Can yoga help patients who experience seizures? A pilot study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2006;12(4):367–371) involved 20 patients with epilepsy who had experienced at least four complex partial seizures in the previous three months.
Subjects were monitored for three months to establish a baseline. For the next three months, they practiced yoga and meditation for 20 minutes twice daily. After this initial period, yoga and meditation became optional, and 16 of the 20 subjects continued the practice.
Follow-up at three, six, and twelve months showed that seizure frequency was significantly reduced. Eight of the patients continued practicing yoga and meditation for longer than six months; these subjects experienced at least a 50% reduction in seizure frequency, with three becoming seizure-free.
