June 28th is International Epilepsy Caring Day (IECD). Epilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations, and sometimes loss of awareness. Epilepsy is a chronic noncommunicable disease of the brain that affects people of all ages. Around 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological diseases globally.

Epilepsy Groups

1. Children and adolescents

More than 60% of epilepsy patients in China are children and adolescents. It is reported that the incidence of epilepsy in children is about three thousandths. Because the child's brain is in the developmental stage, if the child has a long history of epilepsy, the epilepsy will cause irreversible damage to the child's brain and affect the quality of life of the child. Therefore, children with epilepsy should be diagnosed and treated early.

2.Aged people

The incidence of epilepsy in people around 50-60 years old is also high, mainly due to epilepsy caused by cerebrovascular disease, senile dementia and autoimmune encephalitis. In addition, Alzheimer's disease (AD) with epilepsy should also attract people's attention, especially the elderly. Many older patients have paroxysmal psychiatric symptoms or abnormal behavior. Many elderly people create disturbances at night. They may suffer from AD with epilepsy.

Brain neurons in patients with epilepsy discharge abnormally

Under normal circumstances, the excitability and inhibition of brain neurons are balanced. The two can live in harmony and our bodies can work normally. But for some reason, the brain has too much excitability, and the two are in an unbalanced state. If the brain randomly gives orders and the neurons abnormally discharge, epilepsy will occur.

The most easily recognized symptoms of epilepsy include generalized tonic-clonic seizure, convulsion of the limbs, foaming at the mouth, gaze to one side, trismus and gatism.

Can epilepsy be cured thoroughly?

Generally speaking, 90% of epilepsy can get a good treatment effect. The treatment methods of epilepsy are mainly divided into three categories: drugs, surgery and other treatments (such as diet and biofeedback). The most important treatment methods are drugs and surgical treatment.

70% of patients effectively control the condition through drug treatment, then slowly reduce the amount of drugs, and eventually stop the drug after a few years.

Now more than 30% of patients are refractory epilepsy, that is, if the medicine does not work, then we will need to adopt surgical treatment. The so-called traditional surgery requires a craniotomy, so the trauma and risk are relatively large.

Research on the use of Ganoderma lucidum to suppress epileptic attack:

According to relevant domestic studies, oral administration of Ganoderma lucidum mycelium water extract to mice in advance can suppress epileptic attack; if Ganoderma lucidum spore powder is used to treat rats with epilepsy, continuous consumption of Ganoderma lucidum spore powder for about half a month to one month can reduce the frequency and duration of epileptic attack.

The reason why Ganoderma lucidum is effective is that it can make brain nerve cells difficult to store electricity and discharge through several different mechanisms, and it can reduce casualties of brain nerve cells in hippocampus. The currently known active ingredient is polysaccharide. [The above content is excerpted from "Lingzhi, Ingenious beyond Description" by Wu Tingyao, Chapter 4, Section 8 - Protecting Brain Nerves, Improving Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease and Epilepsy Symptoms]

How to implement first aid to patients who are experiencing a seizure?

When most patients are experiencing epileptic attack, their life indicators such as breathing and heartbeat are stable. So the best way is to send the patient to the hospital for emergency treatment as soon as possible.

Here are a few simple things to do at home:

1. Keep the patient breathing smoothly, let the patient keep a side-lying position, and Prevent sputum from blocking the nose and mouth. Be careful not to pinch philtrum, do not put your hands in the patient's mouth, otherwise your fingers will be easily bitten. If you are worried that the patient will bite his or her own tongue, you can pry his or her mouth open with chopsticks or spoons instead of a towel, which is easy to block the respiratory tract.

2. Try to keep the patient in a lateral position, place him or her on the door plank and lift the door plank to see the doctor. Pay attention not to hold or carry or move the patient repeatedly.

If a patient suspected of experiencing an epileptic attack is found on the road, it is recommended to call 120 emergency numbers urgently, and then keep this person in a side-lying position to keep his or her respiratory tract open. Normally, ordinary people cannot recognize epilepsy. To confirm whether it is an epileptic attack, a doctor is needed to confirm the diagnosis through EEG.

References:

1. China Net Finance, Zhang Runqi, "Tiantan Hospital, Wang Qun: Chinese epilepsy patients account for 1/5 of the world; children, adolescents and the elderly are high-risk groups", 2019-9-9.

2. Sina Technology, "Great Master Science", "International Epilepsy Caring Day: What happened in the patient's brain?" 》, 2019-6-28.