Meditation and epilepsy: a still hung jury.
Meditation has been advocated as a treatment for several medical problems, including epilepsy. Conversely, concern has been raised that meditation may aggravate or even precipitate epilepsy. We present a case of new onset mesial temporal lobe epilepsy in a young woman meditator lacking other apparent risk factors for epilepsy as a springboard for a balanced discussion concerning the potential relationship between meditation and epilepsy, and a criticism of the current literature in this field. Prospective clinical studies of meditators with video-electroencephalography and clinical trials of meditation in refractory epilepsy patients are needed to resolve current controversies concerning meditation and epilepsy.
St Louis
Erik K
EK
Department of Neurology, Iowa Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Carver College of Medicine, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. erik-stlouis@uiowa.edu
Lansky
Ephraim Philip
EP
D000328:Adult; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019122:Meditation