Epilepsy is a brain disorder involving recurrent seizures of all types. Seizures are episodes of disturbed brain function that cause changes in attention and/or behavior. The two main categories of seizures are generalized seizures in which the whole brain is involved) and partial seizures (a limited area is involved). Each category has different seizure types.

Possible causes of epilepsy

• Focal brain disease – including cerebrovascular events such as stroke, head trauma, and neoplasm
• Infection – such as meningitis, encephalitis, and abscess
• Metabolic causes – including uremia, hyponatremia, and abscess, and other deficiency state.
• Drug-related causes – such as cocaine, amphetamines, and alcohol withdrawal.
• Subacute conditions – such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and sub acute scierosing panencephalitis
• Toxins, such as lead poisoning (especially in children) and mercury poisoning in adults
• Conditions causing syncope – including vasovagal episodes, postural hypotension, and arrhythmia
• Asphyxia – from hypoxia, carbon monoxide poisoning, or birth injury
• Idiopathic seizures – in which no clear etiology is found

Sign and symptoms of epilepsy or seizures

Generalized seizures type

• Tonic-clonic – complete loss of consciousness, falling, jerking movements, urine incontinence.
• Absence – brief loss of consciousness.
• Myoclonic – brief jerking movements.

Partial seizure types

• Simple partial – stays conscious, and weakness, numbness, unusual smells or testes, muscle twitching, turning head to side, visual changes, or vertigo may occur.
• Complex partial – altered consciousness, automatic repetitive behavior, uncontrolled laughing, unusual thoughts, hallucinations, fears, or smells odd odors.

Diagnosis of epilepsy or seizures

Clinically, the diagnosis of epilepsy is based on the occurrence of one or more epilepsy attack and proof or more seizures and proof or the assumption that the condition that led to them is still present.

Diagnosis information is obtained from the patient’s history and description of seizure activity, physical and neurological examination, and CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging. These scans offer density readings of the brain and may indicate abnormalities on the EEG confirm the diagnosis by providing evidence of the continuing tendency to have seizures. A negative EEG doesn’t rule out seizures disorder because the paroxysmal abnormalities occur intermittently. Other tests may include serum glucose and calcium studies, skull X-rays, lumber puncture, brain scan, and cerebral angiography.

Homeopathic treatment of epilepsy

Homeopathy is one of the most popular holistic systems of medicine. The selection of remedy is based upon the theory of individualization and symptoms similarity by using holistic approach. This is the only way through which a state of complete health can be regained by removing all the sign and symptoms from which the patient is suffering. The aim of homeopathy is not only to treat epilepsy but to address its underlying cause and individual susceptibility. As far as therapeutic medication is concerned, several remedies are available to treat epilepsy that can be selected on the basis of cause, sensations and modalities of the complaints.  For individualized remedy selection and treatment, the patient should consult a qualified homeopathic doctor in person. There are following remedies which are helpful in the treatment of epilepsy:

Cuprum met – nocturnal epilepsy, or when the fits return at regular intervals, beginning with sudden scrams, loss of sensibility and throwing the body upward and forward, convulsions  commencing at the fingers or toes or in the arms, with coldness of the hands and feet, and pallor or lividity of face. Convulsions in children during dentition.

Natrum Sulph – epilepsy from concussions of brain, after injuries on head, great irritability and disgust of life, great exhaustion and prostration.

Cicuta Virosa – concussions of brain, congestion at the base of the brain and in the medulla oblongata,. Excessively violent convulsions, tonic and clonic, and continuous distortions of extremities, after the attack profound exhaustion.

Nitric acid – epileptic fits after midnight; biting tongue, snoring during sleep, aura begins in left arm, excessive irritability with debility.

Ignatia – recent cases of epilepsy, epilepsy due to excess of emotions; partial spasms of the extremities, silent stupid state with jerking of the body, lassitude after a fit, convulsions return at the same hour in day time or at night.

Causticum – hystero epilepsy; Extra ordinary mental or physical vigor, headache especially through temples, with vertigo, redness of conjunctiva; convulsions with scrams

Bufo – aura begins from sexual organs or from solar plexus; epilepsy from onanism, longs for solitude to give himself up to his vice, epileptic aura from uterus to stomach in females, menses suppressed, or fits worse at times of menses; severe cases, head down to one side, then backward before the fit, with numbness of brain, falls down unconscious, followed by severe clonic and tonic spasm.

Hellebores – epilepsy in infants; during the paroxysm , the child remains sensible and the paroxysm may occur several times during the same day and after the attack, the child goes to sleep; bad effects from earlier head injuries.

Argentum Nitricum – epilepsy in persons suffering from indigestion, loud belching during the attack or before it; the patient is withered and dried in constitution.

Silicea – fits during sleep; nervous irritability; ill effects of vaccination; sensation of coldness before an attack, indicated in children with a large head and large abdomen.

Borax – a valuable remedy in epilepsy of children; whether recurrent or old, children is afraid of downward motion so much so that the child cries when an attempt is made to put him down on the bed and is very sensitive  to noises.

Melilotus – epilepsy from the blow on head.

Opium – epilepsy attacks in night especially in those persons who are constipated much drowsiness after an attack.

Plumbum met – when due to cerebral sclerosis or tumor, heaviness and paralysis sensation before the attack, and there is often paralysis and prolonged snoring thereafter.

Thuja – epileptic attack occurring after vaccination when pustules disappear which had appeared as a result of vaccination. Ear feel numbed before attack.

Absinthiam – suited well when the fit is preceded by trembling, vertigo and giddiness, loss of memory after the attack.

Natrum Mur – twitching of arms and leg before and during the attack; attacks preceded by vertigo, sleep, gritting teeth, nausea, and vomiting.