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A pilot study of a yoga meditation protocol for patients with medically refractory epilepsy
Bhagavatheeswaran Rajesh1, Divakaran Jayachandran, Govindan Mohandas
1R. Madhavan Nayar Center for Comprehensive Epilepsy Care, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
Objective:
The objective was to assess the efficacy of a yoga meditation protocol (YMP) as an adjunctive treatment in patients with drug-resistant chronic epilepsy.
Design:
The design was a prospective, nonrandomized, open-label, add-on trial with a 12-week baseline period, followed by a 12-week supervised YMP administration phase. The frequency of complex partial seizures (CPS) was assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months of the treatment period.
Setting:
The setting was a comprehensive epilepsy care center attached to a tertiary referral medical institution situated on the southwest coast of the Indian peninsula.
Subjects:
The subjects were 20 patients (14 males and 6 females, age range 15 to 47 years, median 27 years) with unequivocally established diagnoses of epilepsy with at least 4 CPS (with or without secondary generalization) during the preceding 3 months.
Intervention:
Intervention consisted of a YMP 20 minutes twice daily (mornings and evenings) at home, and supervised sessions of a YMP every week for 3 months. Continuation of the YMP beyond 3 months was optional.
Outcome Measure:
The outcome measure was the seizure frequency at 3, 6, and 12 months of the treatment period. The subjects with > or = 50% reduction in monthly seizure rate from baseline were classified as responders, and subjects with <50% seizure reduction as nonresponders.
Results:
At 3 months, a reduction in seizure frequency was noted in all except 1 patient, six of whom had > or = 50% seizure reduction. Of 16 patients who continued the YMP beyond 3 months, 14 patients responded at 6 months; 6 of them were seizure-free for 3 months. All eight patients who continued the YMP beyond 6 months responded; three of them were seizure free for 6 months.
Conclusions:
If confirmed through randomized trials involving a larger number of patients, this YMP may become a cost-effective and adverse effect-free adjunctive treatment in patients with drug-resistant epilepsies.
