Scientific Research

Validating Homeopathy with Research

homeopathy medicines for septicemia
Written by Robert Medhurst

Homeopath and author Robert Medhurst summaries recent research in homeopathy, including research on humans, animals, plants and in vitro. Sepia for managing menopausal symptoms was among the studies reported.

If you’re a user or a prescriber of homeopathy, you’ll be aware that it works. It works with people, it works with animals and it works with plants. You don’t need to have this validated; but for the unenlightened, evidence is required. Fortunately, there is an abundance of good quality peer-reviewed published evidence for the effectiveness of homeopathy. Following are some recent examples.

Human Research

Bhat S. Assessment of Efficacy of Constitutional Treatment in the Management of Prediabetes by Analysing Hba1c Values. Hpathy, June 18, 2019. 45 individuals with prediabetes were selected for the study, based on normal diagnostic criteria. HbA1c values were obtained during the first visit according to ADA criteria.

Based on totality of symptoms constitutional homoeopathic medicine was prescribed and followed for a minimum period of 3 months. Data was statistically analysed using Paired‘t’ test, which showed a ‘p’ value of 0.000 for a  highly significant reduction in HbA1c values after a minimum 3 months duration of homoeopathic treatment.

Gopinadhan S, et al. A Pilot Study on the Effect of Arsenicum album in Alcohol Dependants. CCRH Quarterly Bull, 1994, 16, 1&2, 10-15. The authors gave 10 alcoholic males Arsenicum album 30C or 200C, repeating the dose as needed for 15 to 40 days and kept under observation for that period, after which it was determined that 8 of the subjects developed a complete aversion to alcohol while 2 reduced their desire for alcohol. These results were maintained over a further 2 year observation period.

Gupta J, et al. Homoeopathic medicine – Sepia for the management of menopausal symptoms: A multicentric, randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial. Ind J Res Hom, 2019, 13, 4, 219-28. This study was conducted with the objectives of evaluating the efficacy of homeopathic medicine – Sepia in the management of menopausal symptoms using ‘The Greene Climacteric Scale’ (GCS) and the quality of life using Utian Quality of Life (UQOL) scale.

A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled clinical study was conducted on 88 perimenopausal women who were randomised to receive either homeopathic intervention, i.e., Sepia or identical placebo and followed up for 6 months to assess them on predefined clinical parameters.

The primary outcome was the change in the menopausal complaints assessed using GCS and the secondary outcome measure was change in UQOL scale. The primary outcome measure, i.e., total score of GCS, when compared after 6 months, was reduced from 30.23 ± 8.1 to 7.86 ± 4.6 in Sepia group (improvement of 73.9%) and from 30.05 ± 8.9 to 12.73 ± 8.3 in placebo group (improvement of 57.63%) (P = 0.001).

There was a statistically significant difference between both the groups, when compared after 6 months (P = 0.001). With respect to secondary outcome, the total UQOL score was 59.09 ± 7.74 for Sepia group and 57.39 ± 7.80 for placebo group at baseline, and 62.43±7.71 for Sepia group and 63.48±7.53 for placebo group after treatment indicating slight difference in quality of life after 6 months.

Saha S, et al. An open-label prospective observational trial for assessing the effect of homoeopathic medicines in patients suffering from gout. Ind J Res Hom, 2019, 13, 4, 236-43. A prospective, single-arm, non-randomised, open-label, observational trial was conducted on 32 adults suffering from gout. All were given individualised homeopathic medicines.

Serum uric acid level was the primary outcome (baseline vs. 3 months); Gout Assessment Questionnaire v2.0 (GAQ2; baseline vs. 3 months) and Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile v2.0 (MYMOP2; baseline, every month and up to 3 months) were the secondary outcomes.

Intention-to-treat sample (n = 32) was analysed in SPSS®IBM® version 20.  Both serum uric acid level (mg/dl) (7.6 ± 1.4 vs. 6.0 ± 1.5; mean reduction: 1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1, 2.1, P < 0.001, Student’s t-test) and GAQ2 total score (45.0 ± 9.1 vs. 21.0 ± 14.0; mean reduction: 24.0, 95% CI 19.1, 29.0, P < 0.001, Student’s t-test) reduced significantly over 3 months.

MYMOP2 scores obtained longitudinally at four different time points also revealed statistically significant reductions (P < 0.001, one-way repeated measures ANOVA). The most frequently indicated medicine was Benzoicum acidum.

Bhalerao R, et al. Lycopodium clavatum for the management of urolithiasis: A randomised double-blind placebo controlled trial. Ind J Res Hom, 2019, 13, 3, 139-49. A multicentric, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Patients having symptomatology like Lycopodium clavatum were enrolled after screening and repertorisation as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

During acute renal colic, despite group allocation, the patients were either prescribed the indicated homoeopathic medicines or conventional medicine. The analysis was carried out with an intention-to-treat approach, and missing values were handled using Last Observation Carry Forward method.

There was no statistical significance between the groups (P = 0.31) in reference to the number of cases in which stones expelled during the trial. The mean size of single stone expelled was 9.4 ± 4.9 and 13.9 ± 2.2 in Verum and Placebo groups, respectively (P= 0.12). There was also no significant difference in the mean size of multiple stones; in Verum group (10.1 ± 5.3) and Placebo group (16.1 ± 9.1) (P = 0.11).

For assessment of pain and dysuria, Visual Analogue Scale was used, and a statistically significant difference was found between the groups (P = 0.039) for pain, and positive trend for Homoeopathy was noted for dysuria.

Animal Research

Pacheco PA, et al. Evaluation of Parasitological Homeopathic Complex in the Control of Gastrointestinal Nematodes in Peripartum Sheep. Homeopathy, 2019, 108, 4, 248-55. 3 randomised groups containing 16 ewes in the critical peripartum period of increased susceptibility to nematodes animals each were assigned as follows: ‘H10’ received 10 g homeopathic complex added to concentrated food per day; ‘H20’ received 20 g homeopathic complex added to concentrated food per day; ‘C’ (control group) did not receive a homeopathic complex.

Animals were tested to evaluate the effect of homeopathy on several health parameters during a period of 110 days. the parasite that prevailed in the copro-cultures of both treatments throughout the experiment was Haemonchus contortus (78.26%).

Packed cell volume averages did not present statistically significant differences between the treatments (24.5, 24.4 and 23.9% to C, H10 and H20, respectively; p < 0.05). For total white cell count, lower mean values ( ±  standard error of mean) were observed for the H20 treatment (5,490.9 ± 0.02/µL; p < 0.05), whereas the H10 (5,919.4 ± 0.02/µL) and control (6,098.5 ± 0.02/µL) presented higher and similar averages (p > 0.05).

The values for erythrocytes, monocytes, and lymphocytes did not show differences between treatments (p > 0.05). Body weight was greater in the H10-treated animals compared with control.

For the faecal egg count (FEC) of Trichostrongylidae and Strongyloides spp., respectively, the averages of the H20 treatment (1,523.0 and 30.6) were not different from control (1,616.0 and 31.6) and H10 (1,038.0 and 27.6); for Trichostrongylidae, however, H10 presented a lower FEC than the control (p = 0.02). For Cooperia, H10- and H20-treated animals showed FEC reductions of 97% and 98%, respectively.

What this showed was that H20 treatment in peripartum sheep resulted in greater body weight and lower leukocyte count. H10 was associated with lower FEC for Trichostrongylidae.

In-Vitro Research

Gayen AL, et al. Effect of Cuprum metallicum potentised through both serial dilution and succussion in comparison to succussion alone on Escherichia coli bacterial system and electrical properties of poly (vinylidene fluoride‑co‑hexafluoropropylene) polymer. Ind J Res Hom, 2019, 13, 4, 209-18. The aim here was to compare the effect of the medicine Cuprum metallicum (Cup. met.) potentised through both serial dilution and succussion with succussion alone on selected biological and physical systems.

Starting with the medicine Cup. met. at 6C, authors potentised it further to 30C and 200C by serial dilution, followed by succussion (Set A). The same medicine at 6C was also potentised to 30C and 200C by using succussion alone (Set B). The antibacterial property of these two sets was compared on E. coli , a biological system and electrical properties on polymer matrix PVDF-HFP (widely used as charge separator) a physical system.

Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy shows that the particles get more agglomerated at higher potency in Set B. Antibacterial effect of Cup. met. in Set B at 30C and 200C was observed to be more significant as compared to Set A. Effect of Cup. met. on polymer matrix in Set A varied significantly with the potency as compared to Set B wherein less beta phase crystallization was produced followed by no significant change in electrical properties

Plant Research

Jager T, et al. Effects of Homeopathic Preparations of Mercurius corrosivus on the Growth Rate of Severely Mercury-Stressed Duckweed Lemna gibba L. Homeopathy, 2019, 108, 2, 128-38. Duckweed (Lemna gibba L.) was severely stressed with mercury (II) chloride for 48 hours. Afterwards plants grew in either Merc-c. (seven different potency levels, 24X to 30X) or water controls (unsuccussed and succussed water) for 7 days. Growth rates of the frond (leaf) area were determined using a computerised image analysis system for different time intervals between the measurements on days 0, 3 and 7. 3 independent experiments with potentised Merc-c. each were evaluated.

Additionally, 3 water control experiments were analysed to investigate the stability of the experimental set-up (systematic negative control [SNC] experiments). All experiments were randomised and blinded. Unsuccussed and succussed water did not significantly differ in terms of duckweed growth rate.

The SNC experiments did not yield any significant effects, providing evidence for the stability of the experimental system. Data from the two control groups and the seven treatment groups (Merc-c. 24x-30x) were each pooled to increase the statistical power. Duckweed growth rates for day 0 to 3 were reduced (p < 0.05) after application of Merc-c. compared with the controls. Growth rates for day 3 to 7 were not influenced by the homeopathic preparations.

About the author

Robert Medhurst

Robert Medhurst BNat DHom DBM DRM DNutr is an Australian Naturopath & Homeopath with 40 years of clinical experience. He has written many articles and lectured on homeopathy throughout Australia and the U.S. Robert previously set up and operated 5 natural therapies practices in Sydney and Adelaide and was involved in teaching and medical research. He was formerly the Expert Advisor on Homeopathy to the Federal Government of Australia, Dept. of Health & Ageing. He specialises in homeopathy and is the author of The Business of Healing, the definitive guide for clinical practice establishment and management, as well as The Concordant Clinical Homeopathic Repertory. For more information see adelaidehillsnaturopath.com.au.

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