Epilepsy is a serious health condition that if left untreated can have serious repercussions for your wellness and wellbeing. There are standard treatments available, and everyone who has (or even suspects they may have) epilepsy should contact their doctor immediately and make sure that an approved plan of medical treatment is in place. There is also some research coming to light about alternative treatments for epilepsy, including large doses of vitamins, biofeedback and melatonin.
Epilepsy usually causes seizures, and it tends to occur when there is some kind of abnormal electrical activity going on in the brain. Seizures can vary greatly – the smallest seizures may go unnoticed, or in severe cases, seizures can cause convulsions (muscle spasms) or a loss of consciousness. Seizures can vary in duration as well as severity, and can also range from being a one-time event to being something that happens repeatedly.
Biofeedback has been investigated as a method of preventing seizures, and it involves using imagery or relaxation to change heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. A biofeedback practitioner measures these functions with a monitor and electrodes, whilst helping the patient to learn various relaxation techniques for stressful situations.
Melatonin is also being researched in terms of looking for a treatment for seizures. This is a hormone that is made in the pineal gland of the brain. It is often thought of as a sleep aid or an anti-aging aid, but there is also research that indicates that melatonin could reduce the incidence of seizures in young children, while another study showed that it appeared to have very little effect on seizures.
Finally, high-dose vitamins were being looked at in terms of their ability to help reduce seizures, but research found that vitamins do not improve the effects of epilepsy and may even do more harm than good.