Measuring the effects of acupuncture and homoeopathy in general practice: An uncontrolled prospective documentation approach

Güthlin, Corina; Lange, Oliver; Walach, Harald

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-4-6

Cited by 69 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Where such studies are being done, sizeable and stable clinical effects on homeopathy are reported. #, [153][154][155] Roughly 70% of all patients using homeopathy report they are considerably improved after treatment, and these effects remain stable during follow-up periods of 2-5 years. In summary, there is an efficacy/effectiveness paradox (similar to that found in several other areas of complementary medicine research) with very weak evidence that homeopathy is different from placebo but yet there is documented usefulness in general practice 156 : We have a therapy that is useful when applied in open practice and produces substantial effects, even in patients with chronic diseases.…”

Section: Walach Et Al 818mentioning

confidence: 99%

Research on Homeopathy: State of the Art

Walach

Jonas²,

Ives³

et al. 2005

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

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In this paper, we review research on homeopathy from four perspectives, focusing on reviews and some landmark studies. These perspectives are laboratory studies, clinical trials, observational studies, and theoretical work. In laboratory models, numerous effects and anomalies have been reported. However, no single model has been sufficiently widely replicated. Instead, researchers have focused on ever-new models and experiments, leaving the picture of scattered anomalies without coherence. Basic research, trying to elucidate a purported difference between homeopathic remedies and control solutions has also produced some encouraging results, but again, series of independent replications are missing. While there are nearly 200 reports on clinical trials, few series have been conducted for single conditions. Some of these series document clinically useful effects and differences against placebo and some series do not. Observational research into uncontrolled homeopathic practice documents consistently strong therapeutic effects and sustained satisfaction in patients. We suggest that this scattered picture has to do with the fourth line of research: lack of a good theory. Some of the extant theoretical models are reviewed, including placebo, water structure, silica contamination, energy models, and entanglement models. It emerges that local models, suggesting some change in structure in the solvent, are far from convincing. The nonlocal models proposed would predict that it is impossible to nail down homeopathic effects with direct experimental testing and this places homeopathy in a scientific dilemma. We close with some suggestions for potentially fruitful research.

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Section: Walach Et Al 818mentioning

confidence: 99%

Research on Homeopathy: State of the Art

Walach

Jonas²,

Ives³

et al. 2005

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine

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“…Homeopathic doctor's higher direct expenses may be balanced during the course of the total treatment [100,106]. Due to decreased costs of remedies and drugs and laboratory and technical services total costs tend to be lower, particularly on a long-term basis [107,108].…”

Section: Data and Studies On Homeopathymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Homeopathy has been investigated in Germany and Switzerland [102], Belgium [103] and France [104,105]. Local and regional surveys are available in UK [106,107] and Germany [108]. IIPCOS studies are based on indication [65,92,93].…”

Section: Data and Studies On Homeopathymentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness, Safety and Cost-Effectiveness of Homeopathy in General Practice – Summarized Health Technology Assessment

et al. 2006

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Introduction: The Health Technology Assessment report on effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and appropriateness of homeopathy was compiled on behalf of the Swiss Federal Office for Public Health (BAG) within the framework of the ‘Program of Evaluation of Complementary Medicine (PEK)’. Materials and Methods: Databases accessible by Internet were systematically searched, complemented by manual search and contacts with experts, and evaluated according to internal and external validity criteria. Results: Many high-quality investigations of pre-clinical basic research proved homeopathic high-potencies inducing regulative and specific changes in cells or living organisms. 20 of 22 systematic reviews detected at least a trend in favor of homeopathy. In our estimation 5 studies yielded results indicating clear evidence for homeopathic therapy. The evaluation of 29 studies in the domain ‘Upper Respiratory Tract Infections/Allergic Reactions’ showed a positive overall result in favor of homeopathy. 6 out of 7 controlled studies were at least equivalent to conventional medical interventions. 8 out of 16 placebocontrolled studies were significant in favor of homeopathy. Swiss regulations grant a high degree of safety due to product and training requirements for homeopathic physicians. Applied properly, classical homeopathy has few side-effects and the use of high-potencies is free of toxic effects. A general health-economic statement about homeopathy cannot be made from the available data. Conclusion: Taking internal and external validity criteria into account, effectiveness of homeopathy can be supported by clinical evidence and professional and adequate application be regarded as safe. Reliable statements of cost-effectiveness are not available at the moment. External and model validity will have to be taken more strongly into consideration in future studies.

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“…Homöopathie erweist sich in großen pragmatischen Studien, von denen es allerdings viel zu wenige gibt, als nützlich [21,22,23]. Und nicht zu vergessen: Homöopathie ist pragmatisch hilfreich [24,25,26,27]. Zwar kommt es bei homöopathischer Behandlung gelegentlich zu einer Erstverschlimmerung [28,29], aber die Behauptung, Homöopathie sei gefährlich [30], ist eine fahrlässige Interpretation der Daten [31].…”

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Die Zukunft der Homöopathie

Walach

2016

Complement Med Res

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Measuring the effects of acupuncture and homoeopathy in general practice: An uncontrolled prospective documentation approach

Cited by 69 publications

References 15 publications

Research on Homeopathy: State of the Art

Research on Homeopathy: State of the Art

Effectiveness, Safety and Cost-Effectiveness of Homeopathy in General Practice – Summarized Health Technology Assessment

Die Zukunft der Homöopathie

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