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Question:
I am mentoring a young woman who has epilepsy. Her seizures increase (of course) when she is stressed. Are there any of your CD's that more directly address seizures? Or any that would be best for dealing with stress?
Thanks for all you do.
Nellie
Dear Nellie,
We have nothing that specifically addresses seizures, but it's true that just about anything that will help her relax at will (self-regulate is the jargon term) will be useful to her.
  A few years back, there was an unsubstantiated myth going around that hypnosis and imagery might worsen the symptoms of epilepsy by adversely affecting brain wave activity. This has since been disproved by subsequent research, which showed that this may have been the case with non-epileptic "pseudo-seizures" but not with the real thing – and in fact, the reverse is true. As you’ve said, reducing stress is a big help.
 I'm attaching some citations from studies that show (1) that a combination of aromatherapy and hypnosis was effective in helping reduce the symptoms of intractable or hard-to-treat epilepsy; and (2) that yoga can help as well. I was surprised to find that a recent review of the literature by Cochrane showed that acupuncture was not particularly effective.
 She might want to try any of our stress reducing resources. Of mine, I’d suggest one of these: Stress Hardiness, General Wellness or Relieve Stress. I also recommend the beautiful work of hypnosis virtuoso David Illig, meditation teacher Bodhipaksa, Andy Weil’s breathwork, and much more. We have an awful lot of really good stuff for stress - and it mostly depends on what suits her best. I'd start with one of these and see how it goes first. Once you have a response, you can take it from there. And you can always call the staff or email for further direction on what we carry.
All best,
Belleruth
Research Citations:
Betts T. Use of aromatherapy (with or without hypnosis) in the treatment of intractable epilepsy--a two-year follow-up study. Seizure. 2003 Dec;12 (8): pages 534-8.
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Rajesh B, Jayachandran D, Mohandas G, Radhakrishnan K. A pilot study of a yoga meditation protocol for patients with medically refractory epilepsy. J Altern Complement Med. 2006 May;12 (4): pages 367-71.
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Thanks for your quick response when I sent the question to you about my friend. I will check out the CD's you mentioned.
As circumstances/ synchronicity would have it.... just before I contacted you, I ran across the very same research you referenced above.
When I tried to access the info through the link you gave, I got a very short overview. If someone is interested in the longer, more detailed info - they can go to: www.aromacaring.co.uk/bettsepilepsy.htm
As I understand the report: Research shows that smell occupies the same part of the brain where seizures come from.
To learn to self-regulate the seizures: A person is trained to deeply relax using massage or hypnosis. This deeply relaxed state is then associated with a particular essential oil such as Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Lavender, Camomile, or Bergamot. Their brain starts to associate that smell with being deeply relaxed.
So, when they feel any signals that a seizure is coming - they sniff that smell. That triggers them to go into a relaxed state. At the same time, the smell sensation is perceived in the brain in the same place that the seizures originate. That part of the brain can't do both things at once.
So, the smell not only relaxes the brain & body, but it also distracts or derails the brain from continuing the seizure.
Note: oils that contain Camphor (Rosemary, Hyssop, Sweet fennel, Sage) should be avoided since Camphor tends to trigger seizures. Also note: only pure therapeutic essential oils should be used. (Not perfume-grade oils or ones that are chemically extracted.)
If anyone is having difficulty accessing the article, or wants info about essential oil sources, you can write me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it