Rajesh, BJayachandran, DMohandas, GRadhakrishnan, K2012-12-042012-12-042006JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE. 12; 4; 367-371http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/acm.2006.12.367http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16722786https://dspace.sctimst.ac.in/handle/123456789/30Objective: The objective was to assess the efficacy of a yoga meditation protocol (YMP) as an adjunctive treatment in patients with drug-resistant chronic epilepsy.Design: The design was a prospective, nonrandomized, open-label, add-on trial with a 12-week baseline period, followed by a 12-week supervised YMP administration phase. The frequency of complex partial seizures (CPS) was assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months of the treatment period.Setting: The setting was a comprehensive epilepsy care center attached to a tertiary referral medical institution situated on the southwest coast of the Indian peninsula.Subjects: The subjects were 20 patients (14 males and 6 females, age range 15 to 47 years, median 27 years) with unequivocally established diagnoses of epilepsy with at least 4 CPS (with or without secondary generalization) during the preceding 3 months.Intervention: Intervention consisted of a YMP 20 minutes twice daily (mornings and evenings) at home, and supervised sessions of a YMP every week for 3 months. Continuation of the YMP beyond 3 months was optional.Outcome measure: The outcome measure was the seizure frequency at 3, 6, and 12 months of the treatment period. The subjects with >= 50% reduction in monthly seizure rate from baseline were classified as responders, and subjects with < 50% seizure reduction as nonresponders.Results: At 3 months, a reduction in seizure frequency was noted in all except 1 patient, six of whom had >= 50% seizure reduction. Of 16 patients who continued the YMP beyond 3 months, 14 patients responded at 6 months; 6 of them were seizure-free for 3 months. All eight patients who continued the YMP beyond 6 months responded; three of them were seizure free for 6 months.Conclusions: If confirmed through randomized trials involving a larger number of patients, this YMP may become a cost-effective and adverse effect-free adjunctive treatment in patients with drug-resistant epilepsies.Neurology