Ways to Prevent Seizures

Seizures or fits, as they are more commonly referred to, are physical symptoms of sporadic and excessive activity of the neurons in the brain. The physical symptoms can be as simple as the subject experiencing a black-out or passing out for a few minutes to the subject unintentionally thrashing around or experiencing random muscular twitches in various parts of the body. Broadly, there are two types of seizures - epileptic and non epileptic.

The former is caused by excessive abnormal neural activity while the latter may be caused by a plethora of physiological as well as psychological reasons and are mostly in the form of short, frequent attacks involving similar indications.

Whether or not the seizures are epileptic, there are certain factors that act as the triggers that lead to these fits and attacks. Before proceeding towards discussing how to prevent seizures, let's take a look at what are some of the most common factors that trigger seizures.

The following are some common factors that worsen the condition if you happen to have a history of epileptic or non epileptic seizures. Getting to know what kick starts those fits is one of the most natural ways to prevent seizures by keeping your distance from these triggers which cause seizures.

• Consumption of and withdrawal from alcoholic beverages;
• Certain dietary deficiencies are known to trigger seizures and following certain diets have been known to reduce the frequency of these fits;

• Seizures can occur as a side effect of certain drugs such as tricyclic anti depressants, insulin, estrogen and certain other hormones based medication, certain antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs and local anesthetics, various narcotics that are administered as analgesics, etc.

• High fevers are known to induce seizures in the form of fainting or passing out in small children as well as adults who have a history of seizures and neurological problems;

• An injury to the head or trauma to the brain may also lead to the subject suffering from seizures which may or may not be epileptic in nature;
• Stress, sleep deprivation or missing doses of prescribed anticonvulsant medication may also lead to fits, especially in subjects who have pre-existing neurological issues.

If you are able to locate the incidences of your seizures to any one particular reason among the above mentioned list of triggers, it becomes easier to manage those fits and prevent them as much as possible.

Once you identify your triggers, the best way to tackle those seizures is to manage those triggers. While you can totally regulate certain triggers like staying away from alcohol and getting enough sleep, you can't do much about fit-triggering medications that you have to take due to health reasons. For instance, if you've been prescribed certain antibiotics like Penicillin, you should not miss even a single dose.

However, you can lower the frequency of those fits by following a parallel course of Vitamin B₆ supplement or B complex pills along with the antibiotics course. That being said, let's take a look at some other ways in which you can control those seizures whether they occur as violent fits or are short-term black out phases.

• Following various diets under strict medical supervision have been known to decrease the intensity and frequency of seizures. Popular among them are the ketogenic diet, the Atkins diet and low glycemic index diet.

• Get enough sleep and practice relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation. Go for aromatherapy sessions to de-stress your mind and relax your body so that the brain is put into a semi-tranquil state, leading to better consistency of neural activity by decreasing those short, sporadic bursts.

• If you are under anticonvulsant or epilepsy treatment medication, make sure that you do not miss your doses. The medicines are there to make your condition better, so, not taking them regularly ain't gonna help.

• If a person is prone to suffering from violent seizures, he/she can get some relief by taking a tranquilizer shot at the onset of such a fit so that the intensity of the seizure is reduced, lowering chances of injuring oneself as a result of thrashing around in a violent fit. 

However, such steps must be sanctioned by a registered medical practitioner and the quantity and frequency of such shots must be closely regulated.

• You can go for brain training techniques to lower stress on the onset of an attack. Under such techniques, you are taught to regulate your thoughts, thereby regulating the brain waves, and focus on matters that induce a calming effect and do not cause additional stress or anxiety.

For instance, when you get the first warning signals of an oncoming attack, you should immediately switch to imagining a pleasant and soothing scenery, say a flower garden with a pond and a fountain. This technique can be learned from a qualified mental health professional and can be mastered with regular practice.

While this technique might not completely stave off a fit but by calming the brain, it does help in slowing down the attack and decreasing its intensity, allowing the subject enough time to call for help.

• Avoid bright, flashing lights and loud, noisy situations as much as possible as these also stress the brain and nerves. If you already have a history of seizures, then it is better to avoid blinding and flashing lights and loud noises all the more.

• Avoid certain nerve stimulating chemicals such as caffeine, monosodium glutamate (MSG), theobromine (chocolates, cocoa powder or any cocoa based product), etc. and products that contain estrogen or have estrogen-equivalent effects such as soy based products (tofu, soy milk, miso, tempeh, etc.).
• Stay away from the artificial sweetener aspartame and cured meat.

Knowing your enemy better is the first step you take towards combating it. Read articles on seizures and epilepsy, contact support groups and counseling centers to get more information about your condition. All these steps should, however, be preceded by seeking medical consultation after the very first instance of experiencing a fit.

The earlier you get your diagnosis, the earlier you can tackle this issue and the earlier you start taking the preventive measures, the better results you are likely to get. Be aware, see the doc and take care!