Homeopathy and conventional medicine: an outcomes study comparing effectiveness in a primary care setting.

BACKGROUND: Recent meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials in homeopathy have suggested that homeopathy is more than a placebo response. OBJECTIVE: Comparison of the effectiveness of homeopathy in primary care with conventional medicine in primary care for three commonly encountered clinical conditions. DESIGN: An international multicenter, prospective, observational study in a real world medical setting comparing the effectiveness of homeopathy with conventional medicine. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty (30) investigators with conventional medical licenses at six clinical sites in four countries enrolled 500 consecutive patients with at least one of the following three complaints: (1) upper respiratory tract complaints including allergies; (2) lower respiratory tract complaints including allergies; or (3) ear complaints. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes criterion was the response to treatment, defined as cured or major improvement after 14 days of treatment. Secondary outcomes criteria were: (1) rate of recovery; (2) occurrence of adverse events; (3) patient satisfaction; and (4) length of consultation. RESULTS: Four hundred and fifty-six (456) patient visits were compared: 281 received homeopathy, 175 received conventional medicine. The response to treatment as measured by the primary outcomes criterion for patients receiving homeopathy was 82.6%, for conventional medicine it was 68%. Improvement in less than 1 day and in 1 to 3 days was noted in 67.3% of the group receiving homeopathy and in 56.6% of those receiving conventional medicine. The adverse events for those treated with conventional medicine was 22.3% versus 7.8% for those treated with homeopathy. Seventy-nine percent (79.0%) of patients treated with homeopathy were very satisfied and 65.1% of patients treated with conventional, medicine were very satisfied. In both treatment groups 60% of cases had consultations lasting between 5 and 15 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: Homeopathy appeared to be at least as effective as conventional medical care in the treatment of patients with the three conditions studied.

Pretreatment with thyroxine (10-(8) parts by weight) enhances a 'curative' effect of homeopathically prepared thyroxine (10-(13)) on lowland frogs.

We studied the influence of a moderate homeopathically prepared thyroxine dilution (final concentration in the basin water 10-(13) parts by weight) on the metamorphosis of lowland Rana temporaria which had been hyperstimulated with thyroxine. Two groups of animals were pretreated by immersing them in a molecular thyroxine dilution (10-(8) parts by weight). This pretreatment speeds up development, as is well known. In accordance with the homeopathic/isopathic idea of detoxication or cure, the same hormone was then diluted and agitated in successive steps for further treatment. This homeopathically prepared dilution was administered at 24-hour intervals to one of the groups. An analogously prepared blank solution was used for the control group. Our hypothesis, which was derived from earlier studies, was that animals treated with the test solution would metamorphose more slowly than the control animals, i.e. that the homeopathically prepared thyroxine would have a 'curative' effect. In this new series of experiments this hypothesis was examined by 3 independent researchers. In the experiments carried out by 2 of the 3 researchers the number of animals that reached the four-legged stage at defined points in time was smaller in the group treated with homeopathically prepared thyroxine. In the third laboratory no difference was found between the groups. However, the overall inhibiting effect was statistically significant and more pronounced than in earlier, less promising studies and in parallel experiments in which nonprestimulated animals had been used. Other studies carried out by the 3 researchers involved animals from highland biotopes, where the natural environment probably induces a greater sensitivity towards thyroxine or higher thyroxine levels. These animals reacted to the homeopathically prepared thyroxine with a slowing down of metamorphosis, even when they had not been prestimulated with a molecular dose of the hormone. This effect was observed in all 3 laboratories and is consistent with the results of previous studies.

Tratamiento homeopático de niños discapacitados. Revisión de una serie de 40 casos / Homeopathic treatment of disabled children. Review of a series of 40 cases

Se presentan los resultados de un total de 55 consultas para dar atención a 40 casos de niños de una escuela y guardería. Los medicamentos se seleccionaron mediante repertorización computarizada y se verificaron frente al tipo constitucional de los niños. El resultado se evaluó en referencia a síntomas blanco preseleccionados. De los 40 niños, 18 respondieron bien a todos los síntomas blanco; 11 mostraron mejoría en algunos síntomas blanco; siete no respondieron al tratamiento, y en cuatro no se evaluó el resultado. Los niños con daño orgánico cerebral, autismo y síndromes definidos respondieron bien. Aquellos cuyo impedimento se debió a una privación social, generalmente fallaron a la respuesta. Las respuestas mayores fueron un incremento en el impulso y mejoría en el comportamiento hiperactivo y agresivo, los cuales permitieron a los niños beneficiarse más de su educación. También mejoraron síntomas físicos como la enuresis y el tartamudeo.

Adjunctive homeopathic treatment in patients with severe sepsis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in an intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND: Mortality in patients with severe sepsis remains high despite the development of several therapeutic strategies. The aim of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to evaluate whether homeopathy is able to influence long-term outcome in critically ill patients suffering from severe sepsis. METHODS: Seventy patients with severe sepsis received homeopathic treatment (n = 35) or placebo (n = 35). Five globules in a potency of 200c were given at 12h interval during the stay at the intensive care unit. Survival after a 30 and 180 days was recorded. RESULTS: Three patients (2 homeopathy, 1 placebo) were excluded from the analyses because of incomplete data. All these patients survived. Baseline characteristics including age, sex, BMI, prior conditions, APACHE II score, signs of sepsis, number of organ failures, need for mechanical ventilation, need for vasopressors or veno-venous hemofiltration, and laboratory parameters were not significantly different between groups. On day 30, there was non-statistically significantly trend of survival in favour of homeopathy (verum 81.8%, placebo 67.7%, P= 0.19). On day 180, survival was statistically significantly higher with verum homeopathy (75.8% vs 50.0%, P = 0.043). No adverse effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that homeopathic treatment may be a useful additional therapeutic measure with a long-term benefit for severely septic patients admitted to the intensive care unit. A constraint to wider application of this method is the limited number of trained homeopaths.

[Clinical medicine and homeopathy]. / Klinische Medizin und Homöopathie.

A growing number of physicians in everyday practice use homoeopathy not as an alternative but rather as a supplementation to conventional medicine. A whole number of trials concerning both basic and clinical research have given evidence of the efficacy of homoeopathy and of the way it works. Nevertheless, in order to draw definite conclusions, the methodological quality of the trials will have to be improved. The evidence accumulated so far justifies the planning of further studies in collaboration between homoeopathic practitioners and clinicians. In order to achieve relevant results further studies have to be designed according to the principles of homoeopathy, especially the individual prescription of remedies.

[Alternative treatment possibilities of atopic diseases]. / Alternative Behandlungsmöglichkeiten atopischer Erkrankungen.

Families of children with atopic diseases often seek so-called alternative treatment as supplementation, not as real alternative to clinical medicine (complementary instead of alternative treatment). Clinical studies on the efficiency of acupuncture in the treatment of bronchial asthma gave contradictory results. The author's own uncontrolled experience in asthmatic children using a simple acupuncture scheme is rather good and a controlled clinical trial seems justified. In atopic dermatitis treatment comprises a mixture of acupuncture, homeopathy and dietary regimes and the therapeutic results have to be viewed against the possibility of spontaneous remissions. A controlled clinical trial seems impossible.

International integrative primary care outcomes study (IIPCOS-2): an international research project of homeopathy in primary care.

OBJECTIVE: The primary objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment compared to conventional treatment for respiratory and ear complaints commonly seen in the primary care setting: runny nose, sore throat, ear pain, sinus pain, and cough. METHOD: This study is an international, multi-center, prospective, outcomes study on the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment compared to conventional treatment. The participating investigators will be divided into three groups: * Homeopathic treatment; * Homeopathic or conventional treatment according to the patient's preference, either randomized or non-randomized; * Conventional treatment. A total of 2400 patients will be recruited. Consecutive patients, age one month or older, presenting with one of the five chief complaints, and onset of symptoms less than seven days will be included into the study. Prior to enrolment into the trial each patient must provide written informed consent. Patient outcome will be measured using the Integrative Medicine Outcomes Scale (IMOS) at 7-, 14- and 28-d telephone follow-up. In addition, covariate data related to the following will be collected: patient demographics and medical history, patient preference for treatment and willingness to be randomized, health-related quality of life, primary treatment and adjunctive therapies prescribed, adverse events, type and length of consultation, follow-up recommendation, patient compliance, patient satisfaction with treatment, and patient willingness to choose therapy and health care provider again. The main outcome criterion will be the response rate according to the IMOS after 14 days of treatment. RESULTS: Preliminary interim results will be presented. CONCLUSIONS: Lessons learned from the study will be discussed.

[Work and life style of homeopathic physicians in Austria. A descriptive study]. / Arbeits- und Lebensweise von homöopathisch tätigen Arztinnen und Arzten in Osterreich. Eine deskriptive Studie.

This study is based on a survey involving 117 physicians in Austria, working in private practice and under the National Health Plan on a homeopathic basis. The questionnaire covered such topics as socio-demographic data, individual methods of working, office organization, application of alternative therapies, health awareness, and perception of the general acceptance of homeopathy. The results showed that considerably more time is taken for treating patients homeopathically than for patients treated traditionally under the National Health Plan. More than half the physicians use homeopathic remedies exclusively, whereas homeopathic combination remedies were rarely administered. Neural therapy, microbiological therapy (bacterial immunostimulation) and phytotherapy are those alternative therapies most frequently used in addition. A spiritual approach seems to be a significant component of the working methods of these doctors. Their working method is generally traditional: exact medical history and physical examination are ranked high, whereas biochemical data are regarded to be less important for diagnosis.

Homoeopathic versus placebo therapy of children with warts on the hands: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Despite the wide practical application of homoeopathy, scientific proof of its effectiveness and mechanisms is still lacking, and sound, placebo-controlled studies are scarce. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of homoeopathy in a prospective, double-blind randomized trial. METHODS: 60 children aged 6-12 years with common warts on the back of the hands were treated either with an individually selected homoeopathic preparation (n = 30) of at least a 1:1,012 dilution or with pure placebo in the form of saccharose globuli (n = 30) under double-blind conditions. The area occupied by warts was measured by computerized planimetry before and after 8 weeks of treatment. Reduction of the warty area by at least 50% was considered a response. RESULTS: There were a total of 16 responders: 9 of 30 patients in the homoeopathic therapy group and 7 of 30 patients in the placebo group (chi 2 = 0.34, p = 0.56). Total cure of warts occurred in 5 patients in the treated group and in 1 patient in the placebo group (chi 2 = 1.46, p = 0.22). CONCLUSION: There was no apparent difference between the effects of homoeopathic therapy and placebo in children with common warts under the conditions of this study.

Homoeopathic treatment of handicapeed children - review of a series of 40 cases

40 children attending a nursery and school for the handicapped were seen in a total of 55 consultations. Following detailed case taking from parents and school staff, medicines were selected by computer repertorization and verified against the child's constitutional type. Outcome was assessed with reference to preselected target symptoms. l8 of the 40 children responded well in all target symptoms, 11 showed improvement in some but not all target symptoms; 7 children did not respond to treatment, and in 4 outcome could not be assessed. Children with organic brain damage, autism and definite syndromes generally responded well; those whose handicap was due to social deprivation generally failed to respond. Major responses were increased drive and improvement in hyperactive and ggressive behaviour, which enabled the children to benefit more from their education. Physical symptoms and problems such as stammering and enuresis also improved

International integrative primary care outcomes study (IIPCOS-2): an international research project of homeopathy in primary care

The primary objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment compared to conventional treatment for respiratory and ear complaints commonly seen in the primary care... (AU)