Few home and natural treatments such as herbal remedies, aromatherapy, homeopathy, massage, training and acupuncture therapies can help to increase the overall well-being and improve underlying health condition. These natural treatments also reduce stress and may be used together with any AEDs (anti-epileptic drugs) you are taking. Before starting these holistic approaches to body relaxation, remember not to stop or change your medication without consulting your doctor.
Read Also: How to Manage Your Epilepsy in University
Advantages of Complementary Therapies
These complementary or natural therapies may help to improve the symptoms of epilepsy indirectly as they generally make you feel much better. If stress is one of the primary triggers for your grand mal or tonic-clonic or other seizures, a therapy that is focused on to make you feel less stressed can be helpful in controlling the number of seizures. Every individual is different, and some therapies may work for some individuals, and may not work for others.
Let’s dig deeper and have a look at the types of massage and psychological training therapies that can help to reduce seizures.
How Does Massage Help in Epilepsy?
For relaxation, massage is considered the best therapy. Few types of massage include:
- Holistic massage – It’s a whole body massage.
- Shiatsu – It makes use of acupressure technique.
- Indian head massage – It’s a massage for arms, shoulders and head.
- Swedish massage – It’s a massage from the neck down.
Massage is most useful to reduce pain and tension in muscles, helps to improve sleep, reduce stress and improve relaxation.
Autogenic Training
Autogenic training is composed of a number of mental exercises which helps a person reach a relaxation state much similar to what is achieved by meditation. The different types of exercises here allow the mind to become peaceful or calm & composed by switching off the body’s stress response. This helps to boost the body’s immune function towards recovery and repair of the body.
There is no strong evidence yet on the impact of autogenic training on epilepsy, however some people who have used this therapy reports to have better coping ability, quality of sleep, emotional balance, confidence, ability to relax and energy. They also report decreased irritability, anxiety and stress issues.
Neurofeedback
Neurofeedback is a great technique that can help you greatly if your seizures start with an ‘aura’. It helps to control your level of relaxation and control your brain activity, by watching a display generally on a computer screen. With long term practice under professional & experienced therapist, some people may be able to cut short their focal seizure length or prevent them from having generalized convulsions. Neurofeedback requires a lot of time, hard work and dedication not only from the person with epilepsy but also from the therapist.
Choose a Qualified Therapist
Some of the above therapies can also increase the risk of seizures, so it is crucial for you to know as much as detail about your epilepsy condition, and the therapies you are particularly interested in. Do not fall in the marketing gimmicks and only choose a therapist that is qualified. Tell your therapist about your seizures, epilepsy, and any other health condition you have and all medications that you take.