I was reading my Bible the other day and checked the footnote reference regarding the word epileptics and found something I thought was interesting, the word Moonstruck. I like the sound of that word. It makes me think of the movie with Cher and Nicholas Cage. So I googled it!
“The news about Him spread athroughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, bdemoniacs, 1cepileptics, dparalytics; and He healed them.” Matt 4:24 NASB
Moonstruck regarding epileptic seizures:
“The Romans described epilepsy victims as lunaticus (moonstruck). They believed that the gods intervened during certain phases of the moon.” (DiBacco, 1995)
I briefly reviewed one study on the effects of lunar cycle on seizures. It stated reports have mixed results but concluded based on their study: “it is the brightness of the night and the contribution the moon phase makes to nocturnal luminance, rather than the moon phase per se, that may influence the occurrence of epileptic seizures.”(Baxendale, 2008)
I thought that maybe there was some truth to what the Romans believed, but that perhaps scientists just haven’t found the right correlation. You can read more about it on your own, if you find this topic interesting. Could it be a magnetic pull of the moon or is this just a myth? What do you think? Leave your questions or comments in the box below.
References:
Matthew 4:24 NASB Side-Column Reference Bible
https://biblia.com/books/nasb95/Mt4.24
DiBacco, T. V. (1995, November 28). THE MYSTERY OF EPILEPSY. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/wellness/1995/11/28/the-mystery-of-epilepsy/da56eb08-8dcc-4e32-8494-21382f6e52fb/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.cd01daa15449
Baxendale, S., & Fisher, J. (2008, October). Moonstruck? The effect of the lunar cycle on seizures. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18602495
Cher & Nicolas Cage in Moonstruck
Lady Esther 