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Home>Homoeopathy>Research
ECONOMIC
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UK
doctors using homoeopathy cost the government 12% less than UK doctors
who do not use homoeopathy. (Natural Medicine Society News, June
1992).
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40% of French doctors use homoeopathy, and the patients using
homoeopathy cost the French government half of that for patients who use
orthodox treatments (Archives of Family Medicine 7: 537-40, 1998).
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As far back as 1980 US studies found that those people who
engage in self-care practices spent 26% less on hospital bills and 19%
less on physicians' services. (John Fiorello, Helping
Ourselves to Health: The Self-Care and Personal Health Enhancement
Market in the U.S., New York, 67,1983. The Health Strategy Group, 325
Spring St., New York, NY 10013).
CLINICAL TRIALS
Clinical trials have been reviewed in two landmark
studies in the mainstream literature in recent years, both of which
concluded that there was positive evidence of effectiveness:
K. Linde,
N. Clausius, G. Ramirez, et al.,
Are the Clinical Effects of Homeopathy Placebo Effects? A Meta-analysis
of Placebo-Controlled Trials
Lancet, September 20, 1997, 350:834-843.
This state of the art meta analysis reviewed 186 studies, 89 of which fit
pre-defined criteria. Rather than count and compare the number of trials
which show efficacy of treatment, the researchers pooled the data from the
various studies for assessment. The results showed that patients taking
homeopathic medicines were 2.45 times more likely to experience a positive
therapeutic effect than placebo.
J. Kleijnen,
P. Knipschild, G. ter Riet,
Clinical Trials of Homeopathy
British Medical Journal, February 9, 1991, 302:316-323.
This is the most widely cited meta-analysis of clinical research prior to
1991. This meta-analysis reviewed 107 studies of homeopathic medicines, 81
of which (or 77%) showed positive effect. Of the best 22 studies, 15 showed
efficacy. The researchers concluded: "The evidence presented in this review
would probably be sufficient for establishing homeopathy as a regular
treatment for certain indications." Further, "The amount of positive
evidence even among the best studies came as a surprise to us."
Numerous
other studies support 200 years of clinical results, for example:-
C. N.
Shealy, MD, R.P. Thomlinson, V. Borgmeyer,
Osteoarthritic Pain: A Comparison of Homeopathy and Acetaminophen
American Journal of Pain Management, 1998;8:89-91
A double-blinded study to document the relative efficacy of homeopathic
remedies in comparison to acetaminophen for the treatment of pain associated
with osteoarthritis (OA) among 65 patients. An IRB approved protocol.
Results of the study documented better pain relief in the homeopathic group
(55% achieved measured relief from homeopathy as compared to 38% from
acetaminophen); however, the superiority of this treatment, in comparison
with the acetaminophen group, did not reach statistical significance. The
investigators conclude that homeopathic treatments for pain in OA patients
appear to be safe and at least as effective as acetaminophen, and are
without its potential adverse effects including compromise to both liver and
kidney function. Many of the patients asked to continue with the homeopathic
treatment.
M. Weiser,
W. Strosser, P. Klein,
Homeopathic vs. Conventional Treatment of Vertigo: A Randomized
Double-Blind Controlled Clinical Study
Archives of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, August, 1998,
124:879-885.
This was a study with 119 subjects with various types of vertigo, half of
whom were given a homeopathic medicine (a combination of four homeopathic
medicines) and half were given a leading conventional drug in Europe for
vertigo, betahistine hydrochloride. The homeopathic medicines were found to
be similarly effective and significantly safer than the conventional
control.
D. Reilly,
M. Taylor, N. Beattie, et al.,
Is Evidence for Homoeopathy Reproducible?
Lancet, December 10, 1994, 344:1601-6.
This study successfully reproduced evidence from two previous double-blinded
trials all of which used the same model of homeopathic immunotherapy in
inhalant allergy. In this third study, 9 of 11 patients on homeopathic
treatment improved compared to only 5 of 13 patients on placebo. The
researchers concluded that either homeopathic medicines work or controlled
studies don't. Their work has again been recently replicated and is
submitted for publication
Further research
http://www.homeopathyoz.org/
Click on General Interest, then Research, for access to numerous studies
http://www.homeopathic.org/research.htm
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