
Li Xuetang, 11, disappeared from his village late at night before being found several hours later in a grain field 5km away. According to reports the top of the boy's head had been peeled back with a part of his brain missing. Choaxu allegedly told police he believed he could cure his epilepsy if he ate the brain with earthworms and ants. He is also accused of killing a three-year-old girl who was found dead on the same day in a public toilet with a knife cut to her head.
This is by and far the most harrowing epilepsy myth I have come to know about. Chills numb my spine and anguish goes to the loved ones of the killed innocent children. As I type away, my fingers are trembling because of imaginative gruesome photographic shots of the killed children flashing in and out of my mind.
How can a man be so monstrous to commit such a heinous and repulsive act just for the sake of curing himself of epilepsy? Good grief. Where is the killer's conscience at the time of killing? I have heard of an old belief that drinking a herbal concoction consisting of earthworm, rat testis and herbs can permanently treat epilepsy. Eating goat's brain is believed to permanently cure people of epilepsy since many believed epilepsy is developed because of consumption of goat meat.
Myths have existed for as long as human beings have lived for centuries. It is impossible to wipe out myths from society. If people can begin to learn and accept what are myths and what are truths and realities then our society will be friendlier and safer to live in. This also means advocacy, empowerment and awareness of good causes can be done and achieved with less obstacles.
BEFORE YOU BELIEVE IN ANYTHING FIND OUT IF IT IS A MYTH OR NOT
Monday, March 15, 2010
ETHOSUXIMIDE - Trusted Drug For Childhood Epilepsy, Research Confirms
An enlighten finding published in New England Journal of Medicine revealed that one of the oldest and most trusted anti-seizure drug titled ethosuximide can prove to be the most beneficial medication for the treatment of “childhood epilepsy”.
Childhood epilepsy is a medical disorder involving episodes of irregular electrical discharge in the brain and characterized by the periodic sudden loss or impairment of consciousness, often accompanied by convulsions. This study was conducted in order to find the best drug to treat the disorder as no significant contribution has been done in the past towards the concern.
Colin Roberts, M. D., OHSU Doernbecher's principal investigator said, "Much of our scientific understanding of childhood epilepsy care today comes from historical experience or studies involving adult patients with related, but not identical, conditions.”
The research was carried out on 453 children who were reported of having contracted childhood epilepsy from the period extending from July 2004 to October 2007. The study was based on a comparison of three drugs generally used for the disorder namelyethosuximide, valproic acid or lamotrigine. The study went on for 16 weeks and the results were in favor of ethosuximide.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
STORY OF CHERYL NALL
Purple Ribbon Earings
Necklace (Debbie)
Stretch Awareness Bracelets
Hi everyone. This month I would like all of you to meet another of my very special friend who I have high regards for. She is a person with epilepsy, an active epilepsy advocate, an artist and a talented crafts person with a passion for designing and creating unique jewellery pieces to help promote not just epilepsy awareness but also other health causes.
Read and know more about Cheryl and her unique creations.
I have been crafting and making jewellery for about 5 years. I love designing and creating jewellery. While I do make other types of jewellery, my passion is the Awareness jewellery. I started making the Awareness Ribbon pieces because of my epilepsy. I attribute my need to create as a symptom or effect of my epilepsy.
I believe I have had epilepsy for most of my life but the type I have is often difficult to diagnose. I was diagnosed with right temporal lobe epilepsy in November 2005. I don't have stereotypical seizures. I have never lost consciousness during a seizure nor do I have the normal physical signs of a seizure. Because of that I have really tried to promote epilepsy awareness.
I used to speak professionally to groups about my experiences and encourage people to open up about their own experiences with epilepsy. When you hide something, you give it a power over you, but when you confront it, it becomes less powerful.
I want to tell everyone that epilepsy is a neurological condition and that people with epilepsy are like people with any other condition.
I have a shop on the internet where I sell my creations. The site is called Etsy and my shop is Cheryls Purple Cow. Etsy has a promotional tool called the Treasury. A Treasury is basically a poster that shows 12 items from different Etsy Artists. The treasuries I create are filled with Awareness items for sale in different shops on Etsy. They only last 48 to 72 hours and are only available when certain conditions are met. I have kept an Awareness Treasury active almost full time since mid-December. That is quite a feat but I am a determined person in helping to promote epilepsy awareness. I want the topic of awareness to gain recognition on Etsy and the Treasuries.
CHERYL NALL
To know more about Cheryl and her creations, please visit her at the following places. Thank you very much.
I have been an epilepsy advocate for 15 years. It is extremely difficult and challenging for an individual to single-handedly raise awareness about epilepsy but it is not totally impossible. Through raising awareness about epilepsy, I had come to know of some wonderful and inspiring people whom I look up to and who had opened doors for me to reach out to the public. My family members and good friends have always been my main motivation in keeping up with my advocacy works. Roughly 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy. Epilepsy is 3 times more common than multiple sclerosis and more than 3 times as common as Parkinson's disease and cerebral palsy. One person in 50 will develop epilepsy at some time in their life. One in 20 will have a single epileptic seizure.
I am a very ambitious person. I have a die hard passion for doing epilepsy awareness work.
I have lived with epilepsy almost all my life. Went through lots of hard knocks, rejections and bitterness. Whoa la...! My struggles had molded and transformed me from a weakling to a gutsy person with a strong desire to live life to the fullest.
Epilepsy has given me a meaningful dimension in life which is to grab every oppportunity available to create/start an Epilepsy Mania or Epilepsy Wave.
EPILEPSY AWARENESS WORK IS ADDICTIVE AND ADDS SPICES TO MY LIFE
My beloved mother in law, Madam Y L Kwok, has passed away peacefully on 23rd November 2008. My late mother in law was an instrumental pillar stone in my epileptic life. She knew what epilepsy is about and encouraged me to be relentless in my epilepsy awareness work. She was also my dear partner in a lot of my fund raising work. She exudes compassion, humility, elegance, beauty, grace and love. This epilepsy legacy blog is dedicated to my late mother in law in remembrance of her.
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