Abstracts

RATIONALE: Alternative therapies are gaining acceptance for the treatment of chronic conditions such as epilepsy. Some forms of alternative therapies might enhance or block therapeutic actions of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) or epilepsy surgery, might alter AED metabolism, or might increase adverse effects of AEDs or surgery. Thus,it is important to understand the extent and the type of alternative therapies that are being adopted by people with epilepsy. The purpose for this study, part of a larger study of self-management of people with epilepsy, was to identify the types of alternative therapies used by people with epilepsy to manage their seizures and the characteristics of those who use them.
METHODS: Participants for the study are being recruited from two epilepsy centers-one in Atlanta and one in Boston. Individuals who agree to participate in the study are asked to complete three assessments each three months apart. The assessments include background information and questions related to factors associated with self-management of epilepsy. To date, 231 participants have been enrolled in the study. An additional 100 will be enrolled prior to the annual meeting, and data analysis will be conducted using the entire data set.
RESULTS: Participants range in age from 19-75 with a mean of 42 years. The sample is 57% female and 82% white. The mean age when seizures began was 22 years, and 77% of participants had a seizure within the past year. Preliminary analysis suggests that participants in the study were most likely to use prayer (57.8%), relaxation (45.7%), and nutritional supplements (12.4%) to manage seizures. Most (97.3%) noted that they do something they enjoy to manage stress, and 57% reported that they used relaxation techniques to manage stress. Only a few participants reported the use of biofeedback (4.8%), yoga (4.8%), aromatherapy (3.2%), acupuncture (2.2%), and crystals (1.1%) for seizure management. The use of alternative therapies was not associated with gender, age, medication management, depression, social support or beliefs about confidence to manage epilepsy.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study support other studies that suggest that stress management is an important aspect of seizure management for people with epilepsy. Additional information on alternative therapies such as prayer and nutritional therapies will assist clinicians in caring for persons with epilepsy.
Support: National Institute of Nursing Research R01 NR04770