Yoga linked to seizure, anxiety reduction in epilepsy

TOPLINE:

A 3-month yoga program that integrates deep breathing, meditation, and positive affirmations is associated with a significant reduction in seizure frequency, anxiety, and self-perceived feelings of stigma in people with epilepsy, a new study shows.

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METHODOLOGY:

• Investigators included participants aged 18-60 years with epilepsy who scored ≥ 4 on the Kilifi Stigma Scale of Epilepsy. A score greater than the 66th percentile indicates the presence of strongly felt stigma.
• Patients (n = 160) had an average of one seizure per week, and most took at least two antiseizure medications.
• The intervention group (n = 80) participated in a yoga module with muscle-loosening exercises, slow and synchronized breathing, meditation, and positive affirmations. The control group (n = 80) participated in sham yoga sessions with no instructions on the breathing exercises or attention to the body movements and sensations during practice.
• Both groups participated in seven 1-hour supervised group yoga sessions over 3 months, were asked to practice the interventions at home five times per week, and received a psychoeducation module on epilepsy.

TAKEAWAY:

• Participants practicing the intervention module had significant reductions in self-perceived stigma, compared with those in the control group (P = .01).
• The proportion of participants in the intervention group who had a more than 50% seizure reduction (odds ratio, 4.11; P = .01) and complete seizure remission (OR, 7.4; P = .005) at the end of the 6-month follow-up was significantly higher than in the control group.
• Compared with those in the control group, there were also significant improvements in anxiety (P = .032) and quality of life (P < .001) in the intervention group.
• The intervention group also experienced significant improvement in mindfulness (P < .001) and cognitive impairment, compared with the control group (P < .004).

IN PRACTICE:

“This stigma can affect a person’s life in many ways, including treatment, emergency department visits, and poor mental health,” study investigator Majari Tripathi, MD, of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, said in a press release. “Our study showed that doing yoga can alleviate the burden of epilepsy and improve the overall quality of life by reducing this perceived stigma.”

SOURCE:

Dr. Tripathi and Kirandeep Kaur, MD, also of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, conducted the study with their colleagues. It was published online in Neurology.

LIMITATIONS:

There was no passive control or treatment as usual group, which would indicate the effect size of the intervention. In addition, there was no monitoring of seizure frequency before the study began, which may have biased the change of seizure frequency as an outcome.

DISCLOSURES:

The study investigators reported no study funding or reported disclosures.

A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.