Complementary/alternative medicine for epilepsy in Arizona

The NIH defines complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) as those healthcare and medical practices not currently an integral part of conventional medicine. It is estimated that 42% of the US population regularly use some form of CAM therapies for various medical conditions, with nearly 600 million visits made to CAM practitioners at an estimated cost of $30 billion a year.1 Despite the commonplace nature of CAM treatments, there are few data regarding the scope of CAM use for seizures and how individuals with epilepsy (IWE), their families, and their health care professionals utilize CAM treatments. The purpose of this study is to begin to define the extent to which CAM treatments are used for epilepsy by surveying Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona (EFAZ) members, a representative sample of IWE, and health professionals that manage them to assess educational needs regarding CAM for IWE and their physicians. A 40-question survey was mailed to the EFAZ membership (n = 3,100) in September 2002, with a second mailing to those individuals who had not responded. IWE, their families, and their health professionals were questioned regarding the level of seizure control and their perceptions on the various CAM treatments for seizures. The instrument collected …