HRI Malta 2017-Cutting Edge Research in Homeopathy: HRI's Third International Research Conference in Malta.

The third international conference on "Cutting Edge Research in Homeopathy" organised by the Homeopathy Research Institute (HRI) was held on the inspiring and historic island of Malta from 9th to 11th of June, 2017. One hundred and two abstracts underwent peer review by the HRI Scientific Advisory Committee and external experts to produce the programme of 36 oral presentations and 37 posters, presented by researchers from 19 countries. The 2.5-day programme covered a diverse range of topics, including quantitative and qualitative clinical research, basic research, veterinary research, and provings. These intensive plenary and parallel sessions were interspersed with multiple opportunities for delegates to discuss and exchange ideas, in particular through interactive panel discussions and a pre-conference workshop. The continuing commitment of the homeopathy research community to generate high-quality studies in this rapidly evolving field was clear. In this conference report, we present highlights from this memorable event.

[Impact of conflicts of interest on guideline recommendations : Empirical study within the second update of the German interdisciplinary S3 guidelines on fibromyalgia syndrome]. / Der Einfluss von Interessenkonflikten auf Leitlinienempfehlungen : Eine empirische Studie zur zweiten Aktualisierung der interdisziplinären S3­Leitlinie zum Fibromyalgiesyndrom.

BACKGROUND: The impact of conflicts of interest (COI) in general and of academic COI in particular on guideline recommendations in pain medicine has not yet been studied. Whether the inclusion of patients and of representatives of all relevant healthcare professions into a guidelines group is protective against a systematic bias of decisions of a guidelines group is currently unknown. METHODS: All members of the guidelines group declared their COI before the consensus conferences by a standard form according to the rules and standards of the Association of the German Medical and Scientific Societies. The acceptance or rejection and the strength of consensus of recommendations of the second update of the interdisciplinary guidelines on fibromyalgia syndrome was analyzed twice by first including and then excluding the votes of the guideline group members with COI related to a recommendation from the results of anonymous voting via an internet platform. RESULTS: A total of 42 persons from different healthcare professions and patients participated in the online voting on recommendations. Of the participants 29% had no COI according to the predefined criteria, 53% met the criteria of academic and 33% the criteria of financial COI. In the case of exclusion of participants with a COI related to a specific recommendation, 2 out of 23 recommendations (homeopathy, tramadol) were not accepted. In all votes, there were more participants without COI than with COI. CONCLUSION: Academic COI were more frequent than financial COI in the second update of the German interdisciplinary guidelines group on fibromyalgia syndrome. The impact of COI on guideline recommendations was low. The inclusion of patients and of all relevant healthcare professionals into a guidelines group is a protective factor against the influence of COI on guideline recommendations.

The biological sciences section program at the 60th Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America.

In this era of genomics and other exciting technical advances, research on the biology of aging is undergoing a renaissance. This report summarizes 10 cutting-edge areas of research covered in symposia that spanned such topics as stem cells, novel vaccine strategies, nutritional sensing, new concepts of Parkinson's disease, high throughput screening for aging interventions, manipulating telomerase in cancer and immunodeficiency, synergy between aging and HIV disease, and epigenetic influences on aging. Novel animal models, including those showing no evidence of aging, as well as ethical and political implications of embryonic stem cells and alternative medicine are also discussed.

Truth, proof and evidence: homeopathy and the medical paradigm.

The study and practice of medicine, in its most personal and intimate functions, its most sophisticated scientific and technological manifestations, and its philosophical and ethical ramifications, are central to our understanding of the human condition. Homeopathic medicine: its insights, the questions that it begs, and the scientific and philosophical challenges it presents, has a significant contribution to make to this process. To be actively and seriously engaged with homeopathy is an adventurous undertaking. It is to be engaged in exploring both human nature and the nature of the world we inhabit. And in that process we are also engaged in the pursuit of truth and the exploration of reality. This paper deals first with the layout of the playing field on which homeopathy has to compete to be taken seriously. It then discusses three concepts: reality, truth and knowledge, which are objectives for which we strive and principles that guide us in that striving. In the third part it introduces the concept of 'personal knowledge' as an essential ingredient of scientific discovery and the pursuit of truth. And finally it proposes that the homeopathic community in general, and the Faculty of Homeopathy in particular, must expand its vision with a definition of a new paradigm, the new model of healthcare and medical science to which the vision aspires.

Canadian Consensus Guideline on Continuous and Extended Hormonal Contraception, 2007.

OBJECTIVE: To serve as a guideline for health care providers on the use of continuous and extended combined hormonal contraception regimens, to prevent pregnancy, and to delay menses that affect health-related quality of life. OPTIONS: All combined hormonal contraceptive methods available in Canada that may be used in a continuous or extended regimen are reviewed, and the implications are discussed. OUTCOMES: Efficacy of cited regimens and assessment of their side effects, patient safety, medical usage and non-contraceptive benefits, cost-effectiveness, and availability in Canada. Indications for patient counselling are also provided. EVIDENCE: Medline, PubMed, and Cochrane Database were searched for articles published in English between 1977 and May 2007. Relevant publications and position papers from appropriate reproductive health and family planning organizations were also reviewed. VALUES: The quality of evidence is rated using the criteria described by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (Table 1). BENEFITS, HARMS, AND COSTS: The guideline is intended to help reduce unintended pregnancies and improve health-related quality of life in women who find their menses problematic. Increased awareness and empowerment of women, their partners, and health care professionals will improve their ability to make appropriate choices between continuous or extended and cyclic usage of these regimens. SPONSORS: The development of this guideline has been supported by unrestricted grants from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Janssen Ortho, Organon Canada Ltd., Paladin Labs Inc., Pfizer Canada Inc., and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

Edwin Hartley Pratt and orificial surgery: unorthodox surgical practice in nineteenth century United States.

Among the more interesting yet bizarre chapters in the history of nineteenth century American medicine was the emergence of "orificial surgery" as a widely practiced specialty. This philosophy, the treatment of chronic disease through surgical operations on the rectum, vagina, cervix, urethra, nares, and mouth, evolved from the personal practice experiences of Edwin Hartley Pratt, a homeopathic general practitioner/surgeon. Through his salesmanship skills, Pratt was able to establish a field of surgery that maintained its own national society, in addition to publishing a widely distributed specialty journal.

No alternative? The regulation and professionalization of complementary and alternative medicine in the United Kingdom.

In conjunction with its growing popularity, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the United Kingdom has witnessed increasing professionalization, partly prompted by the landmark Parliamentary Inquiry that reported in November 2000. Professionalization has become a significant strategy for practitioner associations and a key focus for the government, media, and patient groups. It is being driven by concern over the interests of patients and consumers, and in relation to the possible integration of certain forms of CAM into publicly funded healthcare. It is, moreover, being reconfigured in explicitly national terms. This paper draws on research into practitioner associations representing nine CAM modalities in the UK-aromatherapy, Chinese herbal medicine, chiropractic, crystal healing, feng shui, 'lay' homeopathy, medical homeopathy, osteopathy, and Radionics-, examining the recent wave of professionalization in relation to Foucault's concern with 'techniques of the self.' It highlights the contrasting experience of an association of Chinese herbalists seeking statutory self-regulation (SSR) and an association of chiropractors that was instrumental in securing SSR for chiropractic.