5 Unique Therapies That Can Compliment Standard Epilepsy Treatments
Most people know the standard treatments that people with epilepsy use to manage their condition. First comes the diagnosis and then (in most cases) a set of medications are prescribed in order to reduce symptoms.
But today, I want to talk about something a bit different… and shine a spotlight on some of the therapies that people with epilepsy could consider in addition to their medication! Because there are some extremely helpful ones out there, although they aren’t discussed nearly as much as their pharmaceutical counterparts.
1. Vitamins And Supplements
I wanted to start off with a treatment that’s a bit more traditional, despite not always being prescribed by doctors. And this is simply taking vitamins and supplements based on what you need more of.
Many people with epilepsy suffer from nutritional deficiencies, especially depending on the anti-seizure medications they take. And these deficiencies can bring about a variety of issues, including more seizures.
There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to this, so you’ll have to figure out which vitamins and supplements are right for you (and run them past your medical team, to ensure they won’t negatively interact with your anti-epilepsy meds). But for my daughter, magnesium supplements have been extremely helpful.
2. CBD Oil
CBD oil is a tricky, and yet helpful, complementary treatment option for epilepsy. Especially for people living with drug-resistant seizures. Because, while it’s been shown to help many people manage their symptoms, it can be quite difficult to obtain.
For instance, it’s only (somewhat) recently been legalized on a federal level. And in some states, it’s still not even allowed. While in others, it’s allowed but only if you have a prescription from a doctor. And finding a doctor that believes in using CBD to manage epilepsy can present additional difficulties, as it’s still a fairly new treatment.
However, despite all these obstacles, it could be helpful for a lot of people. So if it’s available to you, it might be worth a try.
3. Massages
Massages have also been found to help reduce seizures in certain cases, and this could be due to a variety of reasons. The most likely being that, for many, stress is a major trigger for their seizures. And obviously, a good massage can do a lot in terms of relieving that stress and relaxing the body.
But one thing to keep in mind if you do want to look into using massages to help with your seizures, is to let your masseuse know that you have epilepsy ahead of time. Because, in some cases, this could change how they perform the massage. And of course, they’ll also need to know what to do if you have a seizure during the process.
4. Acupuncture
The effects of acupuncture on epilepsy requires further study to be confirmed, but many people reported that the ancient practice was helpful in managing their seizures…
Acupuncture, for those that don’t know, is an alternative medical practice in which a professional places thin needles throughout a person’s body in order to treat certain ailments. These needles aren’t placed haphazardly, but rather, they’re placed in a way that activates various points within the body depending on what the desired result is.
The best part about acupuncture though, is that it’s low risk as long as you find a reliable practitioner.
5. Aromatherapy
Lastly, I want to mention aromatherapy. Which has helped a lot of people reduce their seizures in the past, although being rarely talked about online.
Aromatherapy refers to the therapeutic use of essential oils, and is used to treat a variety of ailments. This is done through inhaling the oils, either by diffusing them or rubbing them on oneself. Of course, depending on the ailment, different essential oils might be used.
And in fact, despite essential oils like jasmine or lavender being helpful in treating seizures, some oils can actually have the opposite effect. Sage and fennel are two examples of essentially oils that have been shown to increase seizure activity. So be sure to do your research ahead of time, on which oils are safe to use when dealing with epilepsy and seizures.
A Note About Managing Expectations
All of the therapies mentioned in this article are things that I think could be used for specific people, in addition to the treatments prescribed by their doctor. Meaning that they should never be used instead of their main treatment plan! And furthermore, they may not work for everyone.
Conclusion
So in conclusion, I believe that complementary therapies can be a great way to help manage your epilepsy as long as you find the ones that are right for you! And of course, I always promote running these therapies by your medical team before making any decisions; as they know your situation almost as well as you and can help comb through potential issues.
Additionally, just because one alternative treatment plan fails… doesn’t mean they all will. Much of learning to manage epilepsy is done through trial and error, and this is no exception.
Sources
As always, here’s a list of my sources for this article… In case you want to read more on the subjects I’ve mentioned here, or verify any of the facts that I’ve shared!
https://epilepsyfoundation.org.au/managing-epilepsy/health-and-wellbeing/complementary-therapies/
https://www.epilepsy.com/treatment/alternative-therapies
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8427139/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4273587/
https://www.epilepsy.com/advocacy/priorities/medical-cannabis-cbd
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6556313/
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