Epilepsy is the disorder of brain characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures due to aberrant disturbances in normal electrical activity of brain. About 25–35% of patients with epilepsy are resistant to current pharmacotherapy. The use of antiepileptic drugs appears to have side effects that affect daily life of patients — mainly due to cognitive decline and other potential side effects. Availability and popularity of the complementary and alternative treatment approaches provide a better platform to patients who are not well treated by allopathic medications of the condition they are suffering from. People who are suffering from epilepsy and are also using those options to cure or relief the symptoms. In this review, various alternative approaches, including diet, acupuncture, magnetic stimulation, chiropractic technique, bio-feedback, relaxation techniques, and aromatherapy, are discussed.
[1]. www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs165/en/ (Epilepsy: aetiology, epidemiology and prognosis).
[2]. C. Rados 2005 Epilepsy and seizures can occur at any age FDA Consum. Mag. 39 5 31–55.
[3]. S. Steidele D. Flugel J. Bauer C. E. Elger 1997 Epilepsy in the very old Fortsch. Neurol. Psychiatr. 65 5 237–242.
[4]. M. R. Sperling A. Harris M. Nei J. D. Liporace M. J. O'Connor 2005 Mortality after epilepsy surgery Epilepsia 46 Suppl11 49–53.
[5]. P. Ryvlin A. Montavont P. Kahane 2006 Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: from mechanisms to prevention Curr. Opin. Neurol. 19 2 194–199.
[6]. A. Scimemi S. Schorge D. M. Kullmann M. C. Walker 2006 Epileptogenesis is associated with enhanced glutamatergic transmission in the perforant path J. Neurophysiol. 95 2 1213–1220.
[7]. A. M. Mazarati R. A. Baldwin S. Shinmei R. Sankar 2005 In vivo interaction between serotonin and galanin receptors types 1 and 2 in the dorsal raphe: implication for limbic seizures J. Neurochem. 95 5 1495–1503.
[8]. S. E. Kwak J. E. Kim D. S. Kim M. H. Won H. C. Choi Y. I. Kim et al.2005 Differential effects of vigabatrin and zonisamide on the neuropeptide Y system in the hippocampus of seizure prone gerbil Neuropeptides 39 5 507–513.
[9]. P. H. McCabe 2000 New anti-epileptic drugs for the 21st century Expert Opin. Pharmacother. 1 4 633–674.
[10]. G. Zaccara D. Franciotta E. Perucca 2007 Idiosyncratic adverse reactions to antiepileptic drugs Epilepsia 48 7 1223–1244.
[11]. P. N. Patsalos 2000 Antiepileptic drug pharmacogenetics Ther. Drug Monit. 22 1 127–130.
[12]. S. C. Schachter 2008 Complementary and alternative medical therapies Curr. Opin. Neurol. 21 2 184–189.
[13]. G. Zaccara P. F. Gangemi M. Cincotta 2008 Central nervous system adverse effects of new antiepileptic drugs A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled studies Seizure 17 5 405–421.
[14]. C. E. Elger J. Bauer J. Scherrmann G. Widman 1998 Aggravation of focal epileptic seizures by antiepileptic drugs Epilepsia 39 S15–S18.
[15]. R. Guerrini A. Belmonte P. Genton 1998 Antiepileptic drug-induced worsening of seizures in children Epilepsia 39 S2–S10.
[16]. E. Perucca K. J. Meador 2005 Adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs Acta Neurol. Scand. 181 30–35.
[17]. P. J. Rhodes N. Small H. Ismail J. P. Wright 2008 The use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine for the treatment of epilepsy among people of South Asian origin in the UK BMC Complement. Altern. Med. 8 7.
[18]. D. Smith D. Chadwick 2001 The management of epilepsy J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 70 S15–S21.
[19]. P. Crawford R. Appleton T. Betts 1999 Best practice guidelines for management of women with epilepsy Seizure 8 201–217.
[20]. C. Zahn 1998 Neurological c are of women with epilepsy Epilepsia 39 S26–S31.
[21]. E. C. Wirrell 2003 Valproic acid-associated weight gain in older children and teens with epilepsy Pediatr. Neurol. 28 2 126–129.
[22]. H. Dinesen L. Gram T. ersen M. Dam 1984 Weight gain during treatment with valproate Acta Neurol. Scand. 70 2 65–69.
[23]. B. F. Bourgeois 1998 Felbamate Sem. Ped. Neurol. 5 1 76–81.
[24]. A. H. Guberman F. M. Besag M. J. Brodie J. M. Dooley M. S. Duchowny J. M. Pellock et al.1999 Lamotrigine-associated rash: risk/benefit considerations in adults and children Epilepsia 40 7 985–991.
[25]. C. Hyson M. Sadler 1997 Cross sensitivity of skin rashes with antiepileptic drugs Can. J. Neurol. Sci. 24 3 245–249.
[26]. T. Eke J. F. Talbot M. C. Lawden 1997 Severe persistent visual field constriction associated with vigabatrin BMJ 314 180–181.
[27]. W. E. Rosenfeld D. R. Doose S. A. Walker R. K. Nayak 1997 Effect of topiramate on the pharmacokinetics of an oral contraceptive containing norethindrone and ethinyl estradiol in patients with epilepsy Epilepsia 38 3 317–323.
[28]. P. Crawford 2005 Best practice guid elines for the management of women with epilepsy Epilepsia 46 S9 117–124.
[29]. V. Ricotti N. Delanty 2006 Use of complementary and alternative medicine in epilepsy Curr. Neurol. Neurosci. Rep. 6 4 347–353.
[30]. K. Liow E. Ablah J. C. Nguyen T. Sadler D. Wolfe K. D. Tran et al.2007 Pattern and frequency of use of complementary and alternative medicine among patients with epilepsy in the midwestern United States Epilepsy Behav. 10 4 576–582.
[31]. J. M. Freeman E. H. Kossoff A. L. Hartman 2007 The ketogenic diet: one decade later Pediatrics 119 3 535–543.
[32]. E. H. Kossoff B. A. Zupec-Kania P. E. Amark K. R. Ballaban-Gil A. G. Bergqvist R. Blackford et al.2009 Optimal clinical management of children receiving the ketogenic diet: recommendations of the International Ketogenic Diet Study Group Epilepsia 50 2 304–317.
[33]. E. H. Kossoff J. R. McGrogan 2005 Worl dwide use of the ketogenic diet Epilepsia 46 2 280–289.
[34]. E. G. Neal H. Chaffe R. H. Schwartz M. S. Lawson N. Edwards G. Fitzsimmons et al.2008 The ketogenic diet and epilepsy Curr. Opin. Clin. Nutr. Metab. Care 11 2 113–120.
[35]. B. V. Maydell E. Wyllie N. Akhtar P. Kotagal K. Powaski K. Cook et al.2001 Efficacy of the ketogenic diet in focal versus generalized seizures Pediatr. Neurol. 25 208–212.
[36]. E. G. Neal H. Chaffe R. H. Schwartz M. S. Lawson N. Edwards G. Fitzsimmons et al.2008 The ketogenic diet for the treatment of childhood epilepsy: a randomised controlled trial Lancet Neurol. 7 6 500–506.
[37]. D. Y. Kim J. M. Rho 2008 The ketogenic die t and epilepsy Curr. Opin. Clin. Nutr. Metab. Care 11 2 113–120. Review.
[38]. E. H. Kossoff G. L. Krauss J. R. McGrogan J. M. Freeman 2003 Efficacy of the Atkins diet as a therapy for intractable epilepsy Neurology 61 1789–1791.
[39]. A. Pittier F. Corrigan 2001 The ketogenic di et: healthy or harmful? A review in light of its renewed popularity Trinity Student Med. J. 2 5 39–41.
[40]. E. H. Kossoff L. C. Laux R. Blackford P. F. Morrison P. L. Pyzik R. M. Hamdy et al.2008 When do seizures usually improve with the ketogenic diet? Epilepsia 49 2 329–333.
[41]. H. C. Kang H. S. Lee S. J. You D. C. Kang T. S. Ko H. D. Kim 2007 Use of a modified Atkins diet in intractable childhood epilepsy Epilepsia 48 1 182–186.
[42]. M. Vreugdenhil C. Bruehl R. A. Voskuyl J. X. Kang A. Leaf W. J. Wadman 1996 Polyunsaturated fatty acids modulate sodium and calcium currents in CAl neurons Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 93 12559–12563.
[43]. E. Bromfield B. Dworetzky S. Hurwitz Z. Eluri L. Lane S. Replansky et al.2008 Randomized trial of polyunsaturated fatty acids for refractory epilepsy Epilepsy Behav. 12 1 187–190.
[44]. A. Contestabile E. Ciani A. Contestabile 2004 Dietary restriction differentially protects from neurodegeneration in animal models of excitotoxicity Brain Res. 1002 162–166.
[45]. T. A. Prolla M. P. Mattson 2001 Molecular mechanis ms of brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders: lessons from dietary restriction Trends Neurosci. 24 S21–S31.
[46]. A. R. Gaby 2007 Natural approaches to epilepsy Altern. Med. Rev. 12 1 9–24.
[47]. B. S. Meldrum 2000 Glutamate as a neurotransmitter in the brain: review of physiology and pathology J. Nutr. 130 1007S–1015S.
[48]. V. Dzhala L. Desfreres Z. Melyan Y. Ben-Ari R. Khazipov 1999 Epileptogenic action of caffeine during anoxia in the neonatal rat hippocampus Ann. Neurol. 46 95–102.
[49]. E. Gordon O. Devinsky 2001 Alcohol and marijuana: effects on epilepsy and use by patients with epilepsy Epilepsia 42 1266–1272.
[50]. Z. Huang B. Xiao X. Wang Y. Li H. Deng 2003 Betel nut indulgence as a cause of epilepsy Seizure 12 406–408.
[51]. D. Wu 1992 Related mechanism of acupuncture in suppressing epileptic seizures J. Tradit. Chin. Med. 12 3 187–192.
[52]. R. C. Chen Y. H. Huang 1984 Acupuncture on experimental e pilepsies Proc. Natl. Sci. Counc. Repub. China B 8 1 72–77.
[53]. Y. K. Feng T. H. Chiang T. H. Li M. Y. Kuo F. C. Li 1959 Immediate effect of acupuncture on electroencephalograms of epileptics Chin. Med. J. 79 521–530.
[54]. S. T. Kim S. Jean H. J. Park M. S. Hong W. E. Jeong J. H. Kim et al.2008 Acupuncture inhibits kainic acid-induced hippocampal cell death in mice J. Physiol. Sci. 58 1 31–38.
[55]. D. K. Cheuk V. Wong 2006 Acupuncture for epilepsy Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 19 2 CD005062.
[56]. R. Yongxia 2006 Acupuncture treatment of Jacksonian epilepsy — a report of 98 cases J. Tradit. Chin. Med. 26 3 177–178.
[57]. T. Zyss 2008 Magnetotherapy Neuro Endocrinol. Lett. 29 Suppl.1 161–201.
[58]. A. T. Staroverov V. B. Vil'yanov Y. M. Raigorodskii M. A. Rogozina 2009 Transcranial magnetotherapy in the complex treatment of affective disorders in patients with alcoholism Neurosci. Behav. Physiol. 39 5 507–511.
[59]. M. Kinoshita A. Ikeda T. Begum J. Yamamoto T. Hitomi H. Shibasaki 2005 Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for seizure suppression in patients with extratemporallobe epilepsy — a pilot study Seizure 14 6 387–392.
[60]. F. Fregni S. C. Schachter A. Pascual-Leone 2005 Transcranial ma gnetic stimulation treatment for epilepsy: can it also improve depression and vice versa? Epilepsy Behav 7 2 182–189.
[61]. A. V. Alexopoulos V. Gonugunta J. Yang N. M. Boulis 2007 Electrical stimulation and gene-based neuromodulation for control of medically-refractory epilepsy Acta Neurochir. Suppl. 97 Pt2 293–309.
[62]. R. A. Pistolese 2001 Epilepsy and setzure disorders: a review of lit erature relative to chiropractic care of children J. Manipulative Physiol. Ther. 24 3 199–205.
[63]. E. L. Elster 2004 Treatment of bipolar, seizure, and sleep disorders a nd migraine headaches utilizing a chiropractic technique J. Manipulative Physiol. Ther. 27 3 E5.
[64]. J. Alcantara R. Heschong G. Plaugher J. Alcantar 1998 Chiropract ic management of a patient with subluxations, low back pain and epileptic seizures J. Manipulative Physiol. Ther. 21 6 410–418.
[65]. T. Egner M. E. Sterman 2006 Neurofeedback treatment of epilepsy: from basic rationale to practical application Expert Rev. Neurother. 6 2 247–257.
[66]. J. E. Walker G. P. Kozlowski 2005 Neurofeedback treatment of epilepsy Child Adolesc. Psychiatr. Clin. N. Am. 14 1 163–176.
[67]. R. S. Monderer D. M. Harrison S. R. Haut 2002 Neurofeedback and epile psy Epilepsy Behav. 3 3 214–218.
[68]. S. Ramaratnam G. A. Baker L. H. Goldstein 2005 Psychological treatment s for epilepsy Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 19 4 CD002029. Review.
[69]. C. Uhlmann W. Froscher 2001 Biofeedback treatment in patients with refra ctory epilepsy: changes in depression and control orientation Seizure 10 1 34–38.
[70]. T. G. Fehr 2006 Transcendental meditation may prevent partial epilepsy Med. Hypotheses 67 6 1462–1463.
[71]. H. Jaseja 2007 Meditation and epilepsy: the ongoing debate Med. Hypotheses 68 4 916–917.
[72]. H. Jaseja 2006 A brief study of a possible relation of epilepsy association with meditation Med. Hypotheses 66 5 1036–1037.
[73]. H. Jaseja 2005 Meditation may predispose to epilepsy: an insight into the alteration in brain environment induced by meditation Med. Hypotheses 64 3 464–467.
[74]. R. A. Kumar P. A. Kurup 2003 Changes in the isoprenoid pathway with transcendental meditation and Reiki healing practices in seizure disorder Neurol. India 51 2 211–214.
[75]. W. E. Winter 2001 The use of a skill-based activity in therapeutic induction Am. J. Clin. Hypn. 44 2 119–126.
[76]. B. Rajesh D. Jayachandran G. Mohandas K. Radhakrishnan 2006 A pilot study of a yoga meditation protocol for patients with medically refractory epilepsy J. Altern. Complement. Med. 12 4 367–371.
[77]. N. Yardi 2001 Yoga for control of epilepsy Seizure 10 1 7–12.
[78]. T. Betts 2003 Use of aromatherapy (with or without hypnosis) in the treatment of in tractable epilepsy: a two-year follow-up study Seizure 12 8 534–538.
[79]. W. P. Liao L. Chen Y. H. Yi W. W. Sun M. M. Gao T. Su S. Q. Yang 2005 Study of antiepileptic effect of extracts from Acorus tatarinowii Schott Epilepsia 46 Suppl.1 21–24.
[80]. M. Janahmadi S. Farajnia J. Vatanparast H. Abbasipour M. Kamalinejad 2008 The fruit essential oil of Pimpinella anisum L. (Umblliferae) induces neuronal hyperexcitability in snail partly through attenuation of after-hyperpolarization J. Ethnopharmacol. 120 3 360–365.
[81]. C. E. Stafstrom 2007 Seizures in a 7-month-old child after exposure to the essential plant oil thuja Pediatr. Neurol. 37 6 446–448.
[82]. E. K. Veeramah S. Holmes 2000 Complementary therapy: complement or threat to modem me dicine? J. R. Soc. Health 120 1 42–46.