On October 14 and 15, families, patients and medical professionals concerned about epilepsy will be coming to Toronto, Ontario, to discuss an extraordinarily effective but little-known treatment: the Andrews-Reiter approach. The A-R approach is a medically sound, commonsense treatment for epilepsy, beginning with educating patients about how the brain functions and helping them to become aware of what factors trigger their seizures. Decades ago people with epilepsy were told that seizures occurred randomly, that there was little they could do to prevent oncoming attacks. Thanks to the work of Donna Andrews, Ph.D., a California psychologist with decades of experience treating epileptics, and Joel Reiter, M.D., a Harvard-trained neurologist, the medical community now knows better. For years Andrews and Reiter have been teaching patients with epilepsy to develop critically important skills: how to recognize the warning signs of an oncoming seizure and how, through focused relaxation, a patient can shut down those attacks before they become full-blown, grand mal seizures that cause a loss of consciousness. When Andrews and Reiter first developed these seizure-halting techniques, their approach seemed incredible to many neurologists. Today, years later, those same techniques are being used in neurology offices around the globe. They have been featured in prominent medical journals and analyzed in peer-reviewed studies. Unfortunately relatively few patients, families and neurologists know about the Andrews-Reiter approach. With this conference, we aim to change that. The conference is a group effort, a collaboration between medical professionals who have applied the A-R techniques with great success and patients who have experienced those techniques firsthand and seen their seizures stop and their health dramatically improve. The conference will feature presentations from the two founders of the approach, Dr. Andrews and Dr. Reiter. Our goal is to introduce information about the A-R approach to patients whose health could be improved, parents looking for a successful medical method to help their epileptic children, and doctors interested in a new approach to helping patients. We hope to see you at the conference.                 — John Park,                     Conference Director                                                              On This Site Below is a guide to the many features of our website. Our hope is to answer all your questions about the conference and, following the conference, to be an ongoing resource for information about epilepsy and the Andrews-Reiter medical approach. Speakers: A detailed look at who will be speaking at the conference, their backgrounds and qualifications     About A-R: An introduction to the Andrews-Reiter approach: what it is, how it works and where you can learn more about it. Here you'll find articles about the Andrews-Reiter techniques, books about the A-R approach, free downloads of the Andrews-Reiter relaxation tape, and scientific studies from the two doctors themselves. Frequently Asked Questions:  Have questions about the upcoming Toronto conference or about the A-R approach? An extensive collection of answers to your questions. On Epilepsy:  A growing blog exploring the A-R approach, the Toronto conference and the ever-evolving treatment of epilepsy Patient Talk:  Learn about the Andrews-Reiter treatment from patients who have experienced it firsthand. A forum for patients sharing their personal experiences wth epilepsy and the A-R approach.   Contact: Have further questions about the Toronto conference or the A-R approach? Our full contact info, including our continually updated Facebook and Twitter pages.