Epilepsy is difficult to diagnose and treat, but the estimated 3 million Americans who experience it have difficulty coping with the condition
Pharmacists can help patients take a big step towards managing their epilepsy by identifying epileptic triggers. According to Suzy Cohen, a pharmacist for the last 25 years, “becoming dehydrated or taking a hot shower can trigger a seizure, [and] sleep deprivation, a stressful interaction, or caffeine can all reduce your seizure threshold and trigger a seizure.”
Prescription medications can help deter epileptic seizures, but over time, patients may become resistant to the drugs’ effect
In terms of alternatives, here are some natural ways to treat epilepsy
1 Grape Seed Extract
A grape seed extract has oligomeric proanthocyanidins, which are “highly protective compounds, especially to your hippocampus,” the part of the brain involved in memory that “also houses one of your seizure ‘switches,’” according to Cohen.
2. Fish Oil
According to a study by researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, just 3 capsules of fish oil a day—around 1080 mg of omega-3 fatty acids—were found to significantly reduce the incidence of epileptic seizures in patients.
In fact, the small, randomized, controlled study showed that low doses of omega-3 fatty acids—the key component in common fish-oil capsules—may help decrease the frequency of epileptic seizures for people who haven’t been helped by drug treatments.
3 .Ketogenic Diet
Prescribed to help control seizures, this is a “high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet, which is prescribed and monitored by a physician and nutritionist,” according to the Epilepsy Foundation.⁴
4 .Herbs
Herbs with sedative effects, like passion flowers, have been used to treat epilepsy across several traditional systems of medicine, according to Ray Sahelian, MD.
 
The aerial parts of the passion flower contain multiple bioactive metabolites such as flavoring, amino acids, and harmala alkaloids.
5. Vitamins
Patients who have epilepsy rely on anti epileptic medications to decrease the occurrence of seizures, but these medications pose side effects that could be just as difficult to live with.
Fortunately, “vitamin therapy, used in conjunction with anti epileptic medications, may help combat these side effects as well as enhance medication performance,” according to Shari n Griffin.

Epilepsy is a medical disorder in which seizures can occur anytime, anywhere. An epileptic seizure is an excessive, uncontrolled burst of electrical activity from nerve cells in the brain –  essentially an electrical storm. There are many types of seizures that cause symptoms ranging from lightning-fast muscle jerks lasting less than a second to full body convulsions lasting two or three minutes. 

Epilepsy, if not well-controlled, can greatly worsen a person’s quality of life and can cause severe injury or death. And every person with epilepsy responds in a unique and often unpredictable way to treatment, so we need as many treatments as possible.

The medical community continually tests and approves new treatments. Here are 10 treatments, both basic and advanced, that I’ve tried to rank from least to most risk. However, almost all treatments involve some degree of risk. Discuss your options carefully with your neurologist to pick the best treatment for you.

If you have been diagnosed with epilepsy, you will have many questions. One of the first will probably be, “How can my epilepsy be treated?” There is no single answer to this question. That is because doctors have identified hundreds of different epilepsy syndromes, which involve many different types of seizures.

Your epilepsy may be inherited, or it may not. One study has found that some people with epilepsy have inherited an abnormally active version of a gene that makes them resistant to drugs. This may explain why some people have a hard time controlling their seizures with medication.

Even though they may look very different, seizures all start in the same place: your brain. They are caused by sudden changes in the way brain cells send electrical signals back and forth. But just because they start in the same place does not mean they can be treated in the same way. Your doctor will want to obtain an accurate diagnosis of the exact type of epilepsy that you have. Only then can your doctor create the treatment plan that is right for you.

I discussed your question with Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., an internationally recognized expert in the fields of integrative medicine, dietary supplements and women’s health. Dr. Low Dog said she would be concerned with how often your niece is having seizures while on medication and noted that epilepsy patients need to make sure they get adequate sleep, eat regularly, avoid alcohol and limit caffeine. Since many of the drugs given to prevent seizures can exacerbate nutritional deficiencies, Dr. Low Dog suggested that your niece (or her parents) discuss with her physician the use of a multiple vitamin that contains fol ate, vitamin B6, magnesium and vitamin D.

She also said that omega-3 fatty acids have beneficial effects on the nervous system, citing one small study from England that suggests omega-3 supplements might help reduce the frequency of seizures. The study was published in the September, 2005, issue of Epilepsy Behavior.

In addition, some research indicates that barbacoa leaf (Boutonniere), an herb native to India, may be helpful. Bacopa leaf has been used traditionally in Ayurveda medicine to enhance memory, learning, and concentration, and as a treatment for epilepsy. Dr. Low Dog noted while that there has not been much investigation on this last application of barbacoa, animal models of epilepsy show that it can protect the brain. One study found that it improved cognition without decreasing the anticoagulant activity of the drug phenytoin (Dilation), in animals. The dose for barbacoa is generally 200-400 mg per day in two or three divided doses of an extract standardized to 20% backsides, A & B. Dr. Low Dog said that to her knowledge there are no known interactions with any of the anticoagulant medications used to treat epilepsy