RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Even though several initiatives have been undertaken in different locations worldwide to collect clinical data in homeopathy, it is important to further investigate these aspects in the context of health care in India. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to gather and analyze patients' clinical data and to derive insights into homeopathic treatment using an internet-based software program for data storage, retrieval and repertorization. METHODS: A multi-center observational study was conducted across 14 homeopathy outpatient clinics in India that are affiliated with the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH). Patient symptoms and demographic details were documented anonymously, and prescriptions were guided by repertorial suggestions from the Vithoulkas Compass software. During follow-up visits, treatment outcome was also recorded using an online assessment form. A retrospective analysis of data on patients' demographics, follow-up visits, morbidity (International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision), rubrics used, prescribed medicines and the level of improvement was achieved using Microsoft Excel-generated pivot tables. RESULTS: Throughout the study duration of one year a total of 2,811 patients attended the 14 outpatient clinics, of whom 2,468 were new patients with a total of 2,172 initial homeopathic prescription entries. Across the study, there were 3,491 prescriptions and 1,628 follow-up consultations for 868 follow-up patients, all of which data were thoroughly analyzed. The highest frequency of patients was in the 20-49 age group, and a higher proportion of the patients overall was female. Musculoskeletal, dermatological and respiratory complaints were the most frequently reported. The rubrics "Desire for sweets" and "Desire for spices" emerged as the most commonly used in the repertorizations. Further, Sulphur stood out as the most commonly prescribed medicine overall. With homeopathic treatment, some degree of clinical improvement was reported in 86% of the follow-up cases. CONCLUSION: Homeopathy is prescribed in CCRH outpatient clinics for a wide range of ailments in people across India, with at least some clinical improvement noted in a high proportion of those patients. The large-scale systematic data collection in these clinics has provided clear insights into the use and clinical value of homeopathy in India, with the potential to build a substantive nationwide data inventory over time.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Dermatophytosis is a common fungal infection of the skin and nails. Insufficient data exist regarding the clinico-epidemiological profile of dermatophytosis and the usefulness of individualized homeopathic medicines (IHMs) for patients visiting a homeopathy outpatient department (OPD). OBJECTIVES: This article undertakes a clinico-epidemiological profiling of dermatophytosis and the usefulness of IHMs in its management. METHODS: This open-label, pre-post, comparative observational study was conducted in a homeopathy OPD from November 2018 to February 2020. IHMs were prescribed based on symptom totality and repertorization. A numeric rating scale (NRS) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) patient questionnaires were used, and results were analyzed using SPSS-IBM version 20. RESULTS: Data from a total of 103 patients, mean age 29.65 ± 15.40 years, were analyzed. Tinea cruris was the most common infection (29.1%), followed by tinea corporis (13.6%). After 3 months of treatment, significant reductions in NRS and DLQI scores were observed (8.51 ± 1.24 to 0.59 ± 0.83, p < 0.001, and 16.28 ± 5.30 to 1.44 ± 1.56, p < 0.001, respectively), with Sepia (15.5%), Sulphur (14.6%), Calcarea carbonica (11.7%), Natrum muriaticum (9.7%) and Bacillinum (8.7%) being the most frequently prescribed medicines. There was no significant correlation between occupation, sex, home location or marital status and the clinical types of dermatophytosis. No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: T. cruris and T. corporis were prevalent dermatophytic infections. The decrease in NRS and DLQI scores associated with homeopathy indicates its usefulness as an integrative treatment option for dermatophytosis. Further research in larger and more diverse population samples is needed.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Studies have shown homoeopathy to effectively control blood sugar levels and improve quality of life (QOL), though a standard treatment protocol is required. OBJECTIVE: This study intended to assess the homoeopathic practice, prescription habits, experience, and perception of Indian Homeopathic Practitioners (HPs) in treating DM. METHODOLOGY: A web-based cross-sectional with a snowball sampling method was conducted between 30th July 2021 and 18th August 2021. A questionnaire to record clinical attributes of Indian HPs in the management of DM was formed after the consensus of the subject experts and pilot testing for feasibility. RESULTS: Participants were 513 HPs with mean age [Standard Deviation (SD)] of 40.44 years (11.16) and a mean duration of the homoeopathic medical practice of 14.67 years [95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 13.71-15.63]. The majority of HPs made classical homoeopathic prescription (201, 39.2%) though the success in the management of DM was better among HPs who prescribed more than one potentized medicine [vs classical prescription, Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.34, p = 0.032]. As perceived by the HPs, homoeopathic treatment resulted in a major improvement in QOL of the diabetic patients (418, 81.5%) with very few adverse effect (100, 19.5%). The blood sugar level was controlled better when homoeopathy was given alongside conventional medicine (348, 67.8%). CONCLUSION: The clinical experience of HPs in this study has shown that homoeopathic treatment can benefit DM patients in preventing complications and improving QOL. It further reported that homoeopathy can be an important adjuvant to conventional treatment in managing DM.