Good Health equals Better Seizure Control

To someone with epilepsy the best health is seizure free health.  It doesn’t really matter what your dress size is or how big your muscles are.   The most important point is how to stop that next seizure from happening!
After a week stay in Parkland Hospital my neurologist had some good information and a lot of pictures from my MRI’s.   Good info yes, good news no.  I’ll always remember the follow up meeting when my neurologist said,  “Mark you have a good life, you can be a productive member of society, blah, blah, blah…”  The year was 1993.

I didn’t agree with the doctor so hoping I could find a way to stop, or better control, my seizures I began to monitor and record everything from food intake, med type and frequency, emotional states, and at one point I even recorded the stages of the moon.  This last one was something I started after reading an article on the possible correlation between moon stage and seizure activity.  I guess now a new type of seizure will have to be named the Wolfileptic seizure.  I was determined to improve my health so I could take bad health out of the “why I was having seizures” equation.

The first step to better health is to take a good, HONEST look at your present physical self.  After making this observation, then decide how you want to feel and function in the future.  Finally, get a plan of action to take you there.

So, what is good health?  The triad of health consists of psychological/spiritual, chemical, and biomechanical.   We are holistic beings composed of a mind, body and a soul.  True health is balance and harmony in each of these areas of your being.  When in poor health, you must utilize treatments in each of these three areas.

First, BE A QUITTER!

That’s right.  Be a quitter.  Quit smoking, drinking, eating junk food, and anything else that is diminishing your ability to be at your peak performance every day.  If you can, and you can, quit now!  Right now!

A disciplined approach needs to be taken in order to eliminate all causes of seizures but what you will find even more difficult than following a regimen is not imposing it on others! My family and friends grew tired of my constant nagging about cigarette smoke, my maniacal adherence to eating and going to bed at a specific time.  I alienated a lot of people through the years but with the help of God I now have my life back.   Many of them loved me from a distance. And I them.  You may have to do that to some of your friends and family that can’t accept what you need to do to get your health back.

Now, get a notebook, it can be a pocket sized one if you want, and write down everything you eat and ingest for the week.  Don’t try and do it by memory alone.

If you have active epilepsy, look at your surroundings at work and at home.  Do you take sinus medication or any over the counter medicines?  Do you have seizures at any certain areas in your home?  If you work in an office do you have fluorescent lighting or work around a lot of computers?  If you had an argument with or made love to your spouse write it down. If you had an argument with your parents. How are you doing in school?  Did your favorite sports team win or lose. If you are constipated make it a point to write it down and then make it a point to get un-constipated and do you what you need to do to stay regular.  Write down EVERYTHING.

Next, buy a calendar or make one large enough to record what you eat, the meds you take, the vitamins you take, when you go to the bathroom…  I’m not kidding about going to the bathroom.

As of this writing you can find a calendar specifically for people with epilepsy at:

http://www.childrensmemorial.org/documents/seizurecalendar_2011_final.pdf

I made my own because I wanted it big enough to record everything I ate, did, and experienced.

I kept the calendar on my refrigerator and would keep all that information and more and kept a red pen handy to record when I had my seizures.   By doing this I could see what may be causing my seizures.  If you have inactive epilepsy or are just wanting to get in better shape this will work for you too.

Now that you know what you’ve been eating and putting into your body you now have a place to record what you need to start eating and putting into your body.