Place your advertisements here
 
Joseph Sirven

July, 2010

Joseph I. Sirven, M.D.
Editor-in-Chief, Epilepsy.com/Professionals

As we enjoy the summer weather, we want to take a moment to show our appreciation for one of the true great things that is offered for children with epilepsy across the country- summer camp. The month of July hearkens back to our childhood for those of us lucky enough to have had an opportunity to go away for camp. Summer camp has been a rite-of-passage for many American children. Oftentimes, it is the first time that kids experience independence and separation from their families. For parents, camp offers breathing room for parents to recharge and rejuvenate their batteries without their children complaining about boredom and nothing to do. For many children with epilepsy, camp is an unattainable fantasy given that many parents are very reluctant to send their children off to a traditional summer camp and alternatively, many camps are reluctant to accept children with seizures.

This is where we have to give thanks for the number of epilepsy camps that are offered throughout the United States during the summer months which provides children with epilepsy with the summer camp experience. Here in Arizona, Camp Candlelight which is supported by the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona, is one of the main highlights of the year for children and their families with epilepsy. For one week a year, children with epilepsy allow themselves to become like any other kid. This only occurs when surrounded by other children with seizures. In fact, the stigma, the separation, the social isolation that is often the case for many individuals who have seizures simply evaporates within the summer camp milieu. During this week, such activities as horseback riding, archery, swimming, hiking, or simply just being a kid is a fantasy realized for children with seizures. This week of activities allows these children the opportunity to make new friends, discover new talents, gain more self-confidence and independence while learning more about their epilepsy. We have to thank the physicians, the nurses, the volunteers and the numerous individuals that spend countless hours trying to make certain that everything is safe and that these individuals with seizures are just like any other kid. It is a small miracle where parents can let go for just a few days and entrust their children to professionals who can truly help and allow their children to have the same opportunities as children without seizures. So as the month of July and the summer months are upon us why don’t you thank these individuals and join me in acknowledging these amazing health professionals and volunteers who are out there allowing this small group of people to have a day where they don’t have to worry about what that day will bring.

Over the next month or so, epilepsy.com professionals will resume the hallway conversations programming for 2010. We took a hiatus over the month of June in order to recharge our batteries as well. We have four interviews that we think will be quite useful for you as we refocus our purposes to looking at novel treatments and interesting approaches to the management and diagnosis of epilepsy and seizures. Drs. Drazkowski and Hoerth from Mayo Clinic Arizona will present their research regarding autoimmune epilepsy, a type of seizure condition that is associated within the inflammatory process. They will help to highlight what we know and what can be done for this particular condition. Dr. Steven White from the University of Utah will join us in July to help discuss the anti-epileptic drug development program. This remarkable program sponsored by the National Institutes of Health by the U.S. government is a model of activity and hope for our future as new compounds are tested and tried for potential therapy for seizures. One never knows what blockbuster agent lurks from the thousands of compounds that are tried in his lab. Dr. White will join us to discuss this process and what future hopes that we can look forward to with regards to new seizure drugs. Dr. Jose Cavazos from the University of Texas at San Antonio will join us to discuss one of the more common causes of seizures but one that receives a little attention, neurocysticercosis. This type of epilepsy, which is caused by a parasitic infection of a tapeworm which is due to ingestion of uncooked pork, is a very common cause of seizures in the developing world. Dr. Cavazos joins us to discuss treatments, management, and diagnosis for this condition. Last, but not least, Dr. Dennis Dlugos from Children’s Hospital Philadelphia will join us to discuss the latest management in pediatric epilepsy. What do we do about epilepsy surgery in kids with epilepsy; and how do we proceed with treatment? Dr. Dlugos will help shed light on these items.

We hope, as usual, that you find all of this programming helpful and useful for your practices and if you have any suggestions or comments with regard to Hallway Conversations or any aspects Epilepsy.Com professionals, we certainly welcome them. We look forward to providing more materials for your use so you can provide the best quality care for individuals afflicted with seizures. For further information on upcoming Hallway Conversations, please go to epilepsy.com/professionals

Back to top