Homeopathy in Brazil: inquiry into its academic production

Background: according to the WHO, there is an increasing demand for traditional medicines (TM) that must be answered by governmental health authorities. Although homeopathy is the modality of TM best institutionalized in Brazil, it still faces some obstacles among which the controversial results of meta-analyses of homeopathic clinical trials. Aims: to map out the state of clinical research in homeopathy in the Brazilian university milieu as reflected in doctoral and master dissertations. Methods: specialized databases were searched seeking for doctoral and master dissertations related to homeopathy produced in Brazil between 1985 and 2006. Dissertations were analyzed according to institution; year; research area; type of production; regional distribution and research subject. Dissertations dealing with evaluation of the efficacy/effectiveness of homeopathic treatment were further evaluated as to their aims, methods and results. Results: in the 20 years between 1985 and 2006, 161 dissertations were defended related to homeopathy. Most academic productions dated from the 2000s, particularly 2005-6; 77% were related to master degrees; there was a dramatic concentration (92%) in the Southern and South-Eastern regions of Brazil; they covered 10 different areas, the maximum being physical-biological research (20.4%) and the minimum, clinical research (3.7%); from 6 dissertations dealing with the evaluation of the efficacy/effectiveness of homeopathic treatment, 3 employed qualitative methods; 1 employed quantitative methods but was in the stage of project; 1 was a standard randomized controlled trial (RCT) which evinced positive results of homeopathic treatment in gastroesophageal reflux not related to hiatal hernia; the sixth study was a meta-analysis of the methodological quality of 132 RCTs of homeopathy in infectious disease. Conclusions: The number of projects related to the efficacy/effectiveness of homeopathic treatment is insignificant and their methods are chiefly qualitative. This suggests that researchers might believe that standard quantitative studies are improper or insufficient to assess the efficacy/effectiveness of homeopathic treatment or to grasp its dimension of integrality.(AU)

Homeoindex: new computerized bibliographical database of homoeopathic literature

HOMEOINDEX is a bibliographic database in which everything published in the field of homoeopathy is progressively filed. The methods adopted are those used by major international medical databases(MEDLINE, LILACS), allowing data exchange. HOMEOINDEX radically changes the situation for dissemination, study, preservation and research of homoeopathic works. It takes homoeopathy out of an archaic phase when work was inaccessible and fragmented and into the modern era. The development of this work included some unique achievements: -Introduction of homoeopathy as recognized literature in international institutions. -Adoption of homoeopathic terms (key-words) in official Latin-American medical catalogues. -Creation of a Latin American reference centre, for cataloguing and disseminating homoeopathic literature. -The introduction of homoeopathic papers to international medical databases

Levantamento bibliografico computadorizado: uma nova realidade para o estudo, pesquisa e disseminacao dos conhecimentos em homeopatia / Computerized bibliographical survey: a new reality for the study, research and dissemination of the knowledge in homeopathy

A base de dados HOMEOINDEX, apresentada neste trabalho, vem sendo desenvolvida ha tres anos pela BIREME, APH e sistema HOMEODATA. E uma base de dados bibliograficos na qual estao sendo arquivados progressivamente todos os conhecimentos ja publicados sobre Homeopatia. A metodologia adotada foi a mesma das grandes bases de dados medicos internacionais o que permite a conversibilidade de registros entre elas. A entrada em operacao da base HOMEOINDEX muda radicalmente o panorama da disseminacao, estudo, preservacao e pesquisa dos conhecimentos homeopaticos. Retira a homeopatia de uma fase arcaica onde os conhecimentos estavam fragmentados e inacessiveis e coloca-a na era moderna, na qual o medico pode obter as informacoes que quiser, de qualquer localidade. O processo de desenvolvimento deste trabalho representou um marco no estudo da Homeopatia, tendo resultado em conquistas ineditas como: - A introducao da Homeopatia como literatura reconhecida em instituicao internacional - a BIREME (OPAS-OMS). A adocao dos termos (palavras-chave) homeopaticas no catalogo oficial latino-americano da area medica - o Decs. - A transformacao da biblioteca da APH em Centro de Referencia latino-americano para a catalogacao da literatura homeopatica. - A introducao padronizada de artigos homeopaticos dentro de bases de dados medicos internacionais, como a LILACS. Utilizando a base HOMEOINDEX, os medicos e instituicoes podem, de qualquer lugar do pais, saber tudo que exista publicado sobre um determinado tema na Homeopatia, fazendo levantamentos bibliograficos que antes eram totalmente impossiveis de serem realizados (AU)

Indexacao bibliografica computadorizada em homeopatia: uma revolucao no estudo e na pesquisa / Computerized bibliographical indexation: a study and research revolution

Os autores apresentam uma base de dados que pretende revolucionar o estudo e a pesquisa na Homeopatia. Seguindo os padroes internacionais para bases de dados medicos, oferece aos profissionais possibilidade de acessar de qualquer localidade uma Biblioteca computadorizada aonde estao arquivados todos os conhecimentos homeopaticos ja publicados. Atraves de um vocabulario de descritores especialmente desenvolvido, o homeopata pode em poucos minutos realizar uma pesquisa de seu local de trabalho e ter as maos todos os documentos publicados sobre o assunto de seu interesse