Integrative Medicine Should Be Used in Epilepsy

In the United States, 3.4 million people have epilepsy; one-third of them, though, are refractory to traditional medication. This indicates the need for integrative medicine and the acceptance of other alternative medicine options in clinical practice.

Ann Marie Collier, MD, from Moab Regional Hospital in Colorado, presented about this topic at the American Academy of Neurology’s 2019 Annual Meeting on Monday, May 6.

Her view is that integrative medicine should be used in conjunction with traditional pharmacological therapies.

In her experiences, she said that patients like to use integrative medicine (including special diets like keto, yoga, and acupuncture) more than some traditional medications. Patients are also more likely to adhere to these regimens than they would to traditional medication.

One of her main take-home messages was to “set realistic goals for your patients.” If you have a patient with epilepsy who has a high body mass index, smokes, and does not exercise, it is best to set small goals for him or her first, then lead him or her to the overall goal of ending the seizures.

Dr Collier then discussed the association between obesity, smoking, and seizures, as well as the fact that the presence of comorbidities (such as cardiovascular disease and depression) makes the treatment plan more difficult. “Smoking cessation is the number one primary prevention of seizures,” she said.

She ended her session by discussing the invention of the electroencephalogram (EEG): Hans Berger was a German psychiatrist who was especially interested in investigating brain waves. He invented the EEG in 1924 after a near-fatal incident. At that time, he received a telegraph from his sister asking if he was OK. His response was, “How did she know I was injured?” This sparked his interest in learning more about brain waves and the possibility of telepathic communication between siblings.

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—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Collier AM. The role of integrative medicine in epilepsy. Presented at: American Academy of Neurology’s 2019 Annual Meeting; May 4-10, 2019; Philadelphia, PA. http://tools.aan.com/annualmeeting/search/?fuseaction=home.detail&id=7283&_ga=2.57286569.22758629.1557146083-1571547560.1551707097. Accessed May 7, 2019.