Epilepsy Books

Lying: A Metaphorical Memoir

Lauren Slater

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

One has good reason to be suspicious of a book that calls itself a "metaphorical memoir." If a metaphor substitutes one thing for another to which it's not ordinarily related, and a memoir relates the personal experiences of the author, then a metaphorical memoir would be... well, lying, if we're going to get technical about it. Or it could be Lying, in which case, hold that judgment and lay all categories aside: here is a book so stunningly contrary it deserves a whole genre to itself.

Lauren Slater may have grown up with epilepsy. Or she may have Munchausen syndrome, "also called factitious illness," also called lying. Or, quite possibly, she has never had any of the above, and all her exquisite evocations of auras and grand mal seizures are merely well-researched symbolic descriptions of her psychic state. In a chapter that's disguised as an extended letter to her editor (and impishly titled "How to Market This Book") she defends her decision to call the work nonfiction:

Why is what we feel less true than what is? Supposing I simply feel like an epileptic, a spastic person, one with a shivering brain; supposing I have chosen epilepsy because it is the most accurate conduit to convey my psyche to you? Would this not still be a memoir, my memoir?

Slater is peering down a slippery slope here, and for all its manifest brilliance, the pyrotechnics of its prose, reading Lying can be an unnerving experience--sort of like hanging out with a compulsive liar, actually. (It's no help to find out that "after all, a lot, or at least some, or at least a few, of the literal facts are accurate.")

But if Slater is playing with our heads, she's not doing so for fashionable postmodern reasons. Lying's bag of tricks emerges from some complex and deeply felt ideas about form, reality, and consciousness itself--and what's more, it's an extraordinary memoir, "true" or not. A field full of nuns, their windblown habits tipping them over into the snow; an electric brain stimulator that makes a patient see colors and taste her own words; Slater rolling in mounds of Barbadian sugar and then running back to her mother, coated like candy--who cares whether any of these actually happened? In the end, Lying is fundamentally true, just as a great novel or indeed any great work of art is true: in a way that has nothing to do with fact. --Mary Park

Seizures and Epilepsy in Childhood: A Guide (Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)

John M. Freeman, Eileen P. G. Vining, Diana J. Pillas

Amazon Price: $14.28 List Price: $21.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: The Johns Hopkins University Press Amazon Marketplace: 51 new & used starting at $5.85

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The award-winning Seizures and Epilepsy in Childhood is the standard resource for parents in need of comprehensive medical information about their child with epilepsy. Now in its third edition, this highly praised book has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the latest approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy in childhood, including the use of the ketogenic diet as a treatment for children who either do not respond to traditional drug therapy or who suffer intolerable side effects from medications.

In addition to providing up-to-date information about new diagnostic techniques as well as new drugs, diet, and surgical treatments, the authors have included a chapter addressing routine health care for children with epilepsy and a new chapter on complementary and alternative therapies. Also new to this edition are discussions of the progress made in the evaluation for surgery, a chapter on insurance issues, and a section detailing additional resources.

"No child's life should be defined by seizures. If we understand how the brain works, what happens during seizures, and how to cope with epilepsy, we can overcome the mythology of epilepsy and fight society's prejudices, allowing every child with epilepsy to reach his or her full potential." -- From Seizures and Epilepsy in Childhood

Treating Epilepsy Naturally : A Guide to Alternative and Adjunct Therapies

Patricia A. Murphy

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: McGraw-Hill Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $6.41

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

I have a new life. 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

I have a new life now. After reading this book and Epilepsy: A New Approach by Adrienne Richard and Joel Reiter, M.D. I have a new life. Words cannot not express my gratitude or how this book has changed my life in just a matter of weeks. I've never gone this long without a seizure since I was 13. Usually every week. I think it has almost been 6 weeks now. I can't believe how simple it was. And all I did was the basic things. I still haven't employed everything. I still have my auras but they are changing and I am incorporating more of the strategies to reduce them. I have a new life. If you want to change your life, read these two books. I don't know how to express my thanks to these authors. It has changed my entire outlook and my confidence and my hope for my future.

Editorial Review:

Hard-to-find information on epilepsy, presented by an author living successfully with the condition

Drugs commonly used to treat epilepsy have some extremely harmful side effects. Treating Epilepsy Naturally is an empathetic, practical, empowering look at treatment options, lifestyle choices, and ways of living well. Written by an author who has been successfully living with it herself for most of her adult life, this comprehensive guide offers alternative treatments to replace and to complement traditional therapies and sound advice to find the right health practitioner for you.

Epilepsy: A New Approach

Adrienne Richard, Joel Reiter

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Walker & Company Amazon Marketplace: 57 new & used starting at $3.25

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

This book is a unique collaboration between a gifted writer with epilepsy and a skilled physician who has brought new insight into the treatment of this condition.

At the age of twenty-six, when Adrienne Richard was seven months pregnant, she was diagnosed with epilepsy. For years she took anticonvulsant drugs to control her seizures, but she wanted to wean herself from the powerful drugs if she could. During the first ten years without medication she had only one seizure. Her goal was to live seizure-free.

Ms. Richard practiced yoga, biofeedback, and mind/body techniques in the eighties to help her reach that goal. While writing an article for a magazine based in California, she learned of Dr. Joel Reiter, who was exploring epilepsy self-care in his clinical practice and through his groundbreaking research.

Epilepsy: A New Approach combines Adrienne Richard's own inspiring story of overcoming a debilitating condition with Dr. Reiter's up-to-the-minute medical knowledge of diagnosis and treatment. This self-help program offers people with epilepsy and those who love them a chance to regain control of their lives.

Growing Up with Epilepsy: A Practical Guide for Parents

Lynn Bennett Blackburn

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

An important tool for everyday living 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Parents who must deal with the daily unpredictability of seizures and the side effects of medication often find it confusing to understand what to expect. Growing Up With Epilepsy will appeal to busy parents who want a quick reference guide: information is organized in a manner easy to look up, chapters discuss social and behavioral as well as psychological concerns and issues, and parents receive basic tools to help their kids through all manner of concerns. An important tool for everyday living.

Editorial Review:

Growing Up with Epilepsy provides parents with the tools needed to raise a child with epilepsy, to support his/her social development, provide effective discipline, and negotiate the educational system.

Epilepsy: Patient and Family Guide

Orrin Devinsky M.D.

Amazon Price: $28.95 List Price: $28.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: F. A. Davis Company Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $0.43

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Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Devinsky: Epilepsy, Patient & Family Guide 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 11 people found this review helpful.

This book is what it claims to be, a good intelligible guide to epilepsy for non-medics. BUT there is far too little (less than one page) on Sudden Unexplained Death, Epilepsy (SUDEP), which can devastate families and friends. While the mortality rate associated with epilepsy may be small, the effect of sudden death is enormous. Like almost everything else I have read on the subject, this book inadequately recognizes the risks of death. The words "death" and "mortality" are not even in Devinsky's index (though SUDEP is). So -- a good book, with a crucial omission.

Editorial Review:

This easy-to-read book, which provides a broad overview of epilepsy, w as written to be useful for patients, family members, residents, and p hysicians caring for people with epilepsy. The book's focus is on help ing patients to understand the disorder and learn about the nature and diversity of seizures, the psychological and social implications of s eizures, the educational and vocational effects, and the medical and s urgical therapies for seizures.

Partial Seizure Disorders: Help for Patients and Families

Mitzi Waltz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Some 2,300,000 people in the U.S. have one of forty types of epilepsy. The most well-known of these is epilepsy with grand mal seizures. However, forms of epilepsy that involve only part of the brain and do not involve convulsions are more common. Symptoms for these partial seizure disorders can vary widely: some patients have no physical signs at all, experiencing only mental or sensory changes during a seizure, while others may experience numbing, shaking, or automatic movements of one or more body parts. Although partial seizures usually do not look dramatic to other people, they can have serious consequences for patients who have them. If left untreated, seizure activity may become more severe, occurring increasingly often and spreading to affect other brain regions. There is a possibility of permanent brain damage in some cases. The physical and emotional effects of partial seizures--dissociation, loss of coordination, memory loss, fatigue, mood swings, and physical pain, among others--can also make them very difficult to live with. The good news is that partial seizures are treatable. With intervention, patients can wrest back control of their lives. Partial Seizure Disorders helps patients and families:

• Secure an accurate and complete diagnosis.
• Live with partial seizures in the family, including developmental issues for young children, school difficulties, employment, and driving.
• Understand medical interventions and side effects. Many medications for epilepsy are not appropriate for people with partial seizure disorders.
• Explore therapeutic and other interventions, often as an adjunct to medication, such as learning coping skills, diet changes, vitamins, etc.
• Get care with an existing health plan, including handling the problems that arise when you have a little-known disorder.
• Find comprehensive resources: advocacy and support organizations, books, articles, and online resources.

Author Mitzi Waltz, an advocate for children's neurological issues, has included the stories of dozens of patients and parents.

Seizures and Epilepsy in Childhood: A Guide for Parents

John M. Freeman, Eileen P. G. Vining, Diana J. Pillas

List Price: $18.95 By: The Johns Hopkins University Press Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $0.38

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The award-winning Seizures and Epilepsy in Childhood has already become the standard resource for parents in need of comprehensive medical information about their child with epilepsy. Now this highly praised book has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the latest approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy in childhood, including the use of the ketogenic diet as a treatment for children who either do not respond to traditional drug therapy or who suffer intolerable side effects from medications.

In addition to providing up-to-date information about new diagnostic techniques, as well as drugs, diet, and surgical treatments, the authors have included a new chapter addressing the special needs of children with epilepsy regarding routine health care. And as they did in the book's first edition, the authors encourage children with epilepsy to actively participate in school activities and sports, and stress the importance of helping children with seizures and epilepsy to live as normal a life as possible.

Praise for the first edition, winner of the 1991 Epilepsy Foundation of America's National Book Award

"I have wanted a book like this for a long time. To my knowledge, this is the first book combining complete scientific accuracy with a caregiver's compassion and understanding."--James A. Autry, former chairman of the board, Epilepsy Foundation of America

"Optimistic in tone and broad in scope, this is a book for the parent who has a lot of detailed questions."--National Spokesman

"The book is rich in substance and detail. There is a warm, compassionate tone. At the same time, there are no-nonsense facts and figures."--Humane Medicine

Epilepsy: A Comprehensive Textbook (3 Volume Set)

List Price: $475.00 By: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Amazon Marketplace: 5 new & used starting at $219.00

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A must have for epileptologists, scientists or cliniicians 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

There are so many aspects of modern epilepsy research and clinical practice that make a summary virtually impossible. Attempts have been made in the past and several excellent books are available. What is remarkable in this new text is the breadth of knowledge that was assembled, the superb and provocative writing of true experts in the field and the electronic version that allows for easy search strategies. The book is divided in three main volumes subdivided in chapters further split in sections. More than a compendium, this is an encyclopedia of current and past knowledge, with practical clinical examples, critical description of diagnostic criteria, summary of basic mechanisms, and illustrations either ad hoc or borrowed from previous work.
The book as a whole reads well, the chapters are clearly organized so that one does not need to read every word to learn the message. One minor point that may be addressed in reruns (especially in online versions) is the lack of color in many figures. For example, the chapter on field potentials provides "historic" depiction of seminal experiments that are hard to understand in a grey scale format. Along the same lines, the book would greatly benefit from more illustrative neuropathology, and the MRI reproductions lack sometimes in quality.
The editors have to be complimented for a major effort that will help those in the field understand what's hot and what's not in current understanding of this multifactorial disease. The novice will be fascinated by the depth of this textbook, and the non-epileptologist will find a unique source of searchable information. Cross references to diseases associated with seizure disorders, including psychiatric co-morbidities, make this a must for everyone looking for up to date knowledge in human neurological diseases associated with abnormal cortical and sub-cortical function.

Editorial Review:

...a 3 volume, authoritative text and reference covering state-of-the-art information on neurogenetics, neuroimaging, new drugs, and new surgical options...with an editorial team of over 150 recognized experts.

Seized

Eve LaPlante

List Price: $20.00 By: Harpercollins Amazon Marketplace: 26 new & used starting at $4.12

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

If you have TLE, read this book! 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 18 people found this review helpful.

I have had temporal lobe epilepsy for as long as I can remember. My seizures started when I was a baby. I have always had tonic clonic seizures, too, but not until I was an adult did I even learn that the other unusual experiences that I was having were complex partial and simple partial seizures. I was afraid to ask other people if they also had these strange experiences, but they didn't appear to.

After I was diagnosed with TLE I found other people with epilepsy to talk to online. For the first time ever, I knew that I was not the only person on earth who lived this way. Some of the feelings of isolation subsided. Then someone recommended Eve La Plante's book. I am so grateful. I think that a person who has TLE will have a different experience when they read this book than other people will. For me, and others who have written about it on forums related to epilepsy on the internet, it is a revelation. It is an affirmation. It offers some explanation. It has been a moving experience.

To read it and recognize some of the traits of Geschwind's syndrome in myself was a relief, in a way. People who don't have epilepsy seem to think that it only involves occasional convulsions, but the truth is that a person with epilepsy, and certainly TLE, is affected by it every minute of their lives. The research discussed in this book acknowledges and confirms that and offers an explanation. Yes, I am different, and this is why. Oddly, I am relieved.

So many books about epilepsy are written from the perspective of a doctor, a doctor lecturing the patient and their family. 'This is what you must do, this is what you must never do, you're just going to have to accept that you can't do that.' If you have read one, you've read them all, really. It comes across in a condescending way, and for those of us who were not diagnosed recently, they're not very helpful. Seized is different. It goes deeper. It's not intended to be a textbook or an introduction to life with epilepsy. It discusses more interesting things than 'Don't swim alone.' It provides insight into the connection between brain structure and personality. As a person with TLE, I found this book to be a fascinating, exhilerating read. I highly recommend it.

Editorial Review:

"Fascinating account of medical research...LaPlante shows how a brain scar may cause bizarre aggressive or sexual behavior-and works of profound creative imagination."

—Howard Gardner

"Readers intrigued by Oliver Sacks' Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat will welcome LaPlante's book...Thoughtful...Highly recommended."

—Library Journal

"LaPlante's descriptions of the human brain are wonderfully concrete, and her empathy for epilepsy's victims is clear."

—Kirkus Review