TCM in childhood epilepsy ?

[Guest guest]

Hi Anton, & All,

 

Anton wrote:

> Childhood Epilepsy--acupuncture, herbs, any Anecdotes or EBM?

> Just searching for any anecdotes or evidence to support the use of

> acupuncture or herbs in the treatment of Childhood epilepsy.

> Any good or bad experiences in treatment of epilepsy?

 

I found little specific re herbs & childhood epilepsy. Apart from the

first one (which does not list the formula used), the abstracts below

are mainly re adults.

 

The formula may have been Kangxian Jiaonang ( Pediatric Antiepileptic

Capsules): Dannanxing 80g, Tianma 48g, Taizishen 80g, Fuling 80g,

Shuibanxia (Zhi) 80g, Juhong 48g, Jiujiechangpu 120g, Qingguo 120g,

Hupo 24g, Chenxiang 24g, Liushenqu (Fuchao) 80g, Zhike (Fuchao) 48g,

Chuanxiong 48g, Qianghuo 48g; each capsule 500mg; Dose: 3-6 year-

olds: 5 Li; 7-13 year-olds : 8 Li; serve TID in warm water under

guidance of experienced doctor;

Actions: Clear Phlegm & Calm Wind (Huotan Xifeng), Support SP &

Rectify Qi (Jianpi Liqi);

Indications: primary systemic tonic-clonic epileptic seizures dt Wind

Phlegm Bi Block

 

For more details, see http://tinyurl.com/5dfv2a and copy the Google

translation into Wenlin for a better translation

 

Note that Ginkgo nut (abstract not shown) and Ephedra may INDUCE

attacks.

 

Ma R, Li S, Li X, Hu S, Sun X, Liu Y, Zhang X, Li X, Ma X. Clinical

observation on 930 child epilepsy cases treated with anti-epilepsy

capsules. J Tradit Chin Med. 2003 Jun;23(2):109-12. Department of

Pediatrics, First Affiliated Hospital, Tianjin College of Traditional

, Tianjin 300193. 1090 cases of child epilepsy were

divided randomly into two groups: the treatment group (930 cases

treated with anti-epilepsy capsules) and the control group (160 cases

treated with luminal). The results showed that in the treatment

group, 534 cases were markedly effective, 241 effective, 96 improved,

46 ineffective, and 13 aggravated, with a total effective rate of

83.33%; while in the control group, 64 cases were markedly effective,

19 effective, 38 improved, 29 ineffective, and 10 aggravated, with a

total effective rate of 51.88%. The treatment group showed an

obviously higher total effective rate than that in the control group

(P < 0.01). After treatment, cases in the two groups all had lower

frequency of epilepsy attacks and shorter duration of each attack as

compared with that before treatment (P < 0.01), but the situation was

obviously better in the treatment group. The anti-epilepsy capsules

had very good effect on various types of epilepsy, especially on

autonomic epilepsy and on epilepsies due to wind, phlegm, or terror

as differentiated in TCM. After treatment, the recovery rate shown by

EEG examination was 54.3% in the treatment group, while 38.4% in the

control group, the former being obviously higher than the latter (P <

0.01). PMID: 12875066 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

Easterford K, Clough P, Comish S, Lawton L, Duncan S. The use of

complementary medicines and alternative practitioners in a cohort of

patients with epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav. 2005 Feb;6(1):59-62.

Department of Neurology, Greater Manchester Neurosciences Centre,

Hope Hospital, Stott Lane, Salford M6 8 HD, UK. Complementary and

alternative medicines (CAMs) are increasingly used by patients in the

Western world. Some of the most popular herbal remedies are known to

act on the cytochrome P450 system, with potential effects on

antiepileptic drug (AED) levels. Few studies have explored their use

in people with epilepsy. We surveyed 400 patients attending epilepsy

clinics in Greater Manchester. Thirty-four percent of our patients

had used or were using CAMs; the majority had not told their doctor.

Use of CAMs was not predicted by age, sex, seizure frequency, number

of AEDs, or dissatisfaction with conventional medicine. Patients who

had gone onto higher education were significantly (P < 0.05) more

likely to have used or be using CAMs. Most patients did not use CAMs

for their epilepsy but for general health purposes. Most stated that

CAMs had little or no effect on seizure frequency or severity. PMID:

15652735 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

 

Hijikata Y, Yasuhara A, Yoshida Y, Sento S. Traditional chinese

medicine treatment of epilepsy. J Altern Complement Med. 2006

Sep;12(7):673-7. Toyodo Hijikata Clinic, ibaraki-shi, Osaka, Japan.

Hijikata OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of

traditional Chinese medicine, specifically the traditional herbal

formulation Bu-yang-huan-wu-tang, for treating epilepsy stemming from

cerebrovascular dysfunction. SUBJECTS: Three adult patients with

epilepsy refractory to standard antiepileptic medications were

involved. RESULTS: All three showed substantial improvement in the

frequency and severity of seizures after Bu-yanghuan- wu-tang was

added to conventional medical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Decrease of

seizure frequency and severity in three epileptic patients was

achieved by adding Bu-yang-huan-wu-tang to conventional therapy

according to the principles of Traditional (TCM)

theory. This treatment mainly relied on the resolution of blood

stagnation in cerebrovascular systems. Blood stagnation is an

important underlying pathology of many disease processes according to

TCM theory.PMID: 16970538 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

Ojemann LM, Nelson WL, Shin DS, Rowe AO, Buchanan RA. Tianma, an

ancient Chinese herb, offers new options for the treatment of

epilepsy and other conditions. Epilepsy Behav. 2006 Mar;8(2):376-83.

Epub 2006 Feb 7. Department of Neurological Surgery, Regional

Epilepsy Center, University of Washington School of Medicine,

Seattle, WA, USA. lojemann Our purpose is to bring

attention to the antiepileptic properties of the Chinese herb tianma

and its constituents, as well as to suggest the potential for the

development of new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) related to this herb.

All available literature regarding the chemistry, pharmacology,

animal data, and clinical use of tian ma and its constituents are

reviewed, showing that tianma, its constituents, and its symbiotic

fungus Armillaria mellea have antiepileptic properties in in vitro

and in vivo models. One clinical study reportedly demonstrated the

AED effects of a component of tianma, vanillin. Thus, tian ma, its

constituent vanillin, and its symbiotic fungus armillaria hold

promise as cost-effective and less toxic alternatives to standard

AEDs. In addition, similar chemical compounds may be developed as

AEDs. PMID: 16461011 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

Haller CA, Meier KH, Olson KR. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2005;43(1):23-

30. Seizures reported in association with use of dietary supplements.

University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California

94143, USA. dchaller BACKGROUND: Seizures in persons

using dietary supplements (DS) have been reported through the Food

and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch system, but not formally

reviewed. METHODS: Sixty-five cases of DS-associated seizures

reported to MedWatch from 1993 to 1999 were obtained through the

Freedom of Information Act and independently evaluated by three

reviewers for probability of causation based on temporal

relationship, biological plausibility, and underlying risk factors.

Our aims in this review were 1) to assess the probability of

causation in each case; 2) to characterize the patterns of use and

types of supplements involved in cases of seizures; and 3) to

identify trends that may explain potential risks factors for dietary

supplement-related seizures. RESULTS: Twenty seizures were judged as

probably related, 13 possibly related, and 10 as unrelated to DS use.

Five cases were not seizures, and 17 cases contained insufficient

information. In the 20 probably related cases, 19 involved ephedra,

14 involved herbal caffeine, and in one case, the supplement

contained no herbal constituents but an array of elemental salts.

Ephedra was also associated with 7 of the 13 possibly related cases,

and caffeine was contained in 5 of these supplement products.

Creatine, St. John's wort, and ginkgo biloba were other DS implicated

in possibly related seizure events. Seizures were associated with

hypoglycemia in 3 cases, and secondary to stroke in 2 cases and

cardiac arrest in 2 cases. Weight loss (45%) and athletic performance

enhancement (30%) were the most often cited reasons for supplement

use. In most cases, DS use was within manufacturers' guidelines.

CONCLUSION: Ephedra was implicated in 27 of 33 DS-associated seizures

reported to the FDA over a 7-year period, further underscoring that

significant health risks are associated with use of this herbal

product. PMID: 15732443 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

Cheuk DK, Wong V. Acupuncture for epilepsy. Cochrane Database Syst

Rev. 2006 Apr 19;(2):CD005062. University of Hong Kong, Department

of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong,

China. cheukkl BACKGROUND: Seizures are poorly

controlled in many people with epilepsy despite adequate current

antiepileptic treatments. There is increasing interest in alternative

therapies such as acupuncture; however, it remains unclear whether

the existing evidence is rigorous enough to support the use of

acupuncture. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness and safety of

acupuncture in people with epilepsy. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the

Cochrane Epilepsy Group's Specialized Register (June 2005) and the

Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The

Cochrane Library Issue 3, 2005). We also searched MEDLINE, EMBASE,

CINAHL, AMED, TCMLARS, China Biological Medicine Database, Chinese

Acupuncture Trials Register, National Center for Complementary and

Alternative Medicine, and National Institute of Health Clinical

Trials Database from inception to June 2005. Reference lists from

relevant trials were reviewed. No language restrictions were imposed.

SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials evaluating any form

of acupuncture involving people of any age with any type of epilepsy

were included. Trials included were those comparing acupuncture with

placebo, sham or no treatment; or comparing acupuncture plus other

treatments with the same other treatments. Trials that only compared

different acupuncture methods or compared acupuncture alone with

other treatments were excluded. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two

review authors independently extracted trial data and assessed trial

quality using the Jadad score. Relative risk (RR) was used for binary

data and weighted mean difference for continuous data, and 95%

confidence intervals are given. Where possible, analyses were by

intention to treat. MAIN RESULTS: Three small trials of varying

methodological quality and with short follow up met the inclusion

criteria. Two studied children in China and one studied adults in

Norway. The two Chinese studies compared acupuncture plus Chinese

herbs with Chinese herbs alone while the Norwegian study compared

acupuncture with sham acupuncture. The two Chinese studies found that

more children treated with acupuncture achieved 75% or greater

reduction in seizure frequency (RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.12 to 2.05) and

seizure duration (RR 2.38, 95% CI 1.13 to 5) with a significant 50%

or greater reduction in seizure duration (RR 1.36, 95% CI 1.07 to

1.73). However, the two trials were of low quality without adequate

description of randomisation method, concealment of randomisation or

blinding. On the other hand, the higher quality Norwegian trial found

that acupuncture did not improve the mean seizure frequency, seizure-

free weeks, or quality of life in adults. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The

current evidence does not support acupuncture as a treatment for

epilepsy. Much larger high quality clinical trials employing

appropriate controls are needed. PMID: 16625622 [PubMed - indexed for

MEDLINE

 

PS: Though I have not tried it, several vet colleagues claim that

acupuncture can help to reduce seizure numbers & severity (and allow

significant reduction in antiepileptic medication) in dogs

 

Best regards,