12thharmonic blog

The more I think about the possibility that Bush has epilepsy the more sense it makes. Even increased religiousity is a symptom in some types of epilepsy:

Researchers interested in the connection of the brain and religion have examined the experiences of people suffering from Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Apparently the increased electrical activity in the brain resulting from seizure activity (abnormal electrical activity within localized portions of the brain), makes sufferers more susceptible to having religious experiences including visions of supernatural beings and near death experiences (NDEs) . Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) sufferers also may become increasingly obsessed with religion, the study and practice of it

There is a temporal lobe damage personality type that reads like a description of Bush:

Symptoms of Temporal Lobe Damage

Problems here contribute to language struggles, miscommunication and reading disabilities.

Dominant Temporal Lobe (usually left) Problems

Decreased verbal memory (words, lists, stories)

Difficulty placing words or pictures into discreet categories

Trouble understanding the context of words

Aggression, internally or externally driven

Dark or violent thoughts

Sensitivity to slights, mild paranoia

Word finding problems

Auditory processing problems

Reading difficulties

Emotional instability

Non-dominant Temporal Lobe (usually right) Problems

Difficulty recognizing facial expression

Difficulty decoding vocal intonation

Implicated in social skill struggles

Trouble processing music

Decreased social cues/context

Poor visual imagery

Decreased selective attention to visual input

Decreased recall of nonverbal items – shapes, faces, tunes

Either or Both Temporal Lobe Problems

memory problems, amnesia

headaches or abdominal pain without a clear explanation

anxiety or fear for no particular reason

abnormal sensory perceptions, visual or auditory distortions

feelings of déjà vu or jamais vu

periods of spaciness or confusion

religious or moral preoccupation

hypergraphia, excessive writing

seizures

Temporal Lobe Personality

proneness to aggressive outbursts

overemphasis on trivia

pedantic speech

egocentric

preoccupation with religion

Can alcohol cause epilepsy?

A 'binge' on alcohol can cause a seizure, even in people who do not have epilepsy. Such seizures can be due to alcohol withdrawal, toxic effects of alcohol, too much fluid, metabolic changes in the body and vitamin or nutritional deficiencies. Studies suggest that alcohol withdrawal seizures usually happen 7-48 hours after reducing or stopping excessive or prolonged alcohol intake.

Some people who continue to drink large quantities of alcohol and who experience further seizures are quite likely to develop epilepsy as a result of this. Even if alcohol consumption is stopped altogether, the seizures may continue to happen unless anti-epileptic medication is introduced and seizure control gained.