Abstracts

Rationale: Despite much discussion of complementary and alternative therapies in multimedia, there are few reports in the literature on its utilization in children with epilepsy. The wide range of alternative therapies and religious practices may potentially have an impact on treatment outcome of children. The purpose of this study is to assess the types, frequency, and determinants of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use as well as religious practices in children with epilepsy followed at Children's of Alabama. We hypothesized that the use of alternative therapy in the South is low and that religious beliefs play a larger role in our patient population. Methods: This study was approved by the IRB at the University of Alabama. The primary caregivers of children with epilepsy were asked to complete a questionnaire in the clinic setting at Children's of Alabama. Data gathered included use and frequency of alternative therapies such as herbs, vitamins, yoga/meditation, and religious practices used to influence epilepsy outcome. Results: To date 20 surveys have been analyzed. Ten caregivers (50%) reported using CAM either in the past or currently. These therapies included aromatherapy (n=2), chiropractic manipulation (n=2), herbs (n=4), massage (n=3), vitamins (n=6), and yoga (n=1). Eighteen caregivers (75%) reported that they had an interest in trying various alternative therapies although they had not actually used them. These therapies included acupuncture (n=2), aromatherapy (n=4), chiropractic manipulation (n=4), marijuana (n=1), massage (n=2), magnetic therapy (n=1), music therapy (n=2), oxygen therapy (n=1), yoga (n=3), and visiting a shaman in Ecuador (n=1). Amongst religious practices, prayer was the most common. Seventeen (85%) caregivers reported using prayer specifically for the purpose of influencing their child's health. Sixty percent reported that prayer was of great benefit, while 40% reported that prayer was of some benefit. Conclusions: While data is still being collected and analyzed, the survey shows that most caregivers have entertained utilization of CAM. Prayer is commonly used and felt to be of some benefit to seizure outcome. Our study has several limitations. It is currently limited to the outpatient setting, with a bias towards a subpopulation with new onset seizures and perhaps milder forms of epilepsy. It is also sampling families evaluated in a children's hospital, not a common setting.