Tle?
I'm guessing you have temporal lobe epilepsy. I have never found any religious experience with any of my seizures.
The following long winded article has links. Can't remember where I got it from, tho'.
Religion: is it all in your head? - Vilayanur Ramashandran's research on the temporal lobe's neural circuitry and its link to epilepsy patients' obsession with religion.
While looking into how the brain regulates behavior, Vilayanur Ramashandran, M.D., thinks he may have found God. The neurologist believes that somewhere in the brain's temporal lobes there may be neural circuitry for religious experience; he points to the fact that about
25 percent of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy are obsessed with religion. "I have temporal lobe patients walking into my laboratory wearing a huge cross and carrying a 500-page tome on the nature of God," says Ramashandran, of the University of California in San Diego.
He thinks that these patients' seizures caused damage to the pathway that connects two areas of the brain: the one that recognizes sensory information and the one that gives such information emotional context. "Everything becomes very significant," he says. These patients a seeing depth in every little thing."
To support his theory that there is a specialized circuitry in the brain for religious experience, Ramashandran and his colleagues hooked up temporal-lobe patients and healthy controls to a machine that records the body's physical reactions to stimuli. Three groups of words were presented to the patients: neutral words; profane or sexually loaded words; and religious words.
Normal people set off the response meter when they read curses and sexually expressive words. There was no response to the neutral or religious words, even in normal volunteers who are devout. But some patients with epilepsy gave the monitor a jolt when they were presented with religious words -- and not when they heard curses or sexual words.
Ramashandran cautions that his findings are preliminary, and even if proven in the laboratory, don't invalidate religious experience. "On the contrary," he says, "they tell us what parts of the brain may be involved."
Epilepsy is a common neurologic disorder and poses substantial burdens on physical and mental health. Epilepsy can interfere with social functioning by limiting employment, educational opportunities, and interpersonal relationships and can increase the risk for death (1). The annual cost of cases of epilepsy in the United States, including direct medical costs and productivity losses, was estimated at $12.5 billion in 1995 (2). Depending on case definitions and populations studied, epilepsy affects an estimated 0.4%-1.0% of the population (3,4) with a lifetime prevalence of 1.8%-2.6% in certain state populations (16). This report analyzes data from the 2003 and 2004 South Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys, which included questions on epilepsy, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and disability.
This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which determined that 2.2% of adults in South Carolina had ever been told they had epilepsy, 1.1% had active epilepsy, and both groups reported worse HRQOL and higher prevalence of disability than those who had never had epilepsy. Healthcare providers should screen epilepsy patients for cognitive, emotional, and physical health problems that might negatively affect HRQOL (6-8). Patients with active epilepsy and recent seizures should be targeted with interventions that will decrease the risk for adverse physical (e.g., injury) and psychosocial (e.g., unemployment) outcomes that accompany continued seizures (8).
Results indicated that an estimated 2.2% (95% CI = 1.8%-2.5%) of South Carolina adults had ever had epilepsy and that 1.1% (CI = 0.9%-1.4%) had active epilepsy (Table). Among those with active epilepsy, an estimated 50.5% (CI = 38.9%-62.1%) had had one or more seizures during the preceding 3 months.
Adults who had ever had epilepsy had more mentally, physically, and overall unhealthy days and more activity-limitation days than those without epilepsy. Nearly half (46.7%) of those who had ever had epilepsy and 63.5% of those with active epilepsy reported some form of disability, compared with 17.9% of those without epilepsy. HRQOL factors were worse for those taking medicine to control their epilepsy than for those not taking medicine. Adults with active epilepsy had more than twice as many physically, mentally, and overall unhealthy days and activity-limitation days than those without epilepsy, and more overall unhealthy days and activity-limitation days than those with inactive epilepsy (Table). Finally, a larger proportion of adults with active epilepsy reporting a seizure during the preceding 3 months reported disability than those without epilepsy, those with inactive epilepsy, or those with active epilepsy but no seizures during the preceding 3 months.
Most of the overall cost of epilepsy results from treatment of persons with continuing seizures (2); approximately half of those in this study with active epilepsy reported seizures during the preceding 3 months. The goal of epilepsy treatment is to eliminate seizures and treatment side effects (1); continuing seizures might indicate inadequate treatment.
The findings in this report are subject to at least four limitations. First, all data are self-reported and not based on clinical diagnoses; self-reporting of epilepsy is subject to potential bias. Prevalence might be overestimated by persons reporting nonepileptic seizures, childhood febrile seizures, or seizures associated with alcohol abuse. Prevalence might be underestimated because of reluctance to disclose a stigmatizing condition (1) or because misdiagnosis occurred with symptoms associated with other conditions (e.g., dementia). However, the follow-up questions (e.g., regarding medication and number of seizures) tend to increase the likelihood that epilepsy prevalence data are accurate. Second, BRFSS data exclude children and adolescents, for whom prevalence is high (1), and also exclude persons with no telephone or only cellular phones and those who are institutionalized. Thus, findings are not generalizable to the entire state population. Third, response rates were low (41.6% and 43.8%) for the surveys described in this report. Finally, the cross-sectional design of the study prevents causal relationships (e.g., between epilepsy and mental health) from being assigned.
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Additional information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/ state_activities.htm
Prevalence of epilepsy and health-related quality of life and disability among adults with epilepsy—South Carolina, 2003 and 2004
References
(1.) Living well with epilepsy II: report of the 2003 National Conference on Public Health and Epilepsy. Landover, Maryland: Epilepsy Foundation; 2003. Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/pdfs/ living_well_2003.pdf.
(2.) Begley CE, Famulari M, Annegers JF, et al. The cost of epilepsy in the United States: an estimate from population-based clinical survey data. Epilepsia 2000;41:342-51.
(3.) CDC. Prevalence of self-reported epilepsy--United States, 1986-1990. MMWR 1994;43:810-1.
(4.) Hauser WA, Annegers JF, Kurland LT. Prevalence of epilepsy in Rochester, Minnesota: 1940-1980. Epilepsia 1991;32:429-45.
(5.) CDC. Health-related quality of life among persons with epilepsy--Texas, 1998. MMWR 2001;50:24-6.
(6.) Kobau R, Dilorio CA, Price PH, et al. Prevalence of epilepsy and health status of adults with epilepsy in Georgia and Tennessee: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2002. Epilepsy Behav 2004;5:358-66.
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(7.) Strine TW, Kobau R, Chapman DP, Thurman DJ, Price P, Balluz LS. Psychological distress, comorbidities, and health behaviors among U.S. adults with seizures: results from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey. Epilepsia 2005;46:1133-9.
(8.) Gilliam F. Optimizing health outcomes in active epilepsy. Neurology 2002;58:S9-20.
(9.) Moriarty DG, Zack MM, Kobau R. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthy Days Measures--population tracking of perceived physical and mental health over time. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2003; 1:37.
(10.) Kanner AM, Balabanov A. Depression and epilepsy: how closely related are they? Neurology 2002;58(8 Suppl 5):S27-39.
Reported by: PL Ferguson, PhD, AW Selassie, DrPH, BB Wannamaker, MD, Medical Univ of South Carolina; B Dong, MD, South Carolina Dept of Health and Environmental Control. R Kobau, MPH, DJ Thurman, MD, Div of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC.
epilepsy and health-related quality of life and disability among adults with epilepsy—South Carolina, 2003 and 2004
TABLE. Estimated frequency * of health-related quality of life
indicators and prevalence of disability, by epilepsy status--Behavioral
Risk Factor Surveillance System, South Carolina, 2003-2004
Participants
(95% CI Epilepsy status No. (%) ([section])
Does not have epilepsy 11,549 (97.8) (97.5-98.2)
Has or had epilepsy 228 (2.2) (1.8-2.5)
Taking medicine 111 (45.2) (36.9-53.5)
Not taking medicine 117 (54.8) (46.5-63.1)
Had seizure during
preceding 3 mos 53 (26.3) (18.3-34.3)
No seizures during
preceding 3 mos 162 (70.4) (62.3-78.5)
No longer has epilepsy 10 (3.3) (1.1-5.4)
Epilepsy, inactive 105 (1.0) (0.8-1.3)
Epilepsy, active 122 (1.1) (0.9-1.4)
Active, no seizure during
preceding 3 mos 66 (49.5) (37.9-61.1)
Active, seizure during
preceding 3 mos 53 (50.5) (38.9-62.1)
Indicators Mentally unhealthy days
No.
Epilepsy status ([paragraph]) (95% CI)
Does not have epilepsy 3.4 (3.3-3.6)
Has or had epilepsy 7.5 (6.0-9.0)
Taking medicine 9.7 (7.6-11.8)
Not taking medicine 5.7 (3.7-7.6)
Had seizure during
preceding 3 mos 10.5 (7.1-14.0)
No seizures during
preceding 3 mos 6.5 (4.7-8.2)
No longer has epilepsy -- ** --
Epilepsy, inactive 5.4 (3.4-7.3)
Epilepsy, active 9.4 (7.2-11.6)
Active, no seizure during
preceding 3 mos 8.3 (5.3-11.2)
Active, seizure during
preceding 3 mos 10.5 (7.1-14.0)
Indicators Physically unhealthy days
Epilepsy status No. (95% CI)
Does not have epilepsy 3.7 (3.5-3.8)
Has or had epilepsy 6.9 (5.3-8.6)
Taking medicine 9.3 (6.5-12.0)
Not taking medicine 5.0 (3.2-6.8)
Had seizure during
preceding 3 mos 11.7 (7.2-16.2)
No seizures during
preceding 3 mos 5.1 (3.6-6.6)
No longer has epilepsy -- --
Epilepsy, inactive 4.9 (3.0-6.7)
Epilepsy, active 8.8 (6.2-11.4)
Active, no seizure during
preceding 3 mos 5.8 (3.2-8.4)
Active, seizure during
preceding 3 mos 11.7 (7.2-16.2)
Indicators Overall unhealthy days
Epilepsy status No. (95% CI)
Does not have epilepsy 6.1 (5.9-6.3)
Has or had epilepsy 11.4 (9.4-13.4)
Taking medicine 14.8 (12.1-17.6)
Not taking medicine 8.5 (6.1-10.9)
Had seizure during
preceding 3 mos 16.8 (11.8-21.8)
No seizures during
preceding 3 mos 9.4 (7.3-11.4)
No longer has epilepsy -- --
Epilepsy, inactive 8.3 (5.9-10.8)
Epilepsy, active 14.1 (11.2-17.0)
Active, no seizure during
preceding 3 mos 11.3 (8.0-14.5)
Active, seizure during
preceding 3 mos 16.8 (11.8-21.8)
Indicators Activity-limitation days
Epilepsy status No. (95% CI)
Does not have epilepsy 2.4 (2.2-2.5)
Has or had epilepsy 5.8 (4.2-7.4)
Taking medicine 8.7 (5.9-11.4)
Not taking medicine 3.4 (2.0-4.9)
Had seizure during
preceding 3 mos 10.1 (5.7-14.5)
No seizures during
preceding 3 mos 4.2 (2.7-5.7)
No longer has epilepsy -- --
Epilepsy, inactive 3.1 (1.6-4.6)
Epilepsy, active 8.2 (5.7-10.8)
Active, no seizure during
preceding 3 mos 6.4 (3.6-9.2)
Active, seizure during
preceding 3 mos 10.1 (5.7-14.5)
Disability ([dagger])
Epilepsy status (%) (95% CI)
Does not have epilepsy (17.9) (17.1-18.8)
Has or had epilepsy (46.7) (38.5-55.1)
Taking medicine (59.8) (48.7-70.0)
Not taking medicine (35.8) (25.3-47.9)
Had seizure during
preceding 3 mos (85.7) (72.8-93.1)
No seizures during
preceding 3 mos (32.4) (24.6-41.4)
No longer has epilepsy -- --
Epilepsy, inactive (28.2) (19.6-38.7)
Epilepsy, active (63.5) (52.8-73.1)
Active, no seizure during
preceding 3 mos (41.0) (27.8-55.7)
Active, seizure during
preceding 3 mos (85.7) (72.8-93.1)