Beyond The Brain Re-Thinking Epilepsy Diagnosis And Treatment Through The Mind-Body Connection

By Brittany Forrester

This book takes a deep dive into the intricate world of epilepsy, encompassing its diagnoses, treatment, and scholarly exploration with a keen critical eye. Its primary mission is to present a compelling argument, challenging the prevailing biomedical approach's narrow focus on the brain as the sole locus of intervention for epilepsy. By doing so, it underscores that such an exclusive perspective falls short of addressing the multidimensional needs of individuals living with epilepsy and comprehending their profound lived experiences.

In response to this critical shortfall, it proposes a radical departure from the conventional reliance on pharmaceuticals and biological pathways. This innovative approach promises to unveil novel treatments and foster a profoundly holistic understanding of the human body's intricacies. By transcending the current biomedical boundaries, this approach has the power to alleviate the suffering of the estimated 70 million people worldwide who grapple with epilepsy.

This book represents a beacon of hope and a new era of enlightenment in epilepsy care, potentially significantly enhancing the quality of life for countless individuals affected by this condition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: vincenzo nappi
• Release date: Nov 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223784692

Book preview

Chapter One

Introduction

EPILEPSY IN BIOMEDICINE is diagnosed, treated, and understood as a disease of the brain. Pathologically, It is defined as neurons misfiring in the brain, causing seizures that affect the body. In the same way a conductor pulls leavers and changes gears to alter a train's movement forward and backward, the brain is assumed to manipulate the body in a unidirectional fashion. In the same way that a train may not directly impact the operator, the silent body does not directly impact or manipulate the brain (and, therefore, brain diseases). Suppose patients or their loved ones report symptoms outside of the brain itself. In that case, it is only possible because the misfiring brain is abnormally activating these body parts through the central nervous system. Because of these facts, a hierarchy of grey and white matter over the body that encapsulates it takes precedence in diagnosing, treating, and studying epilepsy in much of biomedicine.

This view can be limiting. Epilepsy is much more complicated than treating the conductor's over (or abnormal) activity in a machine. The brain and body work together dynamically, which makes diseases like epilepsy very complicated to treat. The purpose of this book is to address how epilepsy is currently being treated in biomedicine, examine biomedicine's shortcomings in the treatment of epilepsy, critically explore the theoretical framework that may be limited to traditional biomedical treatment, and suggest how perspectives in medical anthropology and social theory could lend a helping hand in understanding and treating epilepsy. The book will also discuss alternative therapies that have had promising results in clinical trials for patients with refractory epilepsy (non-responsive to traditional biomedical treatment) that have come into being through patient-led initiatives that look beyond the narrow, dualist mindset of biomedicine.

Epilepsy is a disease that is characterized by over-activity in the brain, more specifically the cerebrum, leading to seizures. Seizures are typically characterized by sudden jolts of abnormal electrical activity in the brain that cause a behavior change. Seizures can cause damage to the brain and neuronal death, which can lead to a decline in cognitive or other abilities. The occurrence/extent of damage depends on the frequency and severity of seizures and the affected cerebrum area. Having intense seizures frequently can cause damage by continually overstimulating neurons until they can no longer respond to stimuli appropriately. The cerebrum is the largest region of the human brain. It is responsible for various functions and traits like sensory perception, language, voluntary control of movement, personality traits, and sophisticated mental events like decision-making, creativity, memory, self-consciousness, and thinking.

Nerve cells are specialized cells that conduct electrical impulses to and from other cells (maybe neuronal or not). To do this, neurons have developed axons and dendrites to relay information from an incoming to an outgoing neuron. Neurons are influenced by electrical impulses from other cells (action potentials) and neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are released at the end of a synapse (the gap between the axon of one and the dendrite of another cell), which causes the transfer of the impulse to another neuron (although not limited to, can transfer to muscle or other cells).

Seizures, a surge of communication between neurons (activity between neurons can be over or under-excited during a seizure, causing an imbalance in activity leading to a surge of electrical activity in the brain and thus a seizure), are classified into two types, general and partial. A patient experiencing a general seizure will display abnormal firing of neurons across the cerebrum. A patient experiences neuronal hyperactivity during a partial seizure in one specific cerebrum region. Tables 1 and 2 describe general and partial seizure subtypes and associated symptoms.

Epilepsy is typically diagnosed with two forms of scans: electroencephalogram (EEG) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). EEGs, primarily used to diagnose seizure disorders, are performed by reading the output from electrodes placed on the patient's scalp. An EEG reads