Epilepsy Books

What can I say? As a person, affected by epilepsy, I was looking for a book like this one for a long time...For a mere $5, it gives you all the info you need about the disorder in a handbook format (which what I was specifically looking for). It covers both trad. and non-trad. methods of control. It has a few charts (medications, etc.) and aslo a few useful addresses of organizations, who help people suffering from epilepsy. So, I think, you REALLY NEED TO HAVE THIS BOOK as an every day guide.

This book talks about Epilepsy in plain language and explains the treatments and alternative therapies available. It is approved by both the British and American Holistic Medical Associations.

Although I use the book as an adjunct to medication therapy, the book also discusses complementary and alternative treatments available to those unable to take medication.

This book helped me understand the relationship between everyday living and my seizures. My questions were answered by this book and so were other questions that I never even thought to ask my Neurologist. The author made me understand that I should do practical things: take my medication at the same time everyday, eat and sleep regularly and use relaxation techniques for stress reduction. I had never realized that there might be a connection between stress and my seizures and the subject never came up in my visits with my neurologist.

My advice is to get this book for a better understanding of Epilepsy and how you can improve the quality of your life while living with it.

Of all of the books I have read on epilepsy, few are "unique." This book fits that category well. It is fun to see what people that "think outside of the box " are writing.

The book is organized into three sections. Part I includes an introductory scientific chapter about seizures. It provides the reader with the theoretical background needed to understand the material in Part III (Basic Science) and several of the earlier chapters. Part II is mostly a "how to do it" (the ketogenic diet) for health care professionals. It also includes chapters on indications and complications. Section II concludes with a particularly intriguing chapter on other dietary treatments (besides the ketogenic diet) for epilepsy.

For this reader the high point of the book started with the first chapter in Part III and continued right to the end of the book. Biochemical effects of the ketogenic diet are examined, citing scientific studies. Possible explanations for the anti-seizure/anti-epileptic effect of the ketogenic diet are set forth; cerebral energy metabolism, effects on amino acids, molecular regulation, neuronal excitability, effects of caloric restriction, the role of norepinephrine, galanin and neuropeptide Y, etc. Some surprising results are noted. For example, in the chapter on caloric restriction it is suggested that high glucose levels may exacerbate human epilepsies. On a superficial level this is just the opposite of what medical students are taught; i.e., hypoglycemia (not hyperglycemia) causes seizures, which it can.

The "Afterword", is by Jim Abrahams, father of Charlie Abrahams of Charlie Foundation fame. The piece he wrote or something like it should be given to every parent of a child newly diagnosed with epilepsy. Not that all the kids should go on the ketogenic diet, but rather that the parents should know that treating epilepsy is a complicated and even "artsy" endeavor. They should also know that there are many factors that may possibly affect their child's seizures and that there are many treatment options available. Another fact that he alludes to is that early control is important and that if that fact were known, parental complacency early on would be rare.

In all fairness to physicians, most parents whether they realize it or not are quite distraught when their children first develop seizures. Instantaneous assimilation of massive amounts of information is difficult if not impossible under those circumstances even for the medically sophisticated parent. Physicians may be reluctant to throw everything at parents all at once. However, the high degree of parental focus precipitated by the crisis of a child developing a chronic disease, can be the driving force for a parent to devote great energies toward learning about their child's illness. The act of learning can to a great degree allay the extreme anxiety the parents may feel. Physicians can help by suggesting non-technical publications for the parents to read as a starting point in their quest for knowledge. They can also acknowledge the potential benefits of other treatments that the parents may have discovered on the Internet for example. It would be nice if physicians know what does not work as well, and have enough knowledge and credibility with the parents to be able to explain why.

This is a great book for clinicians that want to understand the possible scientific basis for the efficacy of the ketogenic diet. It will greatly broaden one's view of the disease as well.

The authors give a comprehensive explanation of how a ketogenic diet might be a treatment of epilepsy. The molecular basis of this model is covered. While not conclusive, when combined with the positive clinical data reported in the text, the implication is highly favourable. Even against intractable epilepsy, KD offers some remediation.

Many chapters have extensive references to the research literature on KD. Also, KD is investigated for possible efficacy against other disorders. Here, things are far more speculative. But maybe KD could be applied to obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

A good synopsis of Epilepsy and how it can present itself in different forms, typical treatments, particularly with medication and basic side effects to take into account. This can indeed be a very complex subject and it was a refreshing approach, albeit an introduction, to some of the technicalities that the doctors do not always explain.

Ilo E. Leppik, MD (Director of Research at MINCEP Epilepsy Care Center) presents Epilepsy: A Guide to Balancing Your Life, a resource written especially for individuals diagnosed with epilepsy and their loved ones, sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology. Chapters inform the reader in plain terms about epilepsy and its types of seizures, treatment options including drugs and surgery, issues concerning epilepsy and pregnancy, quality of life concerns, and much more - including a sound debunking of myths (for example, stopping anti-epileptic drugs during pregnancy can potentially do more harm than good since seizures pose a deadly risk to both the baby and the mother). A glossary, index, and list of sources for more information round out this up-do-date, accessible guide strongly recommended for public library collections and the personal reference of epileptics and their families.

Prior to this book, I'd read Prozac Diary and Welcome to my Country, both of which were quite good. This book, although an interesting concept, does not live up to Slater's better works. Satire-like, memoir-like, fiction-like.... But it fits none of these, is fairly incoherent, and does not really thread the story together adequately. If you want some fictional-type, possibly-true, almost-factual words, try this book. It is a fairly quick read and mildly entertaining. Personally, I'd save my time for Welcome to my Country. Reminds me of Blank: The Power of Not Actually Thinking at All (A Mindless Parody)

Hmmm? What to say? What to think about this book?

Obviously Lauren Slater is very clever, I enjoyed her story. But mostly when I read this book I felt fortunate to have endured only the so called normal or typical teenaged angst growing up.

She offers us a history of her life that may or may not be a complete fictionalization. It's an interesting angle from which to write a memoir.

I have to say that I read Love Works Like This by Lauren Slater and I really enjoyed it. Lying was clever but I didn't love it.

Lauren Slater's tribute to postmodernism in her "metaphorical memoir" is an interesting exploration of the role of fact in what is true. Where we may tend to regard the objective facts of a situation to be the truth of it, Ms. Slater takes a much more subjective view. She asserts her point, explicitly and in a masterful way woven seemlessly throughout the text, that there may be a more truthful way to relate a situation, a character, an anecdote, than to simply relate the facts.

So she leads us to wonder even about the most central elements of the story. Does she really have epilepsy? Has she ever really had a seizure? Does the doctor she cites throughout her story really exist, or is he a metaphor also?

While fascinating questions I found their deliberate effect a bit too successful: I couldn't trust the narrator. Unfortunately for me, that meant also that I was ultimately unable to feel close to the narrator and really understand her motivations -- perhaps, in my eyes at least, the most important role of a memoir.

It's a bit of a quandry that I'm left in. She's succeeded fully in doing what she set out to do. She's presented herself as something of a chronic lier; a trickster at the very least. But since I know this about her so soon, and I'm so frequently reminded, I have difficultly staving off the need to push her away. So as a memoir, instead of a piece of literary theory, I found Slater's book a bit distant.

Slater insists that her book be characterized as a non-fiction memoir, despite that fact that she freely admits that her account of her epilepsy is factual, symbolic, real, and fantastical all at once. Slater herself isn't always sure which of her memories are true and which are vivid but invented. If the reader can let themselves free in this alternate reality, Slater's memoir makes for fascinating, touching, and chilling reading. She truly brings the reader inside her own confusions about how much of her disease is real and how much fabricated. The short length of the book allows Slater's literary trickery to work well.

As an adult, Slater confesses to her adolescent neurologist that she frequently exaggerated her seizures and symptoms right before her corpus callostomy surgery. He dismisses her guilt, saying it was well-known that she was an exaggerator. "Okay, you lied. But really, Lauren, I don't want you to feel guilty. In a sense you lied, but in another sense you didn't, because trickery is so hinged on your personality style, and, therefore, you were only being true to yourself."

Also as an adult, Slater finds salvation in AA, despite the fact that she's hardly a drinker. She enjoys the comraderie and the structure of the 12 steps. The climax of Slater's coming to terms with her disease is a stunning confessional at an AA meeting, spoken entirely metaphorically, which has a huge impact on her group and the reader.

Lauren Slater, Lying (Random House, 2000)

I picked up Lauren Slater's first book, Welcome to My Country, on a whim in 1997, and instantly fell in love with Slater's impeccable prose. That she related case studies without descending into the smarmy self-help realm of, say, Oliver Sacks helped immensely. Welcome to My Country was on my best-I-read list that year.

Fast forward to 2005, and I start wondering what Slater's been up to since releasing it. I check her out at Amazon, and am thrilled to find she's released two books since. Lying is the first of them I picked up, and it's great to see she's still at the top of her game.

Billed as "a metaphorical memoir," we are given an autobiography of Lauren Slater, an epileptic who's had a rather extreme surgical procedure performed to counter her epilepsy. It controls the physical aspects-- the seizures-- but hasn't controlled any of the mental. This, of course, is the stuff popular memoirs are made of; the dysfunctional childhood sells.

What Slater brings to the table that sets her apart from the others is that, while there is always the understanding that the memoir is colored by the perceptions of its author, Slater recognizes this as much as any reader, and has decided to play with it-- to the point where the reader (and the person who wrote the cover copy, as well) realize that by the time we reach the first of Slater's revelations that she's written a fantasy as an actual event, we can no longer even be sure she has epilepsy. This opens up whole worlds of discussion in the larger genre of memoir, and that in itself makes Lying a singularly important work in its field; if taken as a greater meditation on memoir, the reader should come away with this book with a new way of looking at the form.

All that aside, though, the best reason to read Lauren Slater's books is simply that she's a fine, fine writer. Lying also has a very, very good chance of landing on this year's best-I-read list, despite the quality of my reading having skyrocketed in recent years. **** ½

I was disappointed in the book as a whole. Coming from working at a vet clinic as a certified veterinary technician I was looking for a book to tell owners about who had epileptic dogs. I thought this book was not owner friendly and would only confuse pet owners. Having my own epileptic dog gives me insight to their concerns and fears. I think that overall this book will confuse owners and make them question their veterinarians, when they need to have complete faith that the vet is choosing the right combo for their pets.While the idea was good, I would not recommend this book.

This book was very easy to read and understand. If your dog has just been diagnosed with Epilepsy this book is a good source of information to help you better understand the disease and how to deal with it.

This is a very informative book, the only one on the subject I have been able to find. The initial section on diet seemed over long and complicated but the rest of the book I found very helpful. It is distressing to see your dog have a seizure but I found the content encouraging and felt comforted that the condition can be managed without resort to drugs. Some of the tips I have started to use.

My older dog began having seizures, other than this problem she is a healthy girl. I ordered this book when she was hospitalized for a cluster. I read the book as soon as it arrived and found it unbelievably helpful. There is life with seizures and this book helped me learn how to deal with and prevent them. Great book. Knowledge is power and I feel like I have a handle on this now.

In July of 2005, we rescued two dogs that were 9 years old. They were a brother and sister team and couldn't be separated. We fell in love with them immediately. Two weeks afer bringing them home, the male began having the most intense grand mal seizures that I have ever seen. We put him on medication and it slowed the number of seizures but had no effect on the intensity.
I began looking on the internet to see what information I could find and there it was "An Owner's Guide to living with or without seizures". It took me several months to go through the book, as I found it difficult to understand the relationships between all the parts of the body, hormones, etc. However, it got me extremely interested in a natural food diet and alternative therapies.
It took another month or so to do more research and then actually put the natural food diet into place. Now, after 6 weeks of feeding natural foods to both dogs, the male has seizures that sometimes aren't recognizeable. They are mild and the duration is less than a minute.
The purpose of this narration is that if it weren't for Caroline Levin's book and love for animals, our dog would still be suffering with grand mal seizures, not to mention my husband and I and his sibling. Not only that, but their skin is so soft, whereas it was always rather brittle before.
I would recommend this book to anyone who needs help with canine epilepsy and were as frustrated as we were. Thank you so much for the time that it took you to research this disease and offer your knowledge to us. It truly was a "godsend".

I used to believe an epileptic (like myself) just went to his doctor every 6 months, had a brief visit, and gave me a prescription for more pills.

Little did I know that there a number of things I can do to improve my condition on my own in addition to taking my pills. I do not have all day to list them but if you want to learn for yourself take a few hours of your life and read this book.

It can improve your condition dramatically buy it. If you want to continue on without hope and having seizures don't bother. Just go to your doctor every 6 months and keep taking your pills so you have as few as possible.

If you don't have your health you don't have anything. If you would like to buy the supplements listed in this book in one bottle (which are all safe) please go to a website by Dr. Balch.

Go to google and as the subject type in DR BALCH EPILEPSY.

The whole concept of the benefits of ketosis is very mysterious. This book does a good job of explaining the benefits to epileptic children and others. It lays out the diet and gives recipes. I believe that it has merit for some sufferers and if I had a child experienceing seizures I would certainly recommend reading this.

I read the entire book and I have implemented some of the nutritional suggestions which Ms. Murphy made to help control my son's epilepsy, which has never been well-controlled by medication. I have found that these changes seem to be reducing his seizures. I thought her complete review of vitamins and nutrients and how they interact with neurological processes was very well-written and easy to understand. Additionally, her assertions are backed up by other well-known medical professionals whose books I have read, so I think her research was thorough.

I am not a neurologist but have a strong personal interest in epilepsy. I read this book with great care. There are many chapters of significant merit including chapters 10-20. These chapters include the seizure taming effects of relaxation and certain types of music, doing things to prevent seizure progression when an aura is felt, lots of general information on epilepsy that is organized on a gender or age basis, the challenges of finding employment, and advice on a whole host of life issues that people with epilepsy often face. These are even more thoroughly covered in a number of other references which I have also read that come from the medical community.

So here is the real issue; what is in chapters 1-9? These chapters are loaded with information on diet, food supplements, vitamins, minerals, oriental medicine and other alternative and complementary approaches to treating epilepsy. As I read the Forward by Russell Blaylock MD and chapters 1-9 I had a growing sense that the author's thesis or belief is that traditional American medical treatment of epilepsy on the whole may do more harm than good and should be avoided if possible and that the natural approach is without risk and should be used preferentially. The real problem with this philosophy is that there are many people out there that will believe such nonsense. Any natural approach has risks as well as possible (if unproven) benefits. I certainly do not want to deny that there are problems associated with traditional medical treatment of epilepsy. Side effects are a real issue and can not be ignored.

The book has many unsubstantiated assertions that would make people think that the medical profession as a whole is uninformed. That is most unfortunate. Here is one example from the Forward;

("Doctors in general have difficulty with biochemistry in medical school......If your doctors do not understand these molecular events how can they efficiently treat your disorder? In addition to this lack of knowledge......" p. iv

Chapter 1 is a testimonial by the author on how she dealt with her epilepsy by eliminating junk food from her diet, switching to wholesome foods, adding herbs to the mix (skullcap and goldenseal), exercising and losing weight. She also decreased the amount of Phenobarbital she was taking. At that point she endorses a definition of drugs as being "poison(s)." The reader is also introduced to Robert Fried Ph.D. (a neuropsychologist?) Dr. Fried allegedly has come to the conclusion that "Seizures are metabolical, (sic) not neurological." Dr. Fried also allegedly feels that seizures are more like a regulatory body-process, like vomiting, rather than a disease process. The seizures are, allegedly according to the author, in a way readjusting the individual's metabolism to attempt to achieve homeostasis. My understanding is that there are some seizures that have a metabolic origin but they are in the minority. Certainly eating better and taking care of one's body should make a difference in overall health. Whether that will cure epilepsy is far from proven.

Chapter 4 starts by stating that if you have seizures it is imperative that you see a physician. That is good advice. An implication is made that hypoglycemia may be a major cause of seizures. Such an assertion ("major cause")is a little bit irresponsible in my opinion. It is correctly pointed out that anticonvulsants can have long-term adverse effects on calcium metabolism and bone health. It is then pointed out that phenytoin (an increasingly infrequently used old line anticonvulsant) contains "Drano" and "antifreeze." Puleeeze give us a break. Most readers should know better than to believe that. The real problem with this book as I see it is that there are people out there that will actually believe these assertions that are thrown in for effect, and may avoid the medical profession and thus deny themselves of the benefits that modern medical science has to offer. I in fact know of one mother that read this book four years ago and then took her daughter off of her medication feeling that it was too toxic to tolerate. The daughter's seizures that had been completely controlled for 9 months returned after 3 weeks and have never been under good control since then, in spite of restarting and then trying other medications. A reference should have been included, to the important studies that show that people that achieve complete control on medication for at least 2 or 4 years, have a high likelihood (better than 50/50) of not needing medications after that point, but that those that go off medication early and relapse are often difficult to control. On the whole this book is not balanced and this is one example where the other side of the picture should have been presented.

Chapter 5 on nutrition is interesting and useful. It is smart to eat right.

A lot of chapter 6, "Foods that Harm" makes sense.

Chapter 7 "Foods that Heal" has some interesting ideas. There is information on food supplements as well. I think a more scientific approach to the use of food supplements could have been taken. The issue of the blood brain barrier is not dealt with. There are many unsubstantiated assertions in this chapter. The section on GABA is a good example of both of these problems. GABA does not cross the blood brain barrier and so orally ingested GABA will not end up in the central nervous system. The section ends by stating that "daily supplementation of 500 to 1,000 mg of GABA has been shown to help prevent seizures." This is an irresponsible statement, that if taken and followed, could cost the individual several hundred dollars a year, and all for naught.

Chapter 8 is about the Ketogenic Diet. Although it can help in those with seizures that are particularly difficult to control, I think that most neurologists would not routinely recommend it. The chapter fails to point out the downside of the ketogenic diet and fails to point out that it will not work unless the patient is truly ketotic. Adding fats to a regular diet to try and achieve some of the benefits of the ketogenic diet will only result in weight gain, elevated serum cholesterol and triglycerides, and possibly exacerbation of seizures. Studies have shown that simply losing weight correlates with better seizure control.

Chapter 9 on herbs is interesting but readers should look to other sources before investing a small fortune on those options. A recent book by Orrin Devinsky, MD takes a critical look at herbs (and other alternative and complementary methods of approaching epilepsy) and cites relevant scientific literature (if it exists) that confirms the value of various herbs.

On the whole I do not feel that this is a balanced book. Nor do I feel that the author intended for it to be a balanced book. The sources cited as experts are too dominated by acquaintances of the author and not enough is cited from peer review scientific literature. There are far too many unsubstantiated assertions. Actually following some of the advice in the book could lead to lost opportunities to get epilepsy under control and could lead to much expense in search of the often elusive goal of effectively treating epilepsy without medication. I cannot recommend this book. I can recommend Dr. Devinsky's book "Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Epilepsy." It is a bit pricy so I recommend borrowing it from your local library unless you are a physician or a hopeless book collector that likes to buy medical texts. I give this book 2 stars because it does have some useful information. The other stuff unfortunately brings it down to a "2."

I have a new life now. After reading this book and Epilepsy: A New Approach by Adrienne Richard and Joel Reiter, M.D. I have a new life. Words cannot not express my gratitude or how this book has changed my life in just a matter of weeks. I've never gone this long without a seizure since I was 13. Usually every week. I think it has almost been 6 weeks now. I can't believe how simple it was. And all I did was the basic things. I still haven't employed everything. I still have my auras but they are changing and I am incorporating more of the strategies to reduce them. I have a new life. If you want to change your life, read these two books. I don't know how to express my thanks to these authors. It has changed my entire outlook and my confidence and my hope for my future.

This book is very touching. The writing style is unlike anything I have ever read...but the subject matter requires the unique writing style and the author does a masterful job. The stories at times brought tears to my eyes, partly because I can see some of my friends' struggles in the stories I was reading. The dedication of the author to the "cause" is evident and it is also evident that the effort is sincere and from the heart. This should be on everybody's "must read" list.

A collection of short stories written from the heart, all related to epilepsy, a subject rarely dealt with in fiction. i hope to be seeing more of this new author soon.

All too often in today's society, physical and mental illness carries
a stigma that is too often felt by the sufferer and those around
him. For many, that stigma is often simply a reaction to the
unknown. People often misinterpret others, for reasons that are
often not known or not understood.

What this book does is give insight into the complex emotional issues
involved in brain injuries, and how it affects not only the sufferer
but also family, friends, co-workers, school mates, casual
acquaintances, and basically anyone who, for whatever reason, comes
into contact with such an individual. In other words, it affects
everyone.

This is an inspiring account of how one man and his family copes with
physical and mental disability, through faith, courage,
understanding, teamwork, and love. No matter how great or small the
disability, this book helps the reader to see that the sufferer can
greatly impact the world around him, much like a dimly lit candle,
whose light illuminates the darkness around him.

Mariani Foundation is known for excellent publications in Neurology.This is probably the best book it has published. The quality of science is superb.Spreafico was very intelligent in choosing the themes of chapters and their writers. Every entity was discussed in deepness. This book provides the reader almost all knowledge needed to manage patients with these diseases. I think that the author should include in a next edition one chapter of EEG and invite Andre Palmini MD to colaborate.

Mariani Foundation is known for excellent publications in Neurology.This is probably the best book it has published. The quality of science is superb.Spreafico was very intelligent in choosing the themes of chapters and their writers. Every entity was discussed in deepness. This book provides the reader almost all knowledge needed to manage patients with these diseases. I think that the author should include in a next edition one chapter of EEG and invite Andre Palmini MD to colaborate.

Black Water

Black Water, by Rachel Anderson, is a wonderful book that gives a good look at how an epileptic child lived in the Victorian Age. It is a great example to show readers that when things are tough you must continue to push forward. This story really makes the reader feel like not giving up.
This book mainly discusses the troubles and triumphs of an epileptic boy, Albert. According to a review by Dr. Judy Rowen: "This story does not only do a great job describing an epileptic in Victorian England, but it describes what it's like to be an epileptic today."
Throughout the story, Albert and his mother search for a way to cure Albert. Towards the end, Albert realizes he will never be cured, but he never becomes depressed by this. This story shows great courage and strength.
Stephanie Zurin says: "Albert's refusal to confirm to the role his society cast for him lifts this book out of the darkness." This is very true, because as the reader you feel the struggles with Albert. While reading the story you can even become a little bit depressed for him. Reading this story can teach you that even if you are having a tough time, someone else is having a tougher one. If a boy like Albert can keep his faith and continue to want to live, then it makes it seem foolish to get down on some of our own problems.

This book was beautifully, poetically written. This is an enchanting book for kids and adults with wonderful tale to tell. It does a wonderful job describing not only what it was like to epileptic in Victorian England, but also what it can feel like to be epileptic today. It also does a great job just describing what it was like to grow up in Victorian England.

If you have this problem, or you know somebody who does, or who has *any* big, never-ending medical problem, READ THIS BOOK! It tells you the good and the bad. It helps you understand what this is like, not just for you, but also for the people who love you.

And if you want to hear about being *awake* during your own "cutting-edge" brain surgery, read this book!!!