Ketogenic Diet Information Night

UPDATE: Slides and more information from Dr Phillip’s talk is now available here: The Epilepsy Waikato Charitable Trust (EWCT) is holding an information night on: “Ketogenic Diet Therapies in Adults with Epilepsy” Our guest speaker is: Dr Matthew Phillips (neurologist at the Waikato Hospital) When: Tuesday 9th April, 2019 Where: St Peter’s Cathedral, 51 Victoria Street, Hamilton Time: 7 pm onwards Koha appreciated please The

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Epilepsy and Women

Some women living with epilepsy face many challenging issues simply because of their hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. Oestrogen makes the neurons in the brain produce more electrical discharge, and is seen as an excitatory hormone, whilst progesterone calms them down and is the inhibitory hormone. If a woman’s body is producing more oestrogen than progesterone then the central nervous system is more excitable and a

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SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death by Epilepsy)

SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death by Epilepsy) is a very sensitive topic because it highlights the fact that epilepsy, as a condition, carries a small risk of premature death. To die from SUDEP is uncommon but it is the single-most important cause of death in people with epilepsy, and it happens suddenly and without warning. American studies suggests that SUDEP occurs in approximately 1 in 1,000

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Epilepsy Articles – January 2019

EWCT brings you the latest news on epilepsy-related articles Psychogenic nonepileptic events are common–accounting for an estimated 20% or more of patients seeking medical care at comprehensive epilepsy centres. They resemble and are hard to distinguish from true epileptic seizures and are related to psychological factors rather than electrical disturbances in the brain. Since epilepsy is difficult to diagnose, individuals with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures are often

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“Leading the Way” Newsletter – December 2018

It is the end of another busy year for EWCT and we can safely say that we are going from strength-to-strength as the regional epilepsy provider of choice. We work hard to serve the needs of our communities in all areas of the Waikato DHB, as a non-government funded charity, and we greatly appreciate your support. Here are the many highlights from the latter part

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Epilepsy Articles – December 2018

EWCT brings you the latest news on epilepsy-related articles The development of new drugs is a long, challenging and expensive process. Only one or two compounds in 10,000 tested actually become licensed treatments. A potential new medicine may be rejected at any point in the development process on safety, effectiveness or quality grounds. It takes approximately 10-15 years for a new compound to get from

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Epilepsy Articles – October 2018

EWCT brings you the latest news on epilepsy-related articles Epilepsy that starts in adulthood often originates in the ‘temporal lobe’, a region of the brain that plays a particularly important role in laying down, storing and retrieving memories. Accordingly, memory problems are frequently seen among people with epilepsy.

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Epilepsy Articles – September 2018

EWCT brings you the latest news on epilepsy-related articles https://www.nrtimes.co.uk/the-fall-and-rise-of-special-k/Potentially modifiable midlife vascular and lifestyle risk factors are associated with an increased risk of developing late-onset epilepsy, new research shows. Results of a large cohort study of more than 10,000 individuals suggest hypertension, diabetes, smoking, physical activity level, and alcohol use were associated with the disorder in later life.

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Petition: Fund ketogenic dieticians at Waikato DHB

Epilepsy affects at least 48,000 New Zealanders. Unfortunately, 35% of these people cannot achieve seizure control with conventional medications. Despite the addition of over 15 new anti-epileptic drugs, overall seizure control in newly diagnosed epilepsy patients has not fundamentally changed over the years. Surgery may help some of these people but, for most of them, the medications do not work, and surgery is not an

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