Question

A friend’s son frequently has epilepsy seizures, and I’m unsure how to provide proper care. How should one care for a child during an epileptic seizure?

Answer

Avoid giving high-sugar or stimulating food (irritating food) and foods that may trigger epilepsy, such as mutton, dog meat, roosters, carp, etc. Refrain from alcohol, strong tea, and coffee, and limit the use of spicy seasonings like pepper, chili, mustard, scallions, and garlic. Encourage the consumption of potassium-rich foods like red amaranth, baby carrots, white carrots, celery, pumpkin, tomatoes, eggplants, onions, cucumbers, winter melon, zucchini, pears, apples, grapes, and pineapples. At the same time, increase the intake of magnesium-rich foods such as millet, corn, red beans, soybeans, tofu, green vegetables, beef liver, and chicken. Epilepsy patients should also pay attention to calcium supplementation by consuming high-protein and calcium-rich foods like milk and tofu. Suggestions:

  1. Protect the tongue by placing a gauze-covered tongue depressor in the patient’s mouth when prodromal symptoms appear to prevent tongue injury.
  2. Allow the patient to lie down during a seizure to avoid sudden falls that could cause head or body injuries.
  3. When an epileptic seizure occurs, secretions increase. Tilt the patient’s head to one side to facilitate the expulsion of nasal and oral secretions and loosen