Did you know that one in 26 people in the United States will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime?

That means that it could happen to you, your mom, dad, siblings, friends or co-workers.To raise awareness, Carbon County has declared November as Epilepsy Awareness Month.Last week, the county commissioners adopted a proclamation with the hope of shedding light on this condition.Ellen Baca, coordinator for the Epilepsy Foundation Eastern Pennsylvania, was on-hand to accept the proclamation.She brought the numbers home, explaining that one in 100 people have epilepsy. That means that in Carbon County, approximately 650 of the over 65,000 county residents currently suffer from seizures as a result of this condition."It's very common," she said, noting that there are a lot of misconceptions associated with epilepsy."This is our month to try and get the word out. The thing to remember is anyone can develop epilepsy at any time in their life and they don't need to have an underlying brain injury."What is epilepsyEpilepsy is a central nervous system disorder in which the nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing a seizure, the Mayo Clinic reports.Not everyone who experiences a single seizure has epilepsy, though. Warning signs include at least two "unprovoked seizures."According to the Mayo Clinic, seizure symptoms vary and can include temporary confusion, a staring spell, uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs, loss of consciousness or awareness or psychic symptoms. These symptoms also depend on the type of seizure a person is experiencing.SeizuresA person can have one of eight types of seizures.• Simple focal seizures: These seizures don't result in the loss of consciousness, however, they may alter emotions or a person's senses, and result in involuntary body part movements or tingling or dizziness.• Dyscognitive focal seizures: These seizures alter consciousness or awareness and may cause loss of awareness for a period of time. It often results in a person staring into nothingness or having purposeless movements like hand rubbing, chewing or walking in circles.• Absence seizures: Also called petit mal seizures, these seizures are characterized by staring and subtle body movement and can cause a brief loss of awareness.• Tonic seizures: These seizures cause stiffening of the muscles and usually affect muscles in the back, arms and legs and may cause a person to fall to the ground.• Clonic seizures: These are associated with rhythmic, jerking muscle movements; and usually affect the neck, face and arms.• Myoclonic seizures: Usually appear as sudden brief jerks or twitches of a person's arms and legs.• Atonic seizures: Also known as drop seizures, these seizures cause a loss of muscle control, which may cause a person to suddenly collapse or fall down.• Tonic-clonic seizures: Also known as grand mal seizures, tonic-clonic seizures are characterized by a loss of consciousness, body stiffening and shaking and sometimes loss of bladder control or biting your tongue.Baca said that most movies depict a grand mal seizure, but people need to be aware that seizures don't always happen that way and can be confused for just not listening or paying attention.Because seizures can be unrecognizable in some cases, Baca said that education is key.Currently, she visits schools to try to educate teachers on recognizing the various types of seizures that could happen.What to do if you have seizuresBaca said that anytime a person has a seizure they should seek medical attention. There are neurologists who specialize in the brain who could help.The Mayo Clinic says that medical attention is highly recommended if a person's seizure lasts longer than five minutes; breathing or consciousness doesn't return after the seizure stops; a second seizure immediately follows; or the person begins a high fever, experiences heat exhaustion, is pregnant, has diabetes or was injured during the seizure.Testing and treatmentDoctors will review the symptoms and complete tests, including a neurological exam and blood test; as well as possibly an electroencephalogram, CT scan, MRI, functional MRI, PET scan, single-photon emission computerized tomography test or neuropsychological test.If tests come back positive, medication may be prescribed to help with the seizures.Baca said that seven out of 10 people will see positive results with the medication as a way to control their epilepsy.If the seizures originate in a small, well-defined area of the brain and don't interfere with vital functions, surgery is also an option. The surgery removes the area of the brain that is the cause of the seizures.Therapies are also prescribed in some instances where other options won't work. They can include implanting a vagus nerve stimulator under the skin of the chest and connect the stimulator to the vagus nerve in the neck, which then sends electrical stimuli to the brain; or by following a ketogenic diet, which is high in fats and low in carbohydrates.Help is also available at the Epilepsy Foundation Eastern Pennsylvania, which serves 18 counties in the state, including Carbon, Schuylkill, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton counties.It currently serves over 100,000 people affected by epilepsy and seizure disorders.For more information on the organization or on programs available to people with epilepsy, visit

www.efepa.org.