Further Research on Homeopathy
Robert Medhurst | BNat ND DNutr DRM DBM DHom
It ' s been well over 200 years since Samuel Hahnemann investigated the possibility of using diluted and succussed substances as medicines , and those investigations have not stopped . Around the world , scientists and prescribers continue to test the possibilities inherent in homeopathy , and what follows are summaries of the outcomes of just some of that research .
Human Studies
1 . Uchiyama-Tanaka Y . Case Study of Homeopathic Bowel Nosode Remedies for Dysbiotic Japanese Patients . J Altern Complement Med , 2017 Aug 14 . doi : 10.1089 / acm . 2017.0061 . Bowel nosodes made from the intestinal bacteria of European patients from the 1900s were administered to Japanese patients suffering from gastrointestinal disturbances , such as constipation and diarrhoea , to determine their therapeutic efficacy . Twenty-eight outpatients from Yoko Clinic ( 11 males , 17 females ; age range , 4-72 years ) were enrolled in this study . One nosode remedy was selected for each case . Patients took six pills for 2 days . After a month , the effect of each treatment was evaluated using the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital Outcome Scale ( grade + 4 to -4 ). Patient numbers for each grade was + 4 ( N = 2 ), + 3 ( N = 4 ), + 2 ( N = 7 ), + 1 ( N = 3 ), 0 ( N = 7 ), with no negative grades . Of the 23 patients treated , 69.6 % showed some type of improvement , and no harmful effects from taking bowel nosodes were observed . A total of 26 % of patients showed major improvement or were deemed to be cured .
2 . Tapas K , et al . To evaluate the role of homoeopathic medicines as add‐on therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis on NSAIDs : A retrospective study . Indian J Res Hom , 2014 , 8 , 24-30 . This study was carried out to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) receiving homeopathic medicines with respect to quality of life ( QoL ), Disease Activity Score ( DAS ), Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate ( ESR ), morning stiffness / pain and frequency of analgesic use after homeopathic intervention , using a retrospective analysis design . Patients diagnosed as sero‐positive for RA antigen receiving homeopathic medicines were assessed for DAS , QoL , frequency of analgesics , ESR and pain / morning stiffness . Ten people testing sero‐positive for RA with at least four clinical signs were evaluated from a single homeopathic Out‐Patient Department from February 2009 to February 2011 . Cases were analysed to determine the effect of homeopathic constitutional treatment in people with RA . The use of the homeopathic medicines was associated with a reduction in the intensity of pain in patients with RA ( t = 4.3733 , P < 0.01 ) along with reduction in consumption of NSAIDs ( t = 2.4 , P < 0.05 ). The DAS reduced in all 10 patients ( t = 2.67 , P < 0.01 ). The QoL was also found to improve under homeopathic medication ( t = 4.044 , P < 0.01 ) and no further deterioration was observed in any of the 10 patients . Mean ESR improved to 19.5 from 38.1 ( t = 2.235 , P < 0.05 ). Out of 10 , 3 ( 30 %) patients were found to be sero‐negative after homeopathic constitutional similimum .
3 . Palm J , et al . Effectiveness of an addon treatment with the homeopathic medication SilAtro-5-90 in recurrent tonsillitis : An international , pragmatic , randomized , controlled clinical trial . Complement Ther Clin Pract , 2017 Aug , 28 , 181-191 . In this international , pragmatic , controlled clinical trial , the research team investigated the effectiveness and safety of the homeopathic combination product SilAtro-5-90 in recurrent tonsillitis . A total of 256 patients ( 6-60 years ) with moderate recurrent tonsillitis were randomised to receive either SilAtro-5-90 in addition to standard symptomatic treatment , or to receive standard treatment only . The primary outcome was the mean time period between consecutive acute throat infections ( ATI ) within 1 year ( analysed via repeated events analysis ). During the evaluation year , the risk of getting an ATI was significantly lower ( hazard ratio : 0.45 , proportional means model , p = 0.0002 , ITT ) with SilAtro-5-90 compared to control . Tonsillitis-specific symptoms were significantly reduced ( p < 0.0001 , ITT ) and the need for antibiotics to treat acute throat infections ( p = 0.0008 ; ITT ) decreased . Three non-serious adverse drug reactions were reported for SilAtro-5-90 .
4 . Pannek J , et al . Usefulness of classical homoeopathy for the prevention of urinary tract infections in patients with neurogenic bladder dysfunction : A case series . Indian J Res Hom , 2014 , 8 , 31-36 . The aim in this study was to assess the effectiveness of constitutional homeopathy in the treatment of people diagnosed with urinary tract infection ( UTI ) due to spinal cord injury ( SCI ), as an add‐on to standard urologic care . After the exclusion of morphological abnormalities and the initiation of a standard regime for prophylaxis , all patients with a neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction due to SCI , with more than three symptomatic UTIs / year , were offered additional homeopathic care . Symptoms were fever , incontinence , increased spasticity , decreased bladder capacity or pain , and decreased general health combined with significant bacteriuria . Eight patients were followed up for a median period of 15 months at the end of which five patients
86 | vol29 | no2 | JATMS