Aromatherapy and Epilepsy
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Section One:What Epilepsy Is - and Some Medication
The term 'epilepsy' is from the Greek 'to take hold of, to seize, or to possess'. Many centuries ago, it was believed that a person suffering from epilepsy was possessed by the gods. Only a couple of centuries ago, the individual was considered to be possessed by the Devil. One hundred years ago it was realised that it was a 'recurrent, episodic, uncontrolled discharge of nerve tissue' (Hughlings Jackson, neurologist). Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain that occurs when many thousands of nerve cells discharge chemicals (neurotransmitters) at the same time - a pattern which is not regarded as 'normal' by other nerve cells, which function via a pattern much more varied and complex.
Personal experience
I have suffered from epilepsy since the age of 6. None of the doctors I have consulted have been definitely able to state why I have epilepsy although, since I do not seem to be genetically predisposed to the condition, nor have I suffered any trauma to the head, it is quite possible that my epilepsy is due to stress/psychological factors. I have been prescribed varying medication throughout this time (including folic acid to supplement certain drugs), and my seizures worsened, then were controlled, then seemed to have disappeared, only to resurface recently in a milder form. Side effects have included weight gain, inability to tan, shrinking gums (causing tooth problems), nausea, bruising, and dizziness.
Medication
The main types of medication prescribed for patients vary according to the type of epileptic seizure they experience. Those prescribed include carbamazepine, clonazepam, diazepam, ethosuximide, phenytoin, and valproate. Some of these drugs do not combine well with other anti-convulsants, some reduce the efficacy of the contraceptive pill, some make 'absence seizures' worse, and a certain combination of three of them 'may precipitate intoxication'! (Chadwick & Usiskin, 1987).
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