HOW IS EPILEPSY TREATED?

The vast majority of people with epilepsy will receive drug therapy to try to control their seizures. These medications are called antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and they decrease the excitability of cells in the brain that cause seizures. There are many different AEDs available; each one has benefits and risks. People with epilepsy and their physicians have to work together closely to find the right drug or combination of drugs to manage their seizures. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, approximately 50% of those with epilepsy will be able to achieve seizure freedom with medication at least for some period of time. Another 20% will have a significant reduction in their seizures with AEDs but 30% will continue to have seizures despite medication.  

When AEDs fail to control seizures, surgery, medical devices or the ketogenic diet may be options. For example, those with seizures that originate from a specific area in the brain may obtain seizure control by having that area removed.  Others may elect to have a device called a vagus nerve stimulator implanted that delivers pulses of electrical energy to the brain to try to decrease seizures. Children with uncontrolled seizures may go on a strict, supervised diet with little to no carbohydrates and receive 80% of their calories from fats to control their epilepsy. This diet is thought to work by decreasing the amount of glucose available to fuel the brain to generate seizures.

Tonight I'm posting two fig recipes (one is to make up for missing my post on Thursday since the kids were sick this week). The first recipe is a simple and beautiful fall salad with fresh figs and pomegranate. The second is fig, proscuitto, and arugula pizza. It’s late and I am having a hard time trying to tie the recipe name to something about epilepsy so the best I can do is say that I hope someone FIG-ures out how to cure epilepsy soon!!

Fig, Pomegranate and Cheese Salad

Serves 4

1 bag of spring mix lettuce

8 fresh purple figs, cut into 4 pieces each

1 pomegranate, peeled and seeds removed

½ cup salted pecans

4 ounces of crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese

Optional-Thin shaved slices of red onion

Balsamic Dressing-

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp honey or sugar

1 clove of garlic minced

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl. For dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.

Fig, Proscuitto and Arugula Pizza

Serves 4

1 ball of pizza dough (I bought a medium dough from Fellini’s pizza in ATL for $3)

6 Tb of fig preserves

4 medium sized balls of fresh mozzarella, sliced

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

6-8 fresh figs, sliced

6 paper thin slices of prosciutto, torn into 3 inch pieces

1 handful of fresh baby arugula

¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese

Drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425

Roll out dough on cutting board to fit a medium sized sheet pan. Spray sheet pan with cooking spray before placing dough inside. Spread the fig preserves on the dough and top with the slices of fresh mozzarella. Fill in any gaps with the shredded mozzarella. Top with fresh figs and torn prosciutto. Bake in oven from 15-20 minutes until top is lightly browned and bubbling. Remove from oven and top with arugula, parmesan, and drizzle of balsamic vinegar.