Temporal lobe seizures and electromagnetic fields

CDC funded page

Not a CDC funded Page

Does anyone know if electromagnetic fields might cause temporal lobe activity/seizures in susceptible people? For instance, could the electromagnetic field in a car, or near a computer, TV or in a hospital where a lot of equipment is in use cause a temporal lobe reaction? I've been reading lately about how scientists have been stimulating the temporal lobes with electrodes and magnets to cause hallucinations, dreams, out of body experiences, religious experiences, etc. and I was wondering if the EMFs in the everyday atmosphere might trigger seizures in people who for some reason are sensitive to them. I have had 2 abnormal EEGs, and been diagnosed with temporal lobe seizures. I've never seen a description of temporal lobe seizures that exactly fits what happens to me. I think I'm falling asleep, or I have dreams while I'm aware of what's going on around me. These aren't random; they almost always happen in a car, near a computer, TV, when I'm sleep deprived or very bored. My neuro said I'm not falling asleep, and he can't explain the dreams. All he said was that I have a seizure disorder and I have to accept it. Keppra has controlled most of this, but there are some times that it's not controlled. I can canoe in class III-IV rapids and never have a problem. I don't have episodes while walking down the street or hanging out with people or doing things around the house. But before medication, just put me in a car, near a computer, in front of a TV or sometimes on the phone and I'd slip into a lucid dream, drop off for a few seconds or lose time on a frequent basis. Fluorescent lights could make me feel like I was going blind or crazy by the end of the day. Does anyone else have this very predictable, non-convulsive type of TLE? I keep trying to make sense of this, and I can't. That's why I keep coming back with these questions--hoping someone else will say "oh yeah, that's exactly what happens to me!" Deb

Comments

Re: Temporal lobe seizures and electromagnetic fields

Submitted by sparsons on Fri, 2010-04-30 - 09:35

Hi Deb,

Yes I do think that EMF has a lot to do with seizures.

I had never had seizures in my life but started having them at work. EEG could not reproduce seizures or find anything substantially wrong with me relating to seizures.

At the time this all happened I had been noticing that I was sensitive to areas where there were a lot of electrical equipment or electrical utility closets. I have since been diagnosed with Electro hyper sensitivity (EHS).

My doctor told me to take some time off work and I couldn't believe how much better I felt. On campus I had had 3 seizures within 2 weeks. That was three and half years ago. I haven't worked on campus since and since then I have only had 3 minor episodes and all explainable by my proximity to EMF sources.

The first seizure I had eminated from the left top of my head near the centre line. It was quite painful but I felt like I was falling asleep. It was a very comforting feeling actually even though my head was hurting. I couldn't move or do anything. It felt good to just go with it. I went blank for a while. I don't know how long it lasted but maybe about a minute or so. I ws still sitting up in my chair when I came around.

The second and third seizures were pretty much the same but not as intense although they were more spread out over the head and not so intense in that one spot. The third one actually lasted about 5 minutes. I was eating lunch at the time and I was able to walk but couldn't spit the food out of my mouth. I had to bend forward and let it drop out of my mouth. With this one my right arm and hand twisted up and all the muscles were quite sore for days afterward.

All three of these seizures happened in my office and I was not in a passive mode at the time. Because I had been feeling this sensititvity around electrical things and because the university had been installing a lot of wiring through and near my office, I had health and safety come in and test. They found that the EMF readings were high.

this is when my doctor told me to take time off. Since then I have learned a lot about this. I have no wireless contraptions in my home and I cleaned up the dirty electricity (noise) on my wiring. But I had already become very sensitve to EMF. So much so that I had to stay in my home and avoid exposure for quite some time before I could tolerate any exposure. I only had three minor epsiodes since then all months apart and when I was in a high EMF area. I knew enough to get away from where I was and the seizures subsided before they really got started.

Since I have avoided EMF and am getting much better, I can live a bit more normally but once in a wile when I am in a high EMF area I will feel the same feeling I had in my head with seizures. Not a seizure but the ache/pain I had in that one spot. I think I had been exposed to a very intense dose of EMF in the form of a wireless signal and it penetrated my head at that spot causing damage and seizures. So it is now sensitive when I am exposed too much. I also have a nice streak of grey hair growing out of that very spot on my head.

I will once in a while have episodes where I just fall asleep for no reason. No feeling or pain in the head, no memory of falling asleep. The first time it happened I was sitting in front of my computer and eating and the next thing I know I am dreaming but still aware of what is going on around me. The dream was very lucid and very wierd. It was strange in that I was in two places in the dream. I was the 'actor' and I was the 'audience' watching the the actor through a window. The actor could see the audience and vice versa. And both were thinking independently. I was also still aware of what my body was doing. I still had my knife in my hand and knew not to drop it. It was very, very strange. This has happened a couple of other times too. All three times I was consciously trying to wake up but couldn't.

I also know others with EHS who have seizures or 'near' seizures. EMFs can definitely play a part. We are elctrical beings. Even if you are not EHS your brain is beig affected by all the wifi and dirty electricty around us.

Check this out for tips on how to reduce your exposure. http://www.weepinitiative.org/livingwithEHS.html

You may find that other health problems you are having will go away too, when you clean up your environment.

Sue

Hi Deb, Yes I do think that EMF has a lot to do with seizures. I had never had seizures in my life but started having them at work.  EEG could not reproduce seizures or find anything substantially wrong with me relating to seizures.  At the time this all happened I had been noticing that I was sensitive to areas where there were a lot of electrical equipment or electrical utility closets.  I have since been diagnosed with Electro hyper sensitivity (EHS). My doctor told me to take some time off work and I couldn't believe how much better I felt.  On campus I had had 3 seizures within 2 weeks.  That was three and half years ago.  I haven't worked on campus since and since then I have only had 3 minor episodes and all explainable by my proximity to EMF sources. The first seizure I had eminated from the left top of my head near the centre line.  It was quite painful but I felt like I was falling asleep.  It was a very comforting feeling actually even though my head was hurting.  I couldn't move or do anything.  It felt good to just go with it.  I went blank for a while.  I don't know how long it lasted but maybe about a minute or so. I ws still sitting up in my chair when I came around. The second and third seizures were pretty much the same but not as intense although they were more spread out over the head and not so intense in that one spot.  The third one actually lasted about 5 minutes.  I was eating lunch at the time and I was able to walk but couldn't spit the food out of my mouth.  I had to bend forward and let it drop out of my mouth.  With this one my right arm and hand twisted up and all the muscles were quite sore for days afterward. All three of these seizures happened in my office and I was not in a passive mode at the time.  Because I had been feeling this sensititvity around electrical things and because the university had been installing a lot of wiring through and near my office, I had health and safety come in and test.  They found that the EMF readings were high. this is when my doctor told me to take time off.  Since then I have learned a lot about this.  I have no wireless contraptions in my home and I cleaned up the dirty electricity (noise) on my wiring.  But I had already become very sensitve to EMF.  So much so that I had to stay in my home and avoid  exposure for quite some time before I could tolerate any exposure.  I only had three minor epsiodes since then all months apart and when I was in a high EMF area.  I knew enough to get away from where I was and the seizures subsided before they really got started. Since I have avoided EMF and am getting much better, I can live a bit more normally but once in a wile when I am in a high EMF area I will feel the same feeling I had in my head with seizures.  Not a seizure but the ache/pain I had in that one spot.  I think I had been exposed to a very intense dose of EMF in the form of a wireless signal and it penetrated my head at that spot causing damage and seizures.  So it is now sensitive when I am exposed too much.  I also have a nice streak of grey hair growing out of that very spot on my head. I will once in a while have episodes where I just fall asleep for no reason.  No feeling or pain in the head, no memory of falling asleep.  The first time it happened I was sitting in front of my computer and eating and the next thing I know I am dreaming but still aware of what is going on around me.    The dream was very lucid and very wierd.   It  was strange in that I was in two places in the dream.  I was the 'actor' and I was the 'audience' watching the the actor through a window.  The actor could see the audience and vice versa.  And both were thinking independently.   I was also still aware of what my body was doing.   I still had my knife in my hand and knew not to drop it.  It was very, very strange.  This has happened a couple of other times too.  All three times I was consciously trying to wake up but couldn't. I also know others with EHS who have seizures or 'near' seizures.  EMFs can definitely play a part.  We are elctrical beings.  Even if you are not EHS your brain is beig affected by all the wifi and dirty electricty around us. Check this out for tips on how to reduce your exposure.  <a href="http://www.weepinitiative.org/livingwithEHS.html">http://www.weepinitiative.org/livingwithEHS.html</a> You may find that other health problems you are having will go away too, when you clean up your environment. Sue  