Salicylates and homoeopathy in rheumatoid arthritis: preliminary observations.

Abstract

I This paper reports the results of a pilot study in which 41 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were treated with high doses of salicylate, 3.9 g per day, and the results compared with a further 54 similar patients treated with homoeopathy. Both groups were compared with 100 patients who received placebo. 2 The patients who received homoeopathy did better than those who received salicylate. The design of the trial was such, however, that it was not possible to distinguish between the effects due to the physicians and the effects due to the drugs and a further trial is planned to elucidate this point. 3 Patients on homoeopathic treatment did not experience toxic effects.

Homoeopathic therapy in rheumatoid arthritis: evaluation by double‐ blind clinical therapeutic trial.

“…No change was observed in this parameter in the previous trial (Gibson et al, 1978) and this has also been the experience of other workers (Deodhar et al, 1973). Time (months) Figure 2 Comparison of limbering up time before and after treatment in patients on first-line antiinflammatory therapy plus homoeopathy (0), and in patients on first-line anti-inflammatory therapy plus placebo (A).…”

“…The improvements obtained in the present trial were of a similar order of magnitude to those obtained in the pilot study (Gibson et al, 1978). The Time (months) Figure 5 Comparison of functional index before and after treatment in patients on orthodox first-line antiinflammatory therapy plus homoeopathy (-), and in patients on orthodox first-line anti-inflammatory therapy plus placebo (A).…”

“…They were seen in the outpatient department of the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases by the two physicians from the Glasgow Homoeopathic Hospital who were involved in the previous study (Gibson et al, 1978). Because in homoeopathic practice the selection of the appropriate remedy depends on the patient's symptoms and signs and his reaction to his total exterior and interior environment, the patients were divided into two groups: those with good prescribing symptoms, R patients, and those with poor prescribing symptoms, U patients, (Dhawale, 1976;Mitchell, 1975;Clarke, 1978 This assessment into these two categories was made by the two homoeopathic physicians.…”

“…A pilot study comparing the relative values of homoeopathic treatment and salicylate therapy in rheumatoid arthritis has been previously described (Gibson, Gibson, MacNeill, Gray, Dick & Buchanan, 1978). There were, however, two main criticisms of this study.…”

Salicylates and homeopathy.

“…The paper 'Salicylates and homeopathy in rheumatoid arthritis: preliminary observations' by Gibson, Gibson, MacNeill, Gray, Carson Dick & Watson Buchanan (1978) is of interest not only because of the topical nature of the subject and the superficially impressive response to homeopathy, but also because of the defects in the trial design. These defects should be of concern to readers of the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology as publication of even preliminary observations in a specialist journal devoted to drug research gives a cachet of respectability to those observations in the eyes of nonspecialists.…”