Epilepsy and Seizures: Everything You Need to Know by Donald Weaver

From the Publisher

Epilepsy is like no other medical condition. It hits about one person in 100, and it can start at any age, sometimes for no apparent reason. Seizures may strike often, or almost never. Attacks take many different forms, from violent convulsions and unconsciousness, to flickers of "absence" as brief as a passing thought. What, then, is epilepsy? What does it do to your life, and what options do you have?

This authoritative new addition to the Your Personal Health series explains what we know today about this unpredictable disorder and gives detailed, practical advice on living with it, in yourself or a loved one. Topics include:

• how to recognize different kinds of epilepsy
  
• how and why the brain produces these various patterns
  
• what tests and procedures are used to diagnose epilepsy
  
• how drugs can help-or harm
  
• when surgery makes sense
  
• epilepsy in pregnancy, childhood and old age
  

The author includes frank discussions of lifestyle issues such as family relationships, school and work, sports, driving, drinking and drug use, and hands-on advice for managing a seizure.

Comprehensive and up-to-date, complete with illustrations, case studies and a resource list, Epilepsy and Seizures is your guide to managing a complex and often frustrating disorder.

"A complete and very well written book covering the topics of interest to persons with epilepsy and their families."

Thomas R. Browne, MD

Medical Information Directory, The Brain Center

Professor of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Charles C Wang, MD, MS (University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)
Description:This pocket-sized book provides patients with epilepsy and their families a handy reference.
Purpose:The aim is to provide an overview of the current medical knowledge about epilepsy for patients and their family members. These worthy objectives are met with this book.
Audience:This book is written for patients with epilepsy and their family members. The author is a credible authority.
Features:The book provides a brief history of epilepsy and then covers the different types, the mechanisms, diagnosis and current medical and surgical treatment, and special situations, such as epilepsy in pregnant women, children, and the elderly. The book uses understandable language for the target audience. After reading this book, patients and their families will be educated about epilepsy.
Assessment:The book is well written and the content is concise and relatively complete. This is a good book for epileptic patients who want to know more about themselves and for families who have to care for their loved ones at home.

Library Journal

In this slim volume, rhe director of the epilepsy clinic at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, clearly and succinctly summarizes the current medical knowledge about epilepsy from diagnosis to treatment. Included are a brief history of epilepsy in the Western world; issues applicable to specific populations such as children, seniors, and pregnant women; and an important chapter on other medical problems that may resemble epilepsy. Each chapter concludes with a bulleted list of the important points covered. Unfortunately, the book lacks references, and its list of sources is very short. While it includes a brief chapter on the lifestyle issues pertaining to living with such a stigmatized and misunderstood disorder, it is somewhat distant and clinical, reflecting the author's perspective as a doctor rather than a patient. Despite these limitations, this title should be useful for public libraries and consumer health collections as its drug information is more current than that in other books on this disease. Eris Weaver, Redwood Health Lib., Petaluma, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Rating

3 Stars from Doody

Product Details

• Table of Contents
• Read an Excerpt

Table of Contents

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

Most people with epileptic seizures have seen many physicians and neurologists, and have tried many drugs and combinations of drugs. They have been offered a great deal of advice about their epilepsy, some of it right, much of it wrong. They have joined epilepsy associations that provide them with a constant flow of information in comprehensive pamphlets and newsletters. And for those with Internet connections there are many websites. Because information about new research and medical advances in the field is so widely available, many people with epilepsy are extremely knowledgeable about their disorder, and expect to take an active part in decisions about their treatment.

The aim of this book is to provide an overview of all the important current medical knowledge of epilepsy, to help you make informed decisions - for yourself or for a family member — about the healthcare that is best for you. Patients and their families were widely consulted during the preparation of the book, and the questions they most commonly ask have all been answered in these pages, to the best of my ability. The case studies describe real people with real problems (though their names have been changed to protect their privacy). In particular, take-home points have been included at the ends of the chapters to provide quick, reliable summaries of the facts that people with epilepsy most need to know.