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November is Epilepsy Awareness Month
Our Editor, Dr. Fisher reflects on the importance of epilepsy and the distance yet to go in conquering this disorder.
New Epilepsy Medicine Approved
A new epilepsy medicine, lacosamide, is recommended for approval in the US and Europe.
Another Epilepsy Medicine Approved
Rufinamide, manufactured by Eisai, is approved in the U.S. as an adjunctive treatment for Lennox-Gastaut epilepsy syndrome (LGS).
Antiepileptic Drug Risks During Pregnancy
Risks of antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy. A new study reviews information from pregnancy registries.
Featured Video:
Movement Imitators of Seizures
Conditions that imitate seizures can be grouped according to which aspect of seizure they mimic. This video takes a look at one category of seizure imitators that causes abnormal movements.
Featured Videos & Podcasts
- Movement Imitators of Seizures
- Seizure Imitators Overview
- Confusion Imitators of Seizures
- Consciousness Imitators of Seizures
- Psychological Imitators of Seizures
- Epilepsy and Your Safety
- Approaches to Seizure Medication
- Recreation Safety for People with Epilepsy
- Safe Driving for People with Epilepsy
- Understanding Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures
- Epilepsy and Your Employment
- Diagnosing
- Understanding Febrile Seizures
- Seizures From Strokes
- Seizures From Head Trauma
- Genetic Causes of Epilepsy
- Other Types of Epilepsy Surgery
- Risks and Benefits of Epilepsy Surgery #2
- Risks and Benefits of Epilepsy Surgery #1
- Resective Surgery for the Treatment of Epilepsy
- Your Pre-Surgical Assessment #2
- Who Gets Epilepsy Surgery?
- Your Pre-Surgical Assessment #1
Epilepsy Multimedia Center
Take a Look
| Ketogenic News: This month Dr. Eric Kossoff summarizes results of a study by the group at Johns Hopkins which was published in the journal, Epilepsia. The study evaluated use of the ketogenic diet in 13 babies, with infantile spasms, a form of tonic seizures. Effectiveness of the diet was at least as good as that of the standard medication, ACTH. In the words of Dr. Kossoff, "it is now certainly no longer acceptable to think of the ketogenic diet as a treatment of last resort." |
| A New Type of Newsletter: Each month, we will produce an epilepsy.com newsletter with three sections. The first section will be a column called "On My Mind" with a discussion topic by Dr. Robert S. Fisher, the new Editor-In-Chief of the website. The second section will be a segment called "What's New," in which selected interesting topics from medical literature or news sources will be reviewed for the readership. The third section of the newsletter will be called "Take a Look." This section will highlight new or interesting features of the website itself. Newsletters can be read online at the site, and also will be made available in PDF format for archiving, for those who wish to read the older newsletters. |
| New Educational Videos: The staff of epilepsy.com believes that different people prefer different forms of media for education, and as many as possible should be available to help educate about epilepsy. This month, we are introducing to the site 23 new educational videos about topics in epilepsy, written by myself, Dr. Robert Fisher, and Dr. Orrin Devinsky, produced by FullTurn Media, sponsored by the Chairman of the Epilepsy Therapy Project, Warren Lammert. Dozens of other excellent educational videos have been available on the site, but it has been hard to find them. This month, we are initiating a reorganization of navigation to the videos. Clicking on the videos button on the homepage will now take the reader to a table of contents of videos group by subjects. Over the next few months, we will add links to other portions of the website. The person reading, for example, about epilepsy surgery in the “Epilepsy 101” text-based portion of the website will then be able to jump easily to several videos discussing epilepsy surgery. Please take a look at the videos, and if you feel so moved, provide feedback, comments for improvement and possible topics for future videos in the forum section of the website. |
| Managing Seizure Triggers: Seizures sometime seem to come "out of the blue." At other times they can be triggered by various factors, for example, missing medications, missing sleep, physical illness, emotional stress, the menstrual cycle in women, certain over-the-counter, prescription medications or recreational drugs, or environmental stimuli like flashing lights. Epilepsy.com, through the efforts of Steven Schachter and Patricia Shafer have added a section to the site called "Managing Seizure Triggers." The section can be accessed from the left column of the home page via this heading "Seizure Preparedness.” Take a look, and begin to think about whether there are triggers for your seizures that can be avoided. |
Chief Editor’s BlogMy First Message Welcome to epilepsy.com, a website dedicated to providing information and communication among those with epilepsy, those who care for them and those who work on their behalf. This is a living and growing site with information that changes based upon user input, steadily growing knowledge about epilepsy, and important events. You may choose to be a passive consumer of information or an active participant: either way you are welcome. Please recognize, however, that the site does not give medical advice. For that, you should communicate with your healthcare team. We welcome your participation on the site through the wiki process, but we do not have the capacity to respond to individual requests for information or medical advice. Blog me with any questions! |
DJ Hapa International Celebrity
Hapa's mission to give back does not stop with the DJ and hip hop community. Hapa just recently took on the role as the national spokesperson for Epilepsy Therapy Project and epilepsy.com, an organization which raises money to fund research to find new therapies for people living with Epilepsy. "It is a gift to me. It means a lot to me personally. I want people to know that you can have epilepsy and you can succeed."
Chanda Gunn World Class Athlete
Chanda Gunn will always be a winner for people with epilepsy. She is a true example of how someone with epilepsy can overcome obstacles. Chanda was the USA Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey goaltender, and bronze medal winner of the 2006 Winter Olympics. We are proud to say that she is also a Spokesperson for the Epilepsy Therapy Project.
