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The Case for Homeopathy

INTRODUCTION

Evidence supporting use of homeopathy in main-stream medicine:

A. The clinical effects of homeopathy are not due to placebo

i. Ground-breaking work in Rhinitis and Asthma by Dr. Taylor-Reilly M.R.C.P.
ii. Meta-analyses
iii. Herbert Spencer’s ‘bar against knowledge’
iv. Philosophical comment
v. Conclusion

B. Positive clinical effect of homeopathy in many conditions
i. Shortcomings of Randomized Clinical Trials
ii. Systematic review nullifying the hypothesis that homeopathy does not have an effect superior to that of other active treatment
iii. Randomized Clinical Trials showing positive effect of homeopathy
iv. Non-exclusionary guidelines for conditions in which homeopathy may be used

C. High rate of patient satisfaction with homeopathy
i. Outcome studies showing a positive effect of homeopathic treatment in patient’s lives.
ii. Large Case Series have documented that homeopathy has a beneficial effect in patient’s lives
iii. Studies documenting patient satisfaction with homeopathic treatment
iv. Case studies

D. Laboratory effects of homeopathic potencies
i. Biological effects of highly-diluted and succussed solutions:
- Human basophil degranulation triggered by a very dilute antiserum against IgE
- Inhibition of histamine release from basophils activated by anti-IgE antibody by dilute solutions of histamine
ii. Laboratory studies of homeopathic potencies
iii. Meta-analysis of laboratory studies
iv. Cellular effects of homeopathic potencies

E. Homeopathy is safe
i. Risks of using pharmaceuticals
ii. Safety of homeopathy
iii. Aggravation of symptoms
iv. Perceived safety of homeopathic medicines by patients
v. Conclusion

F. Homeopathy is cost-effective
i. Considerable potential for cost-saving
ii. Savings demonstrated by U.K. homeopathic hospitals
iii. Savings in France
iv. Children with diarrhoea cost the health system less, when treated with homeopathy
v. South African perspective
vi. Conclusion

G. Funders are prepared to pay for it

H. Use of homeopathy is growing
i. Increasing numbers of patients want it
ii. More and more doctors are using it
iii. Many medical schools provide training in homeopathy

I. There is encouraging research pointing us in directions that explain how it works

Introduction:

For over 200 years conventional doctors have hypothesized that homeopathic medicines only have a placebo effect. This notion has been nullified by original clinical double-blind placebo-controlled, randomized trials in rhinitis and asthma, using objectively measured outcomes, conducted by Dr. David Taylor-Reilly M.R.C.P., lead-consultant at the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital, Scotland and published in The Lancet and the British Medical Journal between 1985 and 2000.

Four meta-analyses of the homeopathic data base, published between 1991 and 2000 in The Lancet, BMJ and other peer-reviewed ‘heavyweight’ journals like the European Journal of Pharmacology and the Journal for Complementary and Alternative Medicine all conclude that homeopathy has an effect different to placebo. This difference needs to be explored.

Dr. Robert Mathie, the U.K. Faculty of Homeopathy’s research consultant, tested a more novel hypothesis than ‘homeopathy works by a placebo effect’, namely that ‘homeopathy does not have a more specific effect than another active treatment’. His systematic analysis of the homeopathic data base, published in Homeopathy, a peer-reviewed journal, in 2003, nullified this hypothesis. Indeed it highlighted conditions in which there is emerging evidence which shows that homeopathy works, i.e. in which the homeopathic evidence base is strongest.

Mathie’s research, as well as many randomized clinical trials vindicate the instinctive movement by patients towards homeopathy which has been well described in The Lancet and the Journal of the American Medical Association. It provides further impetus for incorporation of homeopathy into the practice of doctors, increasing numbers of whom are using homeopathy. In recognition of this, increasing numbers of medical schools are providing under-graduate education in complementary and alternative therapy, including homeopathy, to medical students.

This supports the successful experiences that clinicians and their millions of patients have experienced over 200 years of practicing homeopathy, documented in case studies published in the homeopathic literature: homeopathy has stood the test of time.

In 1988, Professor Benveniste published work in the prestigious basic science journal Nature, which showed that human basophils underwent degranulation when triggered by a very dilute anti-IgE antiserum. Pan-European studies on basophil degranulation showed that dilute solutions of histamine modulated release of histamine by activated basophils, when counted by flow cytometry: the first report of this work was published in 2001 by bio-chemists at Queen’s University, Belfast, led by Professor Madeleine Ennis. The full results of this multi-centre European trial were published in 2004. This is the first time that there has been replication of laboratory work showing that homeopathically-prepared substances have a biological effect.

It is now clear that there is a phenomenon in homeopathy that can not be explained by the placebo effect. It is already clear that homeopathy has measurably successful effects in certain clinical conditions, indeed, in some conditions the effect of homeopathic treatment is greater than that of other active treatment.

Other areas of research demonstrate the clinical validity of homeopathic treatment. Medical institutions which offer homeopathic services in the United Kingdom have published positive outcomes studies of their homeopathically-treated patients. Large case series have been published that show high assessments of success by patients and doctors involved in homeopathic treatment. High rates of patient satisfaction with homeopathic treatment have been measured.

As well as being effective, homeopathy has been found to be safe.

Studies on user patterns in homeopathy have demonstrated considerable potential for cost-saving. Homeopathy has been demonstrated to be cost-effective.