magnets

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I found this info on Medline. I will post the abstract only, as

full text article is not available.

Has anyone have any experience with use of magnets for epilepsy?

Mickey

Title Magnetic fields alter the circadian periodicity of seizures.

[Review] [74 refs]

Authors Sandyk R. Anninos PA.

Institution Democrition University of Thrace, Department of Medical

Physics, androupolis, Greece.

Source International Journal of Neuroscience. 63(3-4):265-74, 1992

Apr.

Abstract We have recently reported that application of external,

weak magnetic fields attenuated seizures in epileptic patients

(Anninos et al., 1991). However, the mechanisms by which magnetic

stimulation reduces seizure activity are unknown. We present four

non-selected epileptic patients the first to be rated by the senior

author, in whom treatment with magnetic fields attenuated the

severity of seizures and also altered the circadian occurrence of

seizures. The first patient, a 27-year old woman, had generalized

tonic-clonic seizures which occurred almost exclusively at night.

Following treatment with magnetic fields she experienced attenuation

of seizures which then occurred only after waking up in the morning.

The second patient, a 42-year old man, had generalized tonic-clonic

seizures which occurred randomly during the day and night. Treatment

with magnetic fields resulted in disappearance of nocturnal seizures

with seizures now occurring exclusively during the day. The third

patient, a 21-year old woman had generalized tonic-clonic seizures

which occurred randomly during the day. After treatment with

magnetic fields she was free of seizures for 7 months, but recently

experienced one attack in the morning hours while sleeping. The

fourth patient, a 39-year old woman had secondary generalized

seizures since the age of 12. Prior to treatment with magnetic

fields she had 8-10 seizures daily which occurred randomly during

the day and night hours. Magnetic treatment resulted in attenuation

in seizure frequency (1-2/day) with seizures now occurring only

during the day. We propose, therefore, that since the pineal gland

is a magnetosensitive organ which " transduces " environmental

information of the light-dark cycle and of the earth's magnetic

field into an endocrine message mediated via the circadian release

of melatonin, and since it is recognized that melatonin attenuates

seizure activity, artificial magnetic fields attenuate seizure

activity by altering the functions of the pineal gland. [References:

74]