Johannesburg – Epilepsy affects one in every 100 people in South Africa.
This is according to Epilepsy SA.
“That is approximately half a million South Africans based on a total estimated population of 52-million,” says Valentine Muradzikwa from Epilelpsy SA.
He explains that because the condition affects so many citizens, there’s a week dedicated to educating people about the illness, noting that this is important as sufferers of the condition fall victim to societal stigmatisation, abuse and rejection.
“Epilepsy is not a disease, a mental illness, a curse, the result of witchcraft, neither is it contagious,” he says.
Epilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behaviour, sensations and sometimes loss of awareness.
Muradzikwa says anyone can get epilepsy at any age or stage of their life.
“Epilepsy is characterised by two or more seizures without a clear medical cause. One has to be diagnosed by a neurologist.”
When it comes to treatment, he says seizures can be controlled through medication, for example epilem or tegeretol, surgery, Ketogenic diet and or a Vagus nerve stimulator.
“There is no absolute cure for the disease as medical research is still ongoing.”
He explains that the Ketogenic diet showed through a study conducted by Johns Hopkins that 50% of patients who went on this diet had a 50% decrease in seizures, a 90% reduction in symptoms.
All these patients had tried an average of six anticonvulsant drugs.
The diet is similar to the Atkins diet. It is a low-carb, high-fat diet.
Patients who are struggling to cope are encouraged to contact the foundation for residential care services, workplace psychosocial support, counselling and advocacy (liaise with the line manager, stating the rights of the employee, workplace advise) and protective workshops for safe employment.
Families of patients a re encouraged to give emotional support to patients by removing societal stigmatisation and misconceptions.
“Apply first-aid procedures in cases of seizures,” says Muradzikwa.
Ayesha Khan, the owner of Epiclinic Body & Health Diagnostic Centre in Boksburg, offers holistic healing to people living with epilepsy.
She claims that her therapy helped her grandson, who became ill at the age of three in 2008.
“We had been around the globe to get help in treating his epilepsy issues, but all was in vain. We used the best doctors, specialists and professors to try and help stop his seizures but nothing helped. This is when I decided to research holistic healing and came up with different protocols to aid in his treatment process. Today he is totally seizure- free [16 years old],” she says.
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