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Of all the diseases I treat, epilepsy is probably the most poorly understood by the general public. I suppose this is a holdover from the days when it was believed to be demonic possession, or a sign of mental illness. Prince John, youngest child of King George V, was hidden from public view just 100 years ago because of the "shame" the disease might bring on the royal family.
We’ve made great strides in our understanding and treatment of epilepsy in the last 100 years, with the disease slowly changing from a social stigma to just another disorder, like hypertension or diabetes, that – when treated – allows for a normal, fulfilling life. I work hard to educate my patients and their families about the disorder, as the world and Internet are full of myths.
Regardless of what you think about the Supreme Court’s recent decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as neurologists, I suspect many of us were horrified by conservative talk-show host Michael Savage’s comments. He said Chief Justice John Roberts’s vote was likely influenced by his epilepsy treatment causing "cognitive disassociation."
This disgusts me. Cognitive side effects, like side effects in general, occur in the minority of patients. While I don’t know who treats Justice Roberts, I have to assume that, like me, they’ve worked hard to find a treatment that works without affecting his thinking.
Comments like Mr. Savage’s are certainly his right to make. But they’re a slap in the face of every epilepsy patient out there who has to overcome bias to hold down a job, raise a family, drive a car, and do their best to have the same quality of life we all want.
And it appalls me that people still demonize epilepsy patients for their disease, rather than respecting what they are: Human beings who, like Mr. Savage, are entitled to their opinions.
Dr. Block has a solo neurology private practice in Scottsdale, Ariz. To respond to this post, e-mail him at [email protected].
Of all the diseases I treat, epilepsy is probably the most poorly understood by the general public. I suppose this is a holdover from the days when it was believed to be demonic possession, or a sign of mental illness. Prince John, youngest child of King George V, was hidden from public view just 100 years ago because of the "shame" the disease might bring on the royal family.
We’ve made great strides in our understanding and treatment of epilepsy in the last 100 years, with the disease slowly changing from a social stigma to just another disorder, like hypertension or diabetes, that – when treated – allows for a normal, fulfilling life. I work hard to educate my patients and their families about the disorder, as the world and Internet are full of myths.
Regardless of what you think about the Supreme Court’s recent decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as neurologists, I suspect many of us were horrified by conservative talk-show host Michael Savage’s comments. He said Chief Justice John Roberts’s vote was likely influenced by his epilepsy treatment causing "cognitive disassociation."
This disgusts me. Cognitive side effects, like side effects in general, occur in the minority of patients. While I don’t know who treats Justice Roberts, I have to assume that, like me, they’ve worked hard to find a treatment that works without affecting his thinking.
Comments like Mr. Savage’s are certainly his right to make. But they’re a slap in the face of every epilepsy patient out there who has to overcome bias to hold down a job, raise a family, drive a car, and do their best to have the same quality of life we all want.
And it appalls me that people still demonize epilepsy patients for their disease, rather than respecting what they are: Human beings who, like Mr. Savage, are entitled to their opinions.
Dr. Block has a solo neurology private practice in Scottsdale, Ariz. To respond to this post, e-mail him at [email protected].
Of all the diseases I treat, epilepsy is probably the most poorly understood by the general public. I suppose this is a holdover from the days when it was believed to be demonic possession, or a sign of mental illness. Prince John, youngest child of King George V, was hidden from public view just 100 years ago because of the "shame" the disease might bring on the royal family.
We’ve made great strides in our understanding and treatment of epilepsy in the last 100 years, with the disease slowly changing from a social stigma to just another disorder, like hypertension or diabetes, that – when treated – allows for a normal, fulfilling life. I work hard to educate my patients and their families about the disorder, as the world and Internet are full of myths.
Regardless of what you think about the Supreme Court’s recent decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as neurologists, I suspect many of us were horrified by conservative talk-show host Michael Savage’s comments. He said Chief Justice John Roberts’s vote was likely influenced by his epilepsy treatment causing "cognitive disassociation."
This disgusts me. Cognitive side effects, like side effects in general, occur in the minority of patients. While I don’t know who treats Justice Roberts, I have to assume that, like me, they’ve worked hard to find a treatment that works without affecting his thinking.
Comments like Mr. Savage’s are certainly his right to make. But they’re a slap in the face of every epilepsy patient out there who has to overcome bias to hold down a job, raise a family, drive a car, and do their best to have the same quality of life we all want.
And it appalls me that people still demonize epilepsy patients for their disease, rather than respecting what they are: Human beings who, like Mr. Savage, are entitled to their opinions.
Dr. Block has a solo neurology private practice in Scottsdale, Ariz. To respond to this post, e-mail him at [email protected].