Homeopathy as Praxis: Integration of Homeopathy as Supportive Care into Daily Life in Early Breast Cancer Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Homeopathy is one of most widely used non-conventional supportive care methods used by women with breast cancer. This article aims to describe the routines and practices related to homeopathy as supportive care used by women with non-metastatic breast cancer in France. METHODS: This qualitative study used Grounded Theory. Participants were women with early breast cancer and healthcare professionals (General Practitioner homeopaths & oncologists). Inclusion depended on specific criteria and the aim of theoretical sampling until data saturation. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups following evolving topic guides. Transcribed interviews underwent in-depth thematic analysis. Inclusion, interviewing, transcription and coding occurred iteratively. Data was reported according to COREQ guidelines. RESULTS: The therapeutic agency of homeopathy was distributed to different actors and ritualized material activities highly involving the patient. The choice of remedy was mostly delegated by patients to General Practitioner homeopaths (GPH) during consultations. Individualization, that is to say adaptation to the patient, differed from other modes of access to homeopathy (self-medication and oncologists). Self-medication was mostly limited to known products in a limited time frame. However, we identified a supported self-medication using trusted homeopathic protocols. Following homeopathic prescriptions involves a high level of commitment on behalf of the patient and follows different rules for homeopathy intake. This knowledge was either acquired earlier for users or discovered along breast cancer treatment for non-users. Taking homeopathy involved small daily actions for intake of different products at different times of the day. New users used strategies to ease the integration of homeopathy into their daily life. The stance toward such rules differed among patients. Some followed rules to optimize their effects while others simplified the rules and took those rituals as part of homeopathy benefits. CONCLUSION: Homeopathy as supportive care in breast cancer is distributed toward different actors and ritualized activities. Homeopathy is a supported practice where GPH played a role in the prescription. Health Literacy in homeopathy played a role to ease its integration into daily life and identify the potential benefits. The high involvement of patients in their homeopathic treatment is a form of treatment reappropriation and empowerment.

Homeopathy-A lively relic of the prescientific era.

Homeopathy was first postulated by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann in 1796 and 220 years later homeopathy is the most popular and widespread alternative medicine. Partly, it is also part of the national healthcare and insurance systems but homeopathy is not without controversy within the medical and healthcare community. Its implausible basic assumptions, some of which contradict natural laws, do not lead us to expect that its remedies have any specific effect. In fact, there is no study or systematic review to date that reliably certifies homeopathy to have an effect beyond the placebo effect and other context effects. In this respect it must be disconcerting how widely homeopathy is applied and represented in therapeutic practice. It indeed claims a role within scientific (evidence-based) medicine but cannot substantiate this claim. It displays clear characteristics of pseudoscience [1]. This implies a lot of problems, such as misleading people and tackling medical ethics up to scientific publication practices. Furthermore, it turns out that quite a few people do not know exactly what homeopathy is, which may lead them to make wrong decisions for their personal health. This article summarizes the information about homeopathy and its problematic implications and serves as a general introduction to this topic and its unacceptable role in today's medicine.The medical irrelevance of the sham method of homeopathy has been proven with more than sufficient probability [2]. As a major testimonial, the statement "Homeopathic products and practices" of the European (EASAC 2017) can be regarded. The primary aim of this brief report is therefore not to take another look at homeopathy from a medical scientific perspective, but rather focus attention on the implications of the still continuous and largely uncritically accepted existence of this method in medical practice, in the medical scientific sphere and in the judgement of the general public.

A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Individualized Homeopathic Medicines in Pre-diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Pre-diabetes (PD) contributes importantly to the disease burden worldwide and is a precursor to stroke, cardiovascular diseases, as well as type-2 diabetes mellitus. OBJECTIVE: In this project, the efficacy of individualized homeopathic medicines (IHMs) was explored against placebos in the treatment of PD. METHODS: A 6-month, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at the outpatient departments of a homeopathic medical college and hospital in India. Sixty participants with PD were randomized to receive either IHMs (n = 30) or identical-looking placebos (n = 30). Concomitant care measures were advised to both groups of participants in terms of dietary advice, yoga, meditation and exercise. The primary outcome measures were fasting blood sugar (FBS) and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT); the secondary outcome was the Diabetes Symptom Checklist-Revised (DSC-R) score. All the outcomes were measured at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of treatment. Inter-group differences and effect sizes (Cohen's d) were calculated using two-way repeated measures analysis of variance models after adjusting baseline differences using analysis of co-variance on the intention-to-treat data. RESULTS: Between-group differences for FBS were statistically significant, favoring IHMs against placebos (F 1,58 = 7.798, p = 0.007), but not for OGTT (F 1,58 = 1.691, p = 0.199). The secondary outcome, DSC-R total score, favoring IHMs significantly compared with placebos (F 1,58 = 15.752, p < 0.001). Calcarea Carbonicum, Thuja occidentalis and Sulphur were the most frequently prescribed medicines. No harm or serious adverse events were recorded from either of the participant groups. CONCLUSION: IHMs produced significantly better results than placebos in FBS and in DSC-R scores but not in OGTT. Independent replications with larger sample sizes are warranted to substantiate the findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CTRI/2019/10/021711.

Overview and quality assessment of health economic evaluations for homeopathic therapy: an updated systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Likewise other medical interventions, economic evaluations of homeopathy contribute to the evidence base of therapeutic concepts and are needed for socioeconomic decision-making. A 2013 review was updated and extended to gain a current overview. METHODS: A systematic literature search of the terms 'cost' and 'homeopathy' from January 2012 to July 2022 was performed in electronic databases. Two independent reviewers checked records, extracted data, and assessed study quality using the Consensus on Health Economic Criteria (CHEC) list. RESULTS: Six studies were added to 15 from the previous review. Synthesizing both health outcomes and costs showed homeopathic treatment being at least equally effective for less or similar costs than control in 14 of 21 studies. Three found improved outcomes at higher costs, two of which showed cost-effectiveness for homeopathy by incremental analysis. One found similar results and three similar outcomes at higher costs for homeopathy. CHEC values ranged between two and 16, with studies before 2009 having lower values (Mean ± SD: 6.7 ± 3.4) than newer studies (9.4 ± 4.3). CONCLUSION: Although results of the CHEC assessment show a positive chronological development, the favorable cost-effectiveness of homeopathic treatments seen in a small number of high-quality studies is undercut by too many examples of methodologically poor research.

To help make decisions about homeopathy in healthcare, it is important, as with other medical treatments, to look at whether this treatment is effective in relation to its costs; in other words, to see if it is cost-effective. The aim of the current work was to update the picture of scientific studies available on this topic until 2012. To this purpose, two different researchers screened electronic literature databases for studies between January 2012 and July 2022 which assessed both the costs and the effects of a homeopathic treatment. They did this according to strict rules to make sure that no important study was missed. They reviewed the search results, gathered information from the studies, and assessed the quality of the studies using a set of criteria. They detected six additional new studies to the 15 already known from the previous work. Overall, they found that in 14 out of 21 studies, homeopathic treatment was at least equally effective for less or similar costs. For the remaining seven studies, costs were equal or higher for homeopathy. Of these seven, two were shown to be advantageous for homeopathy: indeed, specific economic analyses demonstrated that the benefit of the homeopathic treatment compensated for the higher costs. For the remaining five studies, the higher or equal costs of homeopathic treatment were not compensated by a better effect. The quality of the studies varied, with older studies generally being of lower quality compared to newer ones. The authors concluded that although the quality of research on homeopathy's cost-effectiveness has improved over time, and some high-quality studies show that it can be a cost-effective option, there are still many poorly conducted studies which make it difficult to offer a definitive statement. In other words, while there is some evidence that homeopathy can be effective in relation to its costs, there are still many studies that are not very reliable, which means that interested parties need to be cautious about drawing conclusions.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses in Homeopathy: Recommendations for summarising evidence from homeopathic intervention studies (Sum-HomIS recommendations).

BACKGROUND: Mainly due to the use of different inclusion criteria and quality assessments, systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) with homeopathic intervention studies (HOMIS) have shown inconsistent results. We aimed to build recommendations for "Summarizing evidence from Homeopathic Intervention Studies" (Sum-HomIS recommendations) in order to approach standardization. METHODS: Against the background of a framework-project to update the evidence from homeopathic intervention studies, we launched an expert panel on how to assess the quality of HOMIS and how to summarize evidence from HOMIS. The results of a literature review and the expert communications in advance of the panel as well as the consensus from the discussions are presented here. We added specific considerations for homeopathic veterinary research. RESULTS: On top of the general guidelines when planning a review we report five basic Sum-HomIS recommendations. These are: 1) A broad literature search including special archives and consideration of so-called grey-literature; 2) The inclusion of controlled observational studies alongside randomized controlled trials; 3) The choice of a clear clinical research question in the terms that, if possible, the review project includes studies with predominantly homogeneous populations, interventions, comparators and outcomes (PICOs); 4) The use of a global quality assessment including the assessment of external, model and internal validity; 5) A summary of evidence using the GRADE-approach if the body of evidence is sufficiently large and homogenous or a descriptive summary if it is not so. CONCLUSIONS: We present recommendations for designing, conducting, and reporting SRs and MAs with HOMIS.

A Broader Vision for Homeopathy: Medicine Needs Healing, and Homeopathy Has a Part to Play.

The controversial claim that homeopathic medicines actively stimulate the innate capacity of body and mind for healing and repair demands continuing and energetic investigation. But regardless of the outcome of this scientific controversy, the reported changes associated with applying the homeopathic method are matters of clinical fact. There is thus a case to be made that the homeopathic approach, the way that it studies and construes the experience of illness in individual patients, enriches our understanding of health, illness and healing; and is itself an essential contribution that homeopathy can make to the advancement of medicine. Practitioners and researchers involved in homeopathy can, and should, be more energetic and forceful in making that case.

Recommendations in the design and conduction of randomised controlled trials in human and veterinary homeopathic medicine.

BACKGROUND: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are an established research method to investigate the effects of an intervention. Several recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses of RCTs with homeopathic interventions have identified shortcomings in design, conduct, analysis, and reporting of trials. Guidelines for RCTs in homeopathic medicine are lacking. OBJECTIVES: This paper aims to fill this gap in order to enhance the quality of RCTs in the field of homeopathy. METHODS: Identification of the homeopathy-specific requirements for RCTs by reviewing literature and experts' communications. Systematization of the findings using a suitable checklist for planning, conducting, and reporting RCTs, namely the SPIRIT statement, and high-quality homeopathy RCTs as examples. Cross-checking of the created checklist with the RedHot-criteria, the PRECIS criteria, and a qualitative evaluation checklist. Consideration of the REFLECT statement and the ARRIVE Guidelines 2.0 for veterinary homeopathy. RESULTS: Recommendations for future implementation of RCTs in homeopathy are summarized in a checklist. Alongside, identified useful solutions to the issues encountered when designing and conducting homeopathy RCTs are presented. CONCLUSIONS: The formulated recommendations present guidelines additional to those in the SPIRIT checklist, on how to better plan, design, conduct, and report RCTs in homeopathy.

Homeopathy for Major Depressive Disorder: Protocol for N-of-1 Studies.

BACKGROUND: N-of-1 studies allow the formal assessment of a patient's treatment. A single participant receives different interventions the same number of times in a crossover, double-blind, randomized design. Using this methodology, we will investigate the effectiveness and safety of a standardized homeopathy protocol in treating 10 cases of major depression. METHODS: The method is described below: Design: crossover double-blind placebo-controlled randomized N-of-1 studies, with at most 28 weeks of duration per participant. PARTICIPANTS: women and men at age over 18 years with a diagnosis of a major depressive episode given by a psychiatrist, who have presented a therapeutic response, i.e., a reduction ≥50% of the baseline depressive symptoms, self-assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory - Second Edition (BDI-II), and sustained for at least 4 weeks during an open homeopathic treatment following the protocol of the sixth edition of the Organon, with or without concomitant use of psychotropic drugs. INTERVENTIONS: individualized homeopathy following the same protocol, one globule of the fifty-millesimal potency diluted in 20 mL of 30% alcohol; placebo - 20 mL of 30% alcohol, in the same posology as homeopathy. Crossover study: the participant will go through three consecutive treatment blocks, with two random and masked treatment periods (A or B), corresponding to homeopathy or placebo. Treatment periods will have 2, 4, and 8 weeks in the first, second, and third blocks, respectively. A clinically significant worsening (characterized by an augmentation in BDI-II inclusion score ≥30%) will result in the termination of study participation and resumption of the open treatment. PRIMARY MEASURE: progression of the depressive symptoms, self-assessed by the participant using the BDI-II scale at weeks 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28 and analyzed throughout the study concerning homeopathy and placebo partitions. Secondary measures: score of the Clinical Global Impression Scale; mental and physical health scores assessed by the 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey; participant's blind preference for treatment A or B at each block; clinical worsening; and adverse events. DATA ANALYSIS: the participant, assistant physician, evaluator, and statistician will remain blinded for the study treatments until the completion of data analysis of each study. We will follow a 10-step procedure for analyzing N-of-1 observational data of each participant and conduct a meta-analysis of the combined results. DISCUSSION: We understand that each N-de-1 study will be a chapter with its teachings in a book of ten, allowing a broader view of the effectiveness of the homeopathy protocol of the sixth edition of the Organon in treating depression.Einzelpatienten- oder "n = 1"-Studien ermöglichen die formelle Beurteilung der Behandlung eines Patienten. Bei einem einzigen Teilnehmer werden verschiedene Maßnahmen in gleicher Zahl in einem doppelblinden, randomisierten Crossover-Design angewendet. Mit dieser Methode untersuchen wir die Wirksamkeit und Sicherheit eines standardisierten Homöopathie-Protokolls zur Behandlung von Major Depression in zehn Fällen.Aufbau der Studie: Doppelblinde, placebokontrollierte, randomisierte Einzelpatienten- oder "n = 1"-Studie von maximal 28 Wochen Dauer pro Teilnehmer. Teilnehmer: Frauen und Männer ab 18 Jahren mit durch einen Psychiater diagnostizierter Episode einer Major Depression und mit mindestens vier Wochen lang anhaltendem therapeutischem Ansprechen (in Form einer Reduktion der depressiven Symptome um ≥50% gegenüber Baseline laut Selbstbeurteilung mit dem Beck Depression Inventar, zweite Ausgabe [BDI-II]) unter einer offenen homöopathischen Behandlung gemäß dem Protokoll der sechsten Auflage des Organon, mit oder ohne gleichzeitige Anwendung von Psychopharmaka. Interventionen: Individualisierte Homöopathie gemäß demselben Protokoll, ein Globulus der Quinquaginta-Millesimal-Potenz, verdünnt in 20 mL 30%igem Alkohol; Placebo in Form von 20 mL 30%igem Alkohol, nach demselben Dosierungsschema wie die Homöopathie. Crossover-Studie: Der Teilnehmer durchläuft in zwei randomisierten und maskierten Behandlungszeiträumen (A oder B), die Homöopathie oder Placebo enstprechen, je drei aufeinanderfolgende Behandlungsblöcke. Innerhalb der Behandlungszeiträume umfassen der erste, zweite und dritte Block je zwei, vier beziehungsweise acht Wochen. Eine klinisch bedeutsame Verschlechterung (gekennzeichnet durch einen Anstieg des BDI-II-Scores um ≥30% gegenüber der Aufnahme) führt zum Abbruch der Studienteilnahme und zur Wiederaufnahme der offenen Behandlung. Primäre Messgröße: Verlauf der depressiven Symptome laut Selbstbeurteilung des Teilnehmers mit der BDI-II-Skala in Woche 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28 und Auswertung im Verlauf der Studie nach Homöopathie-und Placebo-Abschnitten. Sekundäre Messgrößen: Score auf der Clinical Global Impression Scale; Scores für psychische und physische Gesundheit laut 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey; verblindete Teilnehmerpräferenz für Behandlung A oder B in jedem Block; klinische Ver-schlechterung und unerwünschte Ereignisse. Datenauswertung: Der Teilnehmer, behandelnde Arzt, Auswertende und Statistiker bleiben im Hinblick auf die Stu-dienbehandlungen verblindet, bis die Datenauswertung jeder Studie abgeschlossen ist. Wir werden in einem 10-schrittigen Vorgehen die "n = 1"-Beobachtungsdaten der einzelnen Teilnehmer auswerten und eine Metaanalyse der zusammengeführten Ergebnissee durchführen.Unserer Auffassung nach wird jede einzelne "n = 1"-Studie ein Kapitel mit eigenen Lehren innerhalb eines zehnteiligen Buches sein, welches eine umfassende Darstellung der Wirksamkeit des Homöopathie-Protokolls der sechsten Ausgabe des Organon zur Behandlung von Depressionen ermöglicht.

[Complementary and alternative medicine-An option for chronic pain patients?] / Komplementäre und alternative Medizin ­ eine Option bei chronischen Schmerzpatienten?

The interest of patients with chronic pain in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is high. The aim of an accompanying complementary therapy is to strengthen the patient's self-efficacy, the ability to make decisions and the autonomy. The best evidence exists for physical activity and a balanced diet. Exercise combinations of strength and endurance as well as targeted strengthening of the muscles in the area of the pain are particularly suitable. When choosing the form of exercise, low-threshold training options are recommended. There is no reliable evidence for kinesio taping, homeopathy, neural therapy and draining procedures. The extensive data on acupuncture must be interpreted taking methodological limitations into account. Heat applications can support multimodal pain therapy. In the case of anti-inflammatory phytotherapeutic agents, there are good rationales from basic research and reliable empirical knowledge regarding the dosage. The evidence on cannabis is low.

A series of homeopathic remedies-related severe drug-induced liver injury from South India.

INTRODUCTION: Homeopathic remedies are highly diluted formulations without proven clinical benefits, traditionally believed not to cause adverse events. Nonetheless, published literature reveals severe local and non-liver-related systemic side effects. We present the first series on homeopathy-related severe drug-induced liver injury (DILI) from a single center. METHODS: A retrospective review of records from January 2019 to February 2022 identified 9 patients with liver injury attributed to homeopathic formulations. Competing causes were comprehensively excluded. Chemical analysis was performed on retrieved formulations using triple quadrupole gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. RESULTS: Males predominated with a median age of 54 years. The most typical clinical presentation was acute hepatitis, followed by acute on chronic liver failure. All patients developed jaundice, and ascites were notable in one-third of the patients. Five patients had underlying chronic liver disease. COVID-19 prevention was the most common indication for homeopathic use. Probable DILI was seen in 77.8%, and hepatocellular injury predominated (66.7%). Four (44.4%) patients died (3 with chronic liver disease) at a median follow-up of 194 days. Liver histopathology showed necrosis, portal and lobular neutrophilic inflammation, and eosinophilic infiltration with cholestasis. A total of 29 remedies were consumed between 9 patients, and 15 formulations were analyzed. Toxicology revealed industrial solvents, corticosteroids, antibiotics, sedatives, synthetic opioids, heavy metals, and toxic phyto-compounds, even in 'supposed' ultra-dilute formulations. CONCLUSION: Homeopathic remedies potentially result in severe liver injury, leading to death in those with underlying liver disease. The use of mother tinctures, insufficient dilution, poor manufacturing practices, adulteration and contamination, and the presence of direct hepatotoxic herbals were the reasons for toxicity. Physicians, the public, and patients must realize that Homeopathic drugs are not 'gentle placebos.'

A Case of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection Successfully Treated during Homeopathic Supportive Care in Oncology.

INTRODUCTION: A 32-year-old patient with colon cancer consulted for homeopathic supportive care (HSC). She had also suffered from recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTIs) for 20 years. Could homeopathy treat these two very different issues with the same medicine? THE PATIENT'S MAIN CONCERNS: Though the main reason for the consultation was a fear of the side effects of chemotherapy, the presence of Escherichia coli-induced RUTIs affected the patient's quality of life. INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES: The repertory listing highlighted Pulsatilla as the patient's homeopathic constitutional medicine. It was prescribed both for HSC and also for RUTI. In association with Arsenicum album and Nerves, Pulsatilla enabled a good tolerance to chemotherapy, with rapid recovery from peripheral neuropathies. In combination with Colibacillinum, Pulsatilla provided relapse-free curing of the RUTIs. The MOdified NARanjo Criteria for Homeopathy (MONARCH) Inventory score was +9. CONCLUSION: The one individual's two different clinical complaints were treated with a constitutional homeopathic medicine, Pulsatilla, which covered the whole case. However, in HSC, the use of the constitutional remedy alone is rarely sufficient: it was reinforced by individualised symptomatic medication, organotherapy and isotherapy. For RUTI, isopathic and tubercular miasmatic treatments were each helpful. For both complaints, individualised homeopathy gave rapid, long-lasting and effective results.

Homeopathy can offer empirical insights on treatment effects in a null field.

OBJECTIVES: A "null field" is a scientific field where there is nothing to discover and where observed associations are thus expected to simply reflect the magnitude of bias. We aimed to characterize a null field using a known example, homeopathy (a pseudoscientific medical approach based on using highly diluted substances), as a prototype. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We identified 50 randomized placebo-controlled trials of homeopathy interventions from highly cited meta-analyses. The primary outcome variable was the observed effect size in the studies. Variables related to study quality or impact were also extracted. RESULTS: The mean effect size for homeopathy was 0.36 standard deviations (Hedges' g; 95% confidence interval: 0.21, 0.51) better than placebo, which corresponds to an odds ratio of 1.94 (95% CI: 1.69, 2.23) in favor of homeopathy. 80% of studies had positive effect sizes (favoring homeopathy). Effect size was significantly correlated with citation counts from journals in the directory of open-access journals and CiteWatch. We identified common statistical errors in 25 studies. CONCLUSION: A null field like homeopathy can exhibit large effect sizes, high rates of favorable results, and high citation impact in the published scientific literature. Null fields may represent a useful negative control for the scientific process.

Nanomaterial Characterisation of Diluted Platina and Alcohol Control Samples.

BACKGROUND: The healing effects of homeopathic ultra-high potencies (UHPs) have always been a puzzle for material science, though recent research papers have now characterised the nanomaterial nature of several such UHPs. This study aimed to analyse the material content of clinically used potencies of the homeopathic medicine Platina (platinum) compared with alcohol control samples. METHODS: Potencies of Platina were analysed under dynamic light scattering (DLS), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) to identify the nanomaterial content. As control samples, both unsuccussed and potencies of alcohol were analysed by using DLS and HRTEM. RESULTS: Platina 30c to CM: Nanoparticles were identified under DLS (mean particle size varying from 1.3 nm in 30c to 6.5 nm in CM) and HRTEM (particle size varying from 3.31 to 12.7 nm in 30c to 1.94 to 8.54 nm in CM). EDS confirmed the presence of platinum in all the samples of Platina. SAED analysis of Platina 30c, 200c, 1M and 10M confirmed also the presence of platinum dioxide (PtO2). For control samples, DLS and the HRTEM analyses of pharmaceutical grade unsuccussed alcohol and potentized Alcohol (6c, 12c and 30c) did not show any particles. CONCLUSION: Homeopathic potentization generated NPs of platinum in ultra-dilutions. NPs in potencies of Platina showed platinum in EDS and PtO2 in SAED. Importantly, control samples of alcohol did not show the presence of particles under DLS or HRTEM.

Menopause: Questions and Answers for Improving Homeopathic Clinical Practice.

BACKGROUND: Medical attention for menopausal women is frequently delivered by health care providers (general practitioners, gynecologists or homeopathic physicians) who are not specialized in post-reproductive care. Homeopathy has been used for treating menopausal complaints for more than two centuries. Therefore, it is important to improve clinical knowledge in this field among homeopathic physicians. Nowadays, there is a special interest in the study of menopause-related chronic conditions due to the impact on women's quality of life. The aim of this review is to address the important key points of the menopause, clinical assessment, and available tests for evaluating menopausal women, as well as some general topics regarding homeopathic clinical practice for menopause. METHODS AND RESULTS: A literature search regarding menopause and current guidelines and recommendations was performed. To be practical and concise, the information is presented in the form of questions and answers. Currently, there is an international classification of woman's reproductive aging that can be useful for clinical and research purposes in homeopathy. A comprehensive homeopathic approach is mandatory for evaluating women with a healthy menopause, but also for those experiencing co-morbidities. In an integrative health care system, several assessment resources can be incorporated into the homeopathic consultations. Clinical and laboratory examinations for detecting metabolic disorders (dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, diabetes and hypertension, among others), mood disorders, cognitive impairment and osteoporosis are available in many clinical settings. Screening for gynecological cancers is an international recommendation at this stage. All data obtained from homeopathic consultations would help to integrate well-documented case reports. This would give the possibility to generate hypotheses to design high-quality clinical research. CONCLUSION: Improving homeopathic clinical practice for menopause is useful for both clinical and research purposes. The international recommendations for evaluating menopausal women should be incorporated in homeopathic clinical practice, mainly in clinical settings where homeopathy is integrated in outpatient services.

Getting in a Spin over the Therapeutic Process: QBism and a Gyroscopic Model of the Vital Force.

BACKGROUND: In the previous paper, a relatively new interpretation of quantum theory called quantum Bayesianism or QBism was introduced as an alternative quantum metaphor for the therapeutic process (TP). This is because previous metaphors have been based on conventional quantum theory (CQT) and its notion that quantum states belong to a strongly objective shared reality. QBism says no: quantum states are subjective degrees of belief made by the individual agents assigning those states. This suggests QBism's explicit subjectivity is more in line with practitioners' (Pr) and patient's (Px) implicitly subjective TP experience. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to investigate the impact on this suggestion of a gyroscopic model of the vital force, Vf. METHOD: Based on an original starting wavefunction for the Vf, a sequence of equations and transformations between them are generated and then interpreted as the Vf interacting with and moving into and out of disease (Dx) states, in essence, a physics of health. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: These equations and their transformations manage to predict (a) homeopathic aggravation from the curative remedy (Rx), and (b) the logic behind Hahnemann's development of the LM potencies. Further, displaying these equations and their interactions pictorially and geometrically (as a stellated octahedron) suggests that the recently developed gyroscopic model for the Vf supports a metaphor for the TP (based on the subjectivity explicit in QBism) that is indeed viable and potentially superior to previous metaphors based on the strong objectivity of CQT.

Quantitative assessment of antioxidant potential of selected homeopathic preparations in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVES: Antioxidant property like radical scavenging is a primary target to elucidate the efficacy mechanism of a drug against diseases linked to oxidative stress such as cancer, metabolic disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. In alternative therapies, homeopathy is one of the preferred choices by patients and clinicians due to its potential to cure chronic and complex illnesses. However, the efficacy of homeopathic preparations at high diluted potencies attracts rational criticism due to insufficient scientific knowledge supporting the mechanism of action. Therefore, an attempt was made to estimate the total phenolic content (TPC) and radical scavenging activity of clinically prescribed homeopathic drugs. METHODS: With gallic acid as a reference control, mother tinctures (MTs) and different potencies of Eucalyptus globulus (EG), Syzygium jambolanum (SJ), Ruta graveolens (RG), and Thuja occidentalis (TO) were used to perform Folin-Ciocalteu test, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. RESULTS: The results showed TPC of MTs equivalent to µg/mL of gallic acid viz; EG (4,872.5 ± 133.2), SJ (8,840.5 ± 14.8), RG (985.6 ± 39.1), and TO (341.5 ± 19.5) with significant ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging potential. Whereas 30C and 200C potencies of each homeopathic drug showed undetectable phenolic content and insignificant radical scavenging potential compared to vehicle control, i.e., alcohol 90% (2.0 ± 1.5). CONCLUSIONS: The reported efficacy of 30C and 200C potencies of homeopathic medicines against oxidative stress-related illnesses might be due to mechanisms other than radical scavenging. Furthermore, the assays studied can be helpful in drug standardization and quality control of MTs that are used as starting material in homeopathic preparations.

Homeopathy effects in patients during oncological treatment: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: In this systematic review we included clinical studies from 1800 until 2020 to evaluate evidence of the effectiveness of homeopathy on physical and mental conditions in patients during oncological treatment. METHOD: In February 2021 a systematic search was conducted searching five electronic databases (Embase, Cochrane, PsychInfo, CINAHL and Medline) to find studies concerning use, effectiveness and potential harm of homeopathy in cancer patients. RESULTS: From all 1352 search results, 18 studies with 2016 patients were included in this SR. The patients treated with homeopathy were mainly diagnosed with breast cancer. The therapy concepts include single and combination homeopathic remedies (used systemically or as mouth rinses) of various dilutions. Outcomes assessed were the influence on toxicity of cancer treatment (mostly hot flashes and menopausal symptoms), time to drain removal in breast cancer patients after mastectomy, survival, quality of life, global health and subjective well-being, anxiety and depression as well as safety and tolerance. The included studies reported heterogeneous results: some studies described significant differences in quality of life or toxicity of cancer treatment favouring homeopathy, whereas others did not find an effect or reported significant differences to the disadvantage of homeopathy or side effects caused by homeopathy. The majority of the studies have a low methodological quality. CONCLUSIONS: For homeopathy, there is neither a scientifically based hypothesis of its mode of action nor conclusive evidence from clinical studies in cancer care.

Immobilization of Solvatochromic Dyes on Transparent Cellulose Films: an Improved Method for the Study of Homeopathic Potencies.

BACKGROUND: Highly diluted and succussed solutions (homeopathic potencies) have been shown to interact with a wide range of solvatochromic dyes based on changes in their UV-visible spectra. Studies so far have involved free dyes in solution, but there is a pressing need to find ways to investigate the potency-dye interaction using isolated dye molecules to ask more searching physico-chemical questions regarding the fundamental nature of potencies. AIMS AND METHODS: The aims of the present study have been to look for ways to covalently immobilize solvatochromic dyes onto transparent cellulose films and hence be in a position to investigate dye-potency interactions without the complication of dye-dye interactions, including dye aggregation, which can occur with free dyes in solution. RESULTS: To date, a total of nine different dyes have been immobilized on cellulose films using epoxide activation of hydroxyl groups on the cellulose surface. Using this method, studies have begun looking at the time course of potency action on one of these immobilized dyes, Brooker's merocyanine. Results show that the interaction of Arsenicum 10M with this dye consists of three phases-an initial growth phase, a sustained plateau of interaction, and a final decline phase lasting several days. CONCLUSION: A method has been developed that successfully immobilizes solvatochromic dyes onto transparent cellulose film. These films can then be used in a spectrophotometer to study at a much more detailed level how potencies interact with dyes compared with using free dyes in solution. Results indicate that the information gained in this way provides new insights regarding the fundamental nature of potencies. Specifically, studies using immobilized Brooker's merocyanine with Arsenicum 10M reveal that the lifetime of the potency is much longer than expected and that its action consists of three distinct phases, suggesting a resonant interaction with the dye. How resonant interaction might help to explain the clinical action of potencies is discussed.

Attitudes To and Uptake of Repertory Software in Homeopathy Clinical Practice-Results of an International Survey.

BACKGROUND: Despite the substantial size of the maturing complementary medicine (CM) industry, the technologies used by practitioners have received little research attention. In the clinical delivery of homeopathy services, repertory software can be employed to cross-reference client symptoms with numerous databases, making the process of seeking a clinical intervention quicker and more accurate. The purpose of the study is to learn about the quantitative patterns of usage, uptake and attitudes to repertory software amongst professional homeopaths. METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey of 15 questions was completed by practicing professional homeopaths between August 2016 and May 2017, using non-probability snowball sampling. Questions gathered demographic information, reflections and attitudes on the use of electronic repertories in clinical homeopathy practice. RESULTS: In total, 59% of respondents reported using software regularly in practice and 71% found that it adds clear value in their work. Sixty-eight percent of respondents learned about repertory software during homeopathy training, and 47% were introduced to software when they began clinical practice. Lack of sufficient training is a very important barrier to the use of repertory software, indicating that more robust and accessible software training is needed for practitioners. Many respondents agreed with a statement that repertory software represents good value for money and yet 46% agreed that it is cost prohibitive for most practitioners, signaling a challenge for software companies. Few respondents reported regularly using more than three of the most common repertory features. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study presents some potentially significant uptake, usage and attitude markers that stand to shed light on the practice of homeopathy and the place of emerging technologies such as repertory software. Ultimately, more research is needed to help identify and address the challenges, risks and tensions around integration of practice-enhancing technologies in CM educational and clinical settings to best serve the diverse and changing needs of practitioners.

Searching for the Genus Epidemicus in Chinese Patients: Findings from the Clificol COVID-19 Clinical Case Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Clificol COVID-19 Support Project is an innovative international data collection project aimed at tackling some of the core questions in homeopathy. This paper reports on the further investigation of the genus epidemicus concept during the first wave of the pandemic in the Chinese population. METHODS: The design is an observational clinical case registry study of Chinese patients with confirmed or suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The symptoms were prospectively collected via a 150-item questionnaire. The concept of genus epidemicus, including the role of treatment individualization, was investigated by analyzing whether presenting symptoms clustered into distinct groups. Two standard statistical analysis techniques were utilized: principal component analysis for extracting the most meaningful symptoms of the dataset; the k-means clustering algorithm for automatically assigning groups based on similarity between presenting symptoms. RESULTS: 20 Chinese practitioners collected 359 cases in the first half of 2020 (766 consultations, 363 prescriptions). The cluster analysis found two to be the optimum number of clusters. These two symptomatic clusters had a high overlap with the two most commonly prescribed remedies in these sub-populations: in cluster 1 there were 297 prescriptions, 95.6% of which were Gelsemium sempervirens; in cluster 2 there were 61 prescriptions, 95.1% of which were Bryonia alba. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to investigate the notion of genus epidemicus by using modern statistical techniques. These analyses identified at least two distinct symptom pictures. The notion of a single COVID-19 genus epidemicus did not apply in the studied population.