There are few things more terrifying than being a parent watching helplessly as your epileptic child experiences a seizure. Epilepsy is something that almost half a million children in America suffer from. You may already know the potential treatments and medications that are used to help prevent seizures, lower their frequency, or reduce the severity when they are triggered.
However, not all treatments are effective for every child who has the condition. In fact, in rare cases there may not be any known treatment that has a significant effect. Thankfully, no matter which of those situations your child is in, there may be a solution. There are three kinds of natural supplements that have shown promise at being able to assist with treatments in various ways.
Here is a quick outline of the three different types of supplements that may help with epilepsy:
Vitamin & Mineral Supplements
The first category of supplements that could help your child are certain vitamins and minerals. They either help assist other treatments so they are more effective, or they help deal with side or underlying issues related to epilepsy.
The first is vitamin B6. Having low levels of B6 in your child’s system may actually trigger seizures, so making sure they have optimal levels is a good way to help them avoid problems. Vitamin D is also important; you may find your child’s doctor advises you to take vitamin D supplements with certain treatments already. In general, you should avoid any other vitamins or minerals unless advised by your child’s doctor.
Herbal Supplements
The next type of supplements are natural herbal remedies. Just like with vitamins and minerals, you should be careful when trying out any herbal supplement in case it interferes with your child’s main treatment. Some may also make things worse. In general, you want herbal remedies that have calming properties, and avoid those that are stimulating.
In some studies, herbs like passionflower, chamomile, and valerian may assist the effectiveness of your child’s main treatments. The other benefit of these calming herbs is that they may help reduce anxiety and stress, which are known triggers for seizures.
CBD and Hemp Flower
The final supplement you can take is CBD (cannabidiol), either in the form of oil extracted from the hemp plant or the hemp flower itself. This is a newer type of supplement that has shown some promise in treating seizures and epilepsy. Medical marijuana and CBD have shown strong results in early research, with some cases leading to seizures being reduced from multiple times per day down to once every month or two.
CBD poses less risk than marijuana, especially in a child, and may help enough where you can avoid marijuana entirely. CBD is completely legal, and you can get it from many stores, retailers, or anywhere selling private label CBD products.
It is worth noting that with all of the supplements mentioned here to always, always, consult with your child’s doctor first. Some supplements have been known to interfere with epileptic treatments and medications and may make things worse. Always be careful.