Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Epilepsy

This book includes summaries of various complementary therapy modalities used for treating epilepsy, in eight parts with 31 chapters. The editors invited professionals/practitioners (who are experts in their fields) to review specific topics, declaring that their goal is to bridge conventional medicine and CAM for the treatment of epilepsy.

Current medical evidence, with various samples of systematic reviews, clinical trials, surveys, case reports and personal experiences, is reviewed in the chapters. Besides keeping the cited references up to date, the authors have also evaluated the historical aspects of each topic. This well-written book is for medical professionals as well as lay people with an interest in the subject in an easy-to-follow format. Each chapter includes a commentary section supplying further information or thorough criticism of the current clinical evidence.

The first part of the book describes some important scientific methods used in medical research. The authors emphasise the often misleading and unsatisfactory nature of the evidence in CAM due to the improper methodological interventions used in these studies.

The influence of stress as a triggering factor for epilepsy is highlighted in the second part. Interventions such as neurofeedback, autogenic training, massage, aromatherapy, hypnosis, meditation, exercise and yoga, which aim to reduce the daily and metabolic stress, are described in particular chapters.

The third part of the book focuses on herbal treatments, homoeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture. As in previous chapters, the textbook format makes it possible to find brief information for each treatment modality.

The chapters on herbal treatments of epilepsy are some of the more noteworthy sections of the book. They provide an evidence-based review of popular herbal treatments for epilepsy, including pharmacologic action mechanisms and safety issues. These herbal remedies are peculiarly cited alongside the trade names and affixed by a thorough criticism by the editors (‘The simple answer is none are proven to work for epilepsy’).

This interesting book could bring about a new attitude for those professionals with an interest in the field, supplying alternative concepts for a well-known disease and demonstrating the integration of these mostly unknown complementary therapies into the mainstream medical care of epilepsy.