Controlled clinical trial of the effect of a homoeopathic nosode on the somatic cell counts in the milk of clinically normal dairy cows

Holmes, Mark A.; Cockcroft, Peter D.; Booth, Charles E.; Heath, M. F.

doi:10.1136/vr.156.18.565

Cited by 20 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 7 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…Results of a recent study in mild to moderate clinical mastitis indicate that cows treated with homeopathy showed significantly higher SCC that those treated with antibiotics (Werner et al, 2010). When efficiency of homeopathy is compared with a placebo in cows suffering subclinical mastitis, Kiarazm et al (2011) found a significant decrease of the SCC and a reduction of the incidence of the disease in the group receiving homeopathy, even though Holmes et al (2005) did not find any significant effect of the treatment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Udder health in organic dairy cattle in Northern Spain

Villar¹,

López‐Alonso

2015

Span. j. agric. res.

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This paper presents first data on the udder health status of organic dairy farms in Northern Spain and analyses some management and productive characteristics related to milk production comparing with the conventional sector. Five certified organic farms from the Cantabrian Region were monitored monthly from February 2006 to January 2008 and individual samples of all lactating cows were taken from parturition to the end of lactation. Although organic farms in our study showed a great individual variability, overall these were small (<50 lactating cows) traditional farms, with a high degree of pasture (66-82% dry matter intake) and a milk production (average milk yield: 5950 L) 23% lower compared with the reference conventional sector (<50 cow farms). The organic farms had higher (p<0.05) average number of calves per cow (3.93) and a lower number of first-lactation cows (16.9%) than the comparable conventional farms (2.47 calves per cow and 33.1% first-lactation cows). Organic farms showed higher (p<0.05) somatic cell counts (SCC) than the reference conventional farms (mean log 10 ±SD for all cows: 5.25±0.49 and 5.06±0.59, respectively). Detailed analysis of the SCC depending on the number of lactation and % of monthly SCC tests with linear scores indicative of udder infection suggest that while the heifers' sanitary condition at the beginning of their productive cycle was similar in both types of farms, this seems to become worse along the productive cycle in the organics. This could be related to a low use of antibiotics for prophylaxis and treatment of udder infections and merits further investigation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Udder health in organic dairy cattle in Northern Spain

Villar¹,

López‐Alonso

2015

Span. j. agric. res.

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“…The ability of a commercially available homeopathic nosode to influence SCC was evaluated in 152 Holstein-Friesian cows located in a single commercial dairy herd in the United Kingdom (Holmes et al, 2005). The nosode or a control solution was administered topically on the mucous membranes of the vulva twice daily for 3 consecutive days.…”

Section: Homeopathymentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of mastitis on organic and conventional dairy farms1

Ruegg

2009

Journal of Animal Science

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This paper compares management of mastitis on organic dairy farms with that on conventional dairy farms. National standards for organic production vary by country. In the United States, usage of antimicrobials to treat dairy cattle results in permanent loss of organic status of the animal, effectively limiting treatment choices for animals experiencing bacterial diseases. There are no products approved by the US Food and Drug Administration that can be used for treatment of mastitis on organic dairy farms, and usage of unapproved products is contrary to Food and Drug Administration guidelines. In general, organic dairy farms tend to be smaller, produce less, and more likely to be housed and milked in traditional barns as compared with conventionally managed herds. It is difficult to compare disease rates between herds managed conventionally or organically because perception and detection of disease is influenced by management system. To date, no studies have been published with the defined objective of comparing animal health on organic dairy herds with that on conventional dairy herds in the United States. European studies have not documented significant differences in animal health based on adoption of organic management. Few differences in bulk tank somatic cell counts have been identified between organic and conventional herds. Farmers that have adopted organic management consistently report fewer cases of clinical mastitis, but organic farmers do not use the same criteria to detect clinical mastitis. European dairy farmers that adopt organic management report use of a variety of conventional and alternative therapies for treatment and control of mastitis. In the United States, organic farmers treat clinical mastitis using a variety of alternative therapies including whey-based products, botanicals, vitamin supplements, and homeopathy. Organic farmers in the United States use a variety of alternative products to treat cows at dry-off. Virtually no data are available that support the clinical efficacy of any of the alternative veterinary products used for treatment or prevention of mastitis. Some associations between organic management and antimicrobial susceptibility of gram-positive mastitis pathogens have been noted, but overall, few mastitis pathogens from both conventional and organic dairy herds demonstrate resistance to antibiotics commonly used for mastitis control.

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“…Data presented include: medical condition, species, nature of the homeopathic intervention, and trial setting. The tabulation also includes details of the RCT's source of funding, together with the associated freedom from vested interest: only one trial (Holmes and others 2005) was deemed to be clearly free of such vested interest.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The direction of effect was towards homeopathy in each of the six trials from which data could be extracted. The seventh trial in this category (Holmes and others 2005) contained logarithmic data. Due to the diversity of medical conditions, species and types of homeopathic intervention displayed in these six trials, and the fact that analysis was limited to data from trials at low/unclear risk of bias, it was not considered appropriate to carry out meta-analysis on disease-specific treatment or prophylaxis.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Veterinary homeopathy: systematic review of medical conditions studied by randomised placebo‐controlled trials

Mathie

Clausen

2014

Veterinary Record

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A systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of veterinary homeopathy has not previously been undertaken. Using Cochrane methods, this review aims to assess risk of bias and to quantify the effect size of homeopathic intervention compared with placebo for each eligible peer-reviewed trial. Judgement in seven assessment domains enabled a trial's risk of bias to be designated as low, unclear or high. A trial was judged to comprise reliable evidence if its risk of bias was low or was unclear in specified domains. A trial was considered to be free of vested interest if it was not funded by a homeopathic pharmacy. The 18 eligible RCTs were disparate in nature, representing four species and 11 different medical conditions. Reliable evidence, free from vested interest, was identified in two trials: homeopathic Coli had a prophylactic effect on porcine diarrhoea (odds ratio 3.89, 95 per cent confidence interval [CI], 1.19 to 12.68, P=0.02); and individualised homeopathic treatment did not have a more beneficial effect on bovine mastitis than placebo intervention (standardised mean difference -0.31, 95 per cent CI, -0.97 to 0.34, P=0.35). Mixed findings from the only two placebo-controlled RCTs that had suitably reliable evidence precluded generalisable conclusions about the efficacy of any particular homeopathic medicine or the impact of individualised homeopathic intervention on any given medical condition in animals.

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Controlled clinical trial of the effect of a homoeopathic nosode on the somatic cell counts in the milk of clinically normal dairy cows

Cited by 20 publications

References 7 publications

Udder health in organic dairy cattle in Northern Spain

Udder health in organic dairy cattle in Northern Spain

Management of mastitis on organic and conventional dairy farms1

Veterinary homeopathy: systematic review of medical conditions studied by randomised placebo‐controlled trials

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