In the wake of the tragic death of Jett Travolta, many of my patients have come to me with overwhelming concern over their own mortalities. This is a topic that people are uncomfortable talking about but one that is necessary for peace of mind.

It is true that people with epilepsy have a mortality rate two to three times that of the general populationHowever, the life expectancy of people with epilepsy is the same as for anyone else, especially if that person is otherwise healthy. In general, seizures are not usually fatal.

If you are a person who suffers from tonic-clonic seizures, it is most important to alert those around you of your condition so that the proper assistance can be administered if needed. If a tonic-clonic seizure is not stopped within 30 minutes, it may cause permanent injury or death. People with epilepsy can also die from inhaling vomit during or after a seizure. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, if someone is experiencing a tonic-clonic seizure, turn them on their side when the seizure begins to ensure that the vomit comes out of the mouth.

If you are a person who is not seizure free, you must always take safety precautions with activities such as swimming or showering to avoid fatal accidents. The key to controlling your seizures is to be proactive with your care. Always be under the supervision of a neurologist. If you are compliant with your medications and do not abuse your body with excessive alcohol, smoking, or lack of sleep, you should be able to control your seizures and live a long, healthy life.

If you are experiencing seizures often and are not getting relief from your current treatment, we urge you to contact your neurologist for follow up. Sometimes, medications will stop doing their job, but that doesn’t mean another medication or combination of medications will not work. For many patients, all we need to do is make a small revision to the dosage of your current medication.

Stay proactive and compliant, and you can live a very long life. As always, if you have a question or a comment, leave it here so we can dialogue and learn from each other.

This week, we celebrated the epilepsy monitoring unit’s (EMU) one-year anniversary, and we could not be more pleased with its success. We designed the unit and operate it in conjunction with Holy Cross Hospital.

Why has the EMU been so successful? South Florida has the highest population of people who experience seizures on an annual basis. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, between 100,000 and 120,000 people here experience seizures annually, which is double the national average.

These statistics, combined with the fact that Holy Cross houses the region’s most sophisticated technology for diagnosing seizures, led to an outstanding year. Patient volume in the EMU surpassed our initial expectations, and projections for the year were double what were originally anticipated.

What is an epilepsy monitoring unit? The EMU houses state-of-the-art digital equipment to monitor and assist with the diagnosis of complicated seizure cases while patients stay in comfortable private rooms in a medically supervised environment. It also includes a technician monitoring room and a mobile monitoring unit to triage complicated seizure cases in the intensive care unit and emergency room.

Why is an EMU important? Thorough screening is essential for diagnosis and treatment planning because seizures are only a symptom of epilepsy. In fact, forty to sixty percent of people with persistent seizures do not have epilepsy, which highlights the importance of proper screening and diagnosis. Additionally, seizures can present in subtle ways such as slight temporary memory loss, dropping things, or even changes in smell.

People who experience epileptic seizures usually speak about memory loss. Since seizures create electrical impulses in the brain, the brain function in the affected area can be disrupted or even destroyed. If seizures originate from the temporal lobe of the brain, for example, memory can potentially be affected. If seizures happen frequently, memory difficulties can happen more often.

Some people have seizures that affect all of the brain at once. These are called generalized seizures. Others have partial seizures, affecting only part of the brain, and some people have both generalized and partial seizures. Memory problems can happen in both cases.

If you have partial seizures, the way your seizures affect your memory will depend on where in the brain your seizures happen. The brain has two halves (hemispheres). Each half has four parts called lobes. They are the occipital, parietal, temporal and frontal lobes. The different lobes of the brain are important for different types of memory.

Look for our next blog posting as we will talk about specific types of memory loss related to each lobe of the brain.

We are learning more and more about how to identify the range of memory impairments associated with epilepsy and link them to specific areas of the brain. This knowledge is helping us to offer better treatments and assist in the rehabilitation of people whose memories have been impaired.

Are you having difficulty remembering a scheduled doctor’s appointment or a party that you were invited to? This might be because your seizures are occurring in the frontal lobe of your brain. The frontal lobe is responsible for prospective memory, or things that happen in the future.

Are you having difficulty remembering an activity you did yesterday or a conversation you recently had? This might be because your seizures are originating from the temporal lobe of your brain. The temporal lobe is responsible for new learning.

If you have problems remembering words or get stuck in the middle of a sentence when you are searching for the right word, your seizures are most likely originating in the left side of the brain. This is because the left side of the brain is the side that controls language and speech.

Difficulties with memory can also happen because of side effects of taking anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), such as drowsiness or attention problems. These side effects can impact short-term memory and may make it more difficult to learn and store new information. There may be a higher chance of you having memory difficulties if you take high doses of medication or more than one type of AED.

If you have epilepsy, experience seizures, and are having difficulties with memory, we may be able to help. In our epilepsy monitoring unit located in Holy Cross Hospital, we can determine the area of your brain where seizures occur. Once we gather the data to make the determination, we may offer treatment options which can reduce seizure activity or eliminate them completely. As a result of less frequent seizure activity, your memory function should improve.

We welcome any of your questions and look forward to your feedback.

Are you a person who has been diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy taking anti-epileptic medication and you continue to experience seizures? You might be a candidate for surgery.

Misplaced keys. A forgotten name. A lost thought. As we age, these issues create a familiar and worrisome question: am I losing my memory?

Fortunately, we now know that there are therapies and exercises that you can do to preserve and even improve your memory. You must challenge your mind on a regular basis to gain brain power. At Florida Neuroscience Center, I advise my patients to focus on the five senses and to introduce something new on a regular basis. For example, try a new ethnic dish the next time you go out to eat (taste) or choose a new type of music to listen to instead of your traditional choice (sound).

The scientific community now accepts that the brain retains its plasticity, which is the ability to rewire itself for better function throughout life. Brain exercises play an important role in this rewiring process. You might enjoy reading this recent American Medical News article – “Steps to a Nimble Mind: Physical and Mental Exercise help Keep the Brain Fit” – which explores how neuroscience is uncovering techniques to prevent cognitive decline.

Please join me for Dinner with the Doctor at Holy Cross Hospital on Wednesday, December 3 at 4 p.m. I will share the latest on memory loss and offer tips on how to maximize your memory’s long-term potential. (Call 954-351-5886 to RSVP!)

Writer Nancy Christie at EverydayHealth.com recently interviewed me about the increasing popularity of brain games and their benefits. When it comes to brain games or memory exercises, I tell my patients to “use it and keep it.”

By challenging your brain with new exercises or games, you strengthen such cognitive skills as the ability to remember something, solve a problem, or use a particular strategy to win a game. We posted tips in our blog entry called Challenge Your Memory: Use It or Lose It.

If you are in the market for a game or just looking for an activity to challenge your brain, I recommend finding something that will help you engage in several mental processes at one time. For example, look for games and activities that require you to utilize skills such as problem solving and memory retention challenges. I also recommend using your five senses – hearing, touch, taste, smell, and sight – by engaging in something new several times a week such as trying new cologne or take a walk through a new park. Challenging the brain with new experiences will wake up the unused parts of the brain to keep it sharper and healthier. In other words, “use it and keep it.”

What brain games, exercises or activities have you tried? Would you recommend them to others? Have you noticed improvement in your memory?

Excessive drinking is not good for anyone. For people with epilepsy, drinking excessively can induce seizures because of the effect alcohol has on the brain.The effects of alcohol can temporarily reduce seizures for a few hours, but then increase the chances of having seizures as the alcohol leaves your body. Alcohol can also interact with anti-epileptic drugs, making them less effective. Heavy drinking can also lead to missed dosages of medications, lack of sleep, and a patient’s overall well-being, which can trigger seizures.

Many people with epilepsy find they can drink “socially,” meaning they can have one or two occasional drinks without increasing the chances of having a seizure. Other people find that even a small amount of alcohol triggers their seizures and consequently may choose not to drink alcohol at all. Each of us is born with a different threshold level. Those with a low seizure threshold are more likely to experience seizures than those with a high seizure threshold. Since alcohol can make seizures more likely to occur, know your threshold.

Did you know that there is roughly the same amount of alcohol in a glass of wine, a bottle of beer and a shot of liquor? Please check with your doctor before deciding on your own alcohol use. Have you talked with your doctor about the kind of medicine you are taking and how it might react with beer, wine, or hard liquor?

The current economic and financial crisis has created increased pressure on all of us. As many struggle with the uncertainty of whether or not they will continue to have a job, others deal with the challenges of laying people off, many of whom may have been colleagues and friends. With stress reaching epidemic numbers, many struggle with staying healthy during rough times. Stress affects the most vulnerable systems: some people will experience frequent migraine headaches, whereas others will develop gastrointestinal problems, and others will have high blood pressure. Stress may trigger panic attacks in some people and will affect others with clinical depression.

Depression is common, affecting one in ten adults each year and twice as many women as men. Depression is a serious medical illness that negatively impacts how we think, how we feel, and how we behave. When we feel down or sad, our perception of the world becomes gloomy. Many experience depression with little hope for the future and doubt that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Depression has a variety of symptoms, but the most common are a deep feeling of sadness or a marked loss of interest or pleasure in activities that we used to enjoy. Other symptoms include neuro-vegetative symptoms: significant changes in our appetite and sleep. In addition to experiencing sadness or loss of interest, you may experience some of the following symptoms if you experience clinical depression:

• Changes in appetite that result in weight loss or weight gain

• Lack of sleep or over sleeping

• Loss of energy or increased fatigue

• Restlessness or irritability

• Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt

• Difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions

• Thoughts of death or suicide or attempts at suicide

How can I get help?

1) Recognize you are experiencing depression: Depression is a treatable condition but the first step is to be aware that you may be experiencing depression. The National Depression Screening Day offers sites where you can be tested by volunteers. You may also take an online test although nothing beats the face-to-face.

2) Learn about depression: You can search for information at the National Institutes of Health website. The NIH is the largest research organization in the world. You will find additional information at the American Psychiatric Association’s site.

3) Look for help: Tell your primary care doctor or your gynecologist that you believe you are depressed. As a college student, tell your student’s health provider. As a parent, if you are concerned about your child being depressed, speak with your pediatrician or with the school nurse. Tell them you are concerned and that you want help.

4) Live a healthy lifestyle: The more you can maximize your physical health by exercising, eating healthy, sleeping well and using relaxation techniques (The Four Pillars of Physical Health), the easier it will be to bounce back during hard times. On the other hand, clinical depression is a serious medical condition and many people have already tried their best to maximize their lifestyle. If this is the case,

5) Seek for professional expert help: People who are living healthy lifestyles and experiencing clinical depression will benefit from using one or a combination of psychotherapy and medication therapy in addition to their lifestyle healthy strategies. Studies show that the combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy with medication therapy may be best to treat moderate to severe depression. Treatment works.

6) Keep a positive outlook: Depression is treatable. Although it may take 4-6 weeks to experience the best effects from medication, many people start to experience positive effects much earlier. If you feel like the treatment is not working, go to your doctor and share your expectations.

7) Support your family and friends with depression: Get involved in assisting your spouse, family or friend as he or she works on becoming healthy. Learn about depression to better understand this condition and its impact upon the home and the workplace.

Cognitive retraining therapy helps many of our patients regain function in areas of the brain – such as organization, attention, memory, and problem solving – that have been affected by seizures or brain injury.

Watch us on the WFOR Channel 4 5:00 p.m. newscast on Thursday, October 2 as we discuss and demontrate our techniques.