- What homeopathy is not
- What is homeopathy?
- How does homeopathy work?
- What is a homeopathic remedy?
- What happens during the initial visit to a homeopathic physician?
- Can I continue taking prescription drugs while under homeopathic treatment?
- Which diseases can be treated with homeopathy?
- Can a pregnant woman or a newborn baby benefit from homeopathy?
- How does homeopathy deal with patients affected with problems resulting from emotional trauma, severe grief or the consequence of mood disorders such as anger, depression or anxiety?
- How does homeopathy address patients with infections diseases?
- Which conditions are outside the scope of homeopathy?
- Homeopathy: past, present, and future
5. Is there any research that shows homeopathy to be effective?
Yes, there is a growing body of scientific evidence that documents homeopathy to be safe and effective. A major review of
dozens of clinical trials of homeopathy concluded that the scientific evidence is strong enough “for establishing homeopathy
as a regular treatment for certain indications.” (British Medical Journal, 1991; 302:316-323). Other research showed the
response to homeopathic remedies to be 2.5 to 3 times greater than placebo.(Lancet,1997;350:834-843).
While we're on the topic of placebo, there are two other points besides the one made in the beginning of this paper which illustrate how the effects of homeopathy are not due to placebo. For instance, homeopathy has been widely practiced with excellent results on animals, infants, and comatose patients, none of whom could possibly respond to a placebo effect. Also, it has been observed that when a patient is given a homeopathic remedy that is not accurately prescribed, there will typically be no response to that remedy. For example, consider the case where the homeopath, although trying to find the right remedy for the patient, fails on their first attempt. In cases like this, both the doctor and the patient believe (or at least hope) that the first remedy prescribed will help the patient. But after the remedy is given, the patient does not improve. After further reviewing the case, the correct remedy is chosen, and then the patient begins to improve. If the results were due to placebo, why did the patient respond to the second remedy, but not the first? The obvious conclusion from these cases is that the effects of homeopathy are clearly not due to the placebo effect. Many other research studies confirm this fact, and just a small few are summarized below.
A randomized controlled trial proved homeopathy to be successful in treating acute childhood diarrhea, especially when virus and/or bacteria were present. Jacobs, Jennifer, L. Margarita Jimenez, Stephen S. Gloyd, James L. Gale, and Dean Crothers, "Treatment of Acute Childhood Diarrhea with Homeopathic Medicine: A Randomized Clinical Trial in Nicaragua", Pediairics, Volume 93, Number 5, pp. 719-725 (May 1994). In fact, the results from this study were successfully replicated later. Jacobs, J., et al. "Homeopathic Treatment of Acute Childhood Diarrhea: Results from a Clinical Trial in Nepal", Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Volume 6, pp. 131-139 (2000).
Another study showed that homeopathy was far superior to prophylactic doses of antibiotics in preventing respiratory disease in pigs on pig farms. Albrecht, H., et al., "Homeopathy Versus Antibiotics in Metaphylaxis of Infectious Diseases", Alternative Therapies, Volume 5, Number 5, pp. 64-68 (September, 1999).
Homeopathy was also shown to be effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis. Gibson et al., Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 9, p. 453 (1980).
Allergies were shown to improve with homeopathic treatment. Reilly, D., et al., "Randomized Controlled Trial of Homeopathy Versus Placebo in Perennial Allergic Rhinitis with Overview of Four Trial Series," British Medical Journal, 321, p., 471-476, (August 19, 2000)
Faster recovery from the flu with homeopathic treatment was shown. Ferley, J. P., et al., "A Controlled Evaluation of a Homeopathic Preparation in the Treatment of influenza-Like Syndromes," British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 27, pp. 329-335 (1989).
Homeopathy improved post-operative pain and agitation in children. Alibeu, J. P., et al., "Aconit en Dilution homeopathique et agitation post-operatoire de l'enfant," Pediatrie (Bucur), 45:7-8, pp. 465-466 (1980).
Less relapse of recovering alcoholics and drug addicts undergoing homeopathic treatment was shown. Garcia-Swain, Susan, "A Double-Blind, Placebo- Controlled Trial Applying Homeopathy to Chemical Dependency," Hahnemann College of Homeopathy, Albany, California (June, 1993).
Faster recovery and less treatment failures with homeopathic treatment of otitis media (ear infections) in children. Jacobs, J., et al., “Homeopathic Treatment of Acute Otitis Media in Children: A Preliminary Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial, "Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal", 20,, 2, pp. 177-183 (February 2001)
Finally, we are currently awaiting the release of a several thousand-page book: The Weight of Evidence: Homeopathy in Times of Epidemics and other Statistics, by Andre' Saine, N.D. In it, Dr. Saine reviews the literature from the past two hundred years regarding the homeopathic treatment of over 15 of the major epidemics afflicting humankind including measles, malaria, pneumonia, and influenza, cholera, typhus, and many others. Many readers will be quite astonished to find that not only has the track record of homeopathy been excellent in the treatment of these diseases, but it has actually been shown to be universally superior to that of conventional medical treatment.