Smell auras

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BillK

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Hi Everyone,

I've read accounts of people sniffing Jasmine when they have an olfactory aura and it preventing them from actually going into more of a seizure. I went to buy some yesterday and it was pretty expensive. So I tried the other smells and settled on German Chamomile which actually smelled the worst to me. But that seems best for disruption, right? Anyway, can anyone tell me if other smells are supposed to work as well as Jasmine?

Thanks,

-Bill
 
Hi BillK, welcome to CWE!

As far as seizure-stopping smells go, it seems it's different for different people, and the procedure doesn't work for everyone. The study here http://www.seizure-journal.com/article/S1059-1311(03)00161-4/abstract looks at the success rate over time for aromatherapy, hypnosis, and a combination of the two.

You may have to experiment to see what (if anything) works for you. Jasmine, chamomile, lavender and ylang-ylang seem to be popular choices. Certain other plant-derived essential oils should be avoided, since they are known to be convulsants. You'll find the list here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10460442?dopt=Abstract

Don't sniff the oils vigorously. (Sniffing too hard can trigger seizures in some people.) Instead, lightly mist the scent into the air (or in the water in your shower or bath) or massage a small amount into your skin. Don't overdo. Proceed with caution.

I wish you success. Keep us posted.

Best,
Nakamova
 
Thank you for the reply, Nakamova. I wanted to check on that before I opened up the bottle! I'm currently having good success pursuing a low glycemic diet and wanted to add this my repertoire.

In case people are interested, there are some interesting alternatives to medication found in the Reference section under Epilepsy Treatments.

I'm also getting excited about reading Epilepsy: A New Approach, a book version of the treatment plan described under Neurobehavioral / Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
 
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