Epilepsy
Lifestyle modifications
NUTRITION
Alcohol intake of 3 or more drinks per day increases the risk of seizures, pareticularly 7-48 hours after intake (1)
A ketogenic diet may reduce seizure frequency (2)
Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, < 1500mg/day for min 16 weeks, may reduce seizure frequency (3)
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
People with epilepsy should certain type of physical activity such as swimming alone, diving, rock climbing, hang gliding and surfing (4)
Regular physical activity may prevent seizures in 30-40% of people with epilepsy. In 10% of people with epilepsy intense physical activity may increase the risk of seizures (4)
SLEEP
Avoid poor sleep (4)
STRESS
Avoid too much stress (4)
SUNLIGHT
Flickering light may increase the risk of seizures in a minority (5%) of people with epilepsy (4)
References
1) https://www.uptodate.com/contents/overview-of-the-management-of-epilepsy-in-adults
2) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-021-01060-8
3) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1028415X.2021.1959100
4) Norwegian Electronic medical handbook: https://legehandboka.no/handboken/kliniske-kapitler/nevrologi/tilstander-og-sykdommer/kramper/epilepsi#terapi-egenbehandling
Resources
EXPLANATION TO EVIDENCE PRESENTATION
Evidence based on guidelines and evidence based Clinical Decision Systems is written in BOLD
Evidence based on meta analysis or systematic reviews is written in BOLD and CURSIVE
Evidence based on randomized controlled trials is written in plain font
Evidence based on observational / cohort studies is written in CURSIVE
Figure: Evidence pyramid