Sunday, February 7, 2021

Traditional Chinese Medicine & Epilepsy

 Traditional Chinese Medicine & Epilepsy 


Epilepsy: A neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, or convulsions, associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

  • There are two main types of seizures; focus/partial and generalized-onset.

    • Within each type there are subsections varying in severity

    • Focus/Partial: When seizures appear to result from abnormal activity in just one area of your brain, they're called focal (partial) seizures. These seizures fall into two categories:

      • Focal seizures without loss of consciousness. Once called simple partial seizures, these seizures don't cause a loss of consciousness. They may alter emotions or change the way things look, smell, feel, taste or sound. They may also result in involuntary jerking of a body part, such as an arm or leg, and spontaneous sensory symptoms such as tingling, dizziness and flashing lights.

      • Focal seizures with impaired awareness. Once called complex partial seizures, these seizures involve a change or loss of consciousness or awareness. During a complex partial seizure, you may stare into space and not respond normally to your environment or perform repetitive movements, such as hand rubbing, chewing, swallowing or walking in circles.

    • Symptoms of focal seizures may be confused with other neurological disorders, such as migraine, narcolepsy or mental illness. A thorough examination and testing are needed to distinguish epilepsy from other disorders.

    • Generalized-Onset: Generalized-onset seizures are surges of abnormal nerve discharges throughout the cortex of the brain more or less at the same time. The most common cause is an imbalance in the “brakes” (inhibitory circuits) and “accelerator” (excitatory circuits) of electrical activity in the brain.

      • Genetic Considerations

        • Generalized seizures may have a genetic component, but only a small number of people with generalized seizures have family members with the same condition. There is a slight increase in risk for generalized seizures in the children or other family members of an affected person with generalized seizures, but the severity of the seizures can vary from person to person. Genetic testing may reveal a cause for generalized seizures.

        • Sleep deprivation or drinking large amounts of alcohol can increase the excitatory response and increase the risk of generalized-onset seizures, especially in people with a genetic tendency to have them.

  • Absence seizures

    • Absence seizures, previously known as petit mal seizures, often occur in children and are characterized by staring into space or subtle body movements such as eye blinking or lip smacking. These seizures may occur in clusters and cause a brief loss of awareness.

  • Tonic seizures

    • Tonic seizures cause stiffening of your muscles. These seizures usually affect muscles in your back, arms and legs and may cause you to fall to the ground.

  • Atonic seizures

    • Atonic seizures, also known as drop seizures, cause a loss of muscle control, which may cause you to suddenly collapse or fall down.

  • Clonic seizures

    • Clonic seizures are associated with repeated or rhythmic, jerking muscle movements. These seizures usually affect the neck, face and arms.

  • Myoclonic seizures

    • Myoclonic seizures usually appear as sudden brief jerks or twitches of your arms and legs.

  • Tonic-clonic seizures

    • Tonic-clonic seizures, previously known as grand mal seizures, are the most dramatic type of epileptic seizure and can cause an abrupt loss of consciousness, body stiffening and shaking, and sometimes loss of bladder control or biting your tongue.


  • Causes: Epilepsy has no identifiable cause in about half the people with the condition. In the other half, the condition may be traced to various factors, including:

    • Genetic influence. Some types of epilepsy, which are categorized by the type of seizure you experience or the part of the brain that is affected, run in families. In these cases, it's likely that there's a genetic influence.

      • Researchers have linked some types of epilepsy to specific genes, but for most people, genes are only part of the cause of epilepsy. Certain genes may make a person more sensitive to environmental conditions that trigger seizures.

    • Head trauma. Head trauma as a result of a car accident or other traumatic injury can cause epilepsy.

    • Brain conditions. Brain conditions that cause damage to the brain, such as brain tumors or strokes, can cause epilepsy. Stroke is a leading cause of epilepsy in adults older than age 35.

    • Infectious diseases. Infectious diseases, such as meningitis, AIDS and viral encephalitis, can cause epilepsy.

    • Prenatal injury. Before birth, babies are sensitive to brain damage that could be caused by several factors, such as an infection in the mother, poor nutrition or oxygen deficiencies. This brain damage can result in epilepsy or cerebral palsy.

    • Developmental disorders. Epilepsy can sometimes be associated with developmental disorders, such as autism and neurofibromatosis.


  • Indications and Contraindications: It very much depends on the type of seizures that an individual suffers from and care needs to be taken as over-stimulation may trigger an attack. Each person and their epilepsy should be considered individually

    • Clients who suffer from tonic-clonic seizures, it is beneficial to work on the body and limbs due to the contraction of these areas during their seizures

    • Hot stone and grounding head massages are known to be generally safe but energy work to the head should always be avoided. 

    • Reflexology can be deeply relaxing for some people, so it could be of great use to those whose epilepsy is triggered by stress.

    • Certain essential oils such as fennel, rosemary and sage, [amongst others, ask your doctor for a comprehensive list] should be avoided as they are known to increase the risk of seizures. Make sure your therapist is a qualified aromatherapist with the knowledge of which oils to avoid and alternatives to go for – ylang ylang, chamomile and lavender have a relaxing and calming effect, which could ward off a seizure too.

    • If a ketogenic diet is being used to improve epilepsy symptoms let your therapist know. Weakness, dizziness, sleepiness and diarrhea are all side effects that may mean the practitioner will want to adapt the session slightly.

    • Cupping where epileptics who experience seizures would not be a good candidate for service.  That is because if an epileptic had a seizure and fell to the ground with glass or plastic cups stuck to them, the cup could break or cut the client and provide a greater medical problem beyond the seizure itself.


  • Traditional Chinese Medicine: 

    • Vitamin and folic acid supplements can help to control epileptic seizures, however, these need to be carried out with strict medical supervision as adverse effects can also happen. Vitamin B6, taurine (an amino acid) and omega 3 fatty acids are also known to help patients with epilepsy. 

    • There is a Chinese herb called bupleurum which is used in combination with peony root, cassia bark, jujube fruit, ginger root and pinellia root to form two different herbal formulae known as sho-saiko and saiko-keishi. Other ingredients in the two formulae are ginseng root, licorice root and skullcap root. These Chinese medicines are known to help people with epilepsy without any negative side effects.

    • Acupuncture and massage therapy are other therapies for epilepsy that have had a significant presence in the treatment of this disorder. 

      • Acupuncture has been known to reduce seizures and also control abnormal brain activity that causes the seizures. Studies in China have established that treatment of epilepsy where acupuncture and massage is used along with certain herbs have had the best results.

      •  A study in Germany which involved almost a hundred people established that acupuncture treatment over a period of up to 18 months showed marked improvement in 65 percent of the cases. All drugs were discontinued during the period of the test.

      • There are two types of massage therapy that have been known to be effective in treating epileptic patients. They are Cranial-Sacral Therapy and Aromatherapy. 

        • Cranial-Sacral therapy helps to get fluid moving freely around the brain thus releasing any blockages that can cause seizures.

        • Aromatherapy using Jasmine makes the patient associate the scent with relaxation and this induced state of relaxation can reduce the possibility of seizures.

  • There are Yin and Yang seizures. Yin seizures are rarely connected with epilepsy. Yang seizures are clenched and spastic. In some cases seizures are caused by a deficiency of Yin (in the Yin-Yang medical theory, this means an insufficiency of cooling bodily fluids) in the Liver or Kidney. Sometimes emotional constraint can lead to the Liver overheating, resulting in internal Wind.

  • The causes of epilepsy can be summarized as congenital (present from birth but not hereditary) and acquired.

    •  Congenital causes include an impairment of the transfer of Qi (the body’s essential energy) from the fetes to the baby. 

    • Acquired causes include craniocerebral trauma; syncope; blood stagnation in the blood vessels and nerves; cerebrum and parasites in the brain; depletion in the nourishment of the heart and mind; suffocation, etc.

  • For the purposes of syndrome differentiation, epilepsy is classified as being due to Fright (including chronic fear unsettling the mind); due to Wind (fever); due to phlegm (characterized by a weak mind and dementia) and due to blood stasis (caused by craniocerebral trauma and characterized by headaches).

    • For epilepsy due to Fright, treatment will aim to calm the mind and eliminate fright.

    • For epilepsy due to Wind, treatment focuses on eliminating the Wind and relieving convulsion.

    • For epilepsy due to phlegm build-up, the focus will be on regulating the body’s Qi, removing the phlegm and resuscitating the patient.

    • For epilepsy due to blood stasis, treatment will re-activate blood circulation in order to induce resuscitation and stopping Wind.

  • According to Chinese Medicine theory both acupuncture and Chinese herbs can be used either during or after seizure. Since repeated seizures are often caused by a large accumulation of phlegm according to CM theory, eliminating phlegm is one of the priorities. 

  • For patients who experience seizures on rare occasions, the Chinese Medical treatment focuses on strengthening the Spleen, nourishing the Liver, relieving spasm and also removing phlegm.

  • Heart, Liver, Spleen and Kidney are all affected and require attention as part of the treatment.

  • For best results, Chinese medicine must be combined with Western medicines.



Resources/Citations
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