1. A controlled clinical trial was conducted to assess the effectiveness of a homoeopathic preparation in the treatment of influenza-like syndromes. 2. 237 cases received the test drug and 241 were assigned to placebo. Patients recorded their rectal temperature twice a day, and the presence or absence of five cardinal symptoms (headache, stiffness, lumbar and articular pain, shivers) along with cough, coryza and fatigue. 3. Recovery was defined as a rectal temperature less than 37.5 degrees C and complete resolution of the five cardinal symptoms. 4. The proportion of cases who recovered within 48 h of treatment was greater among the active drug group than among the placebo group (17.1% against 10.3%, P = 0.03). 5. The result cannot be explained given our present state of knowledge, but it calls for further rigorously designed clinical studies.

CONTEXT: The incidence of tendon injuries and tendinopathy has risen substantially in the past decades. OBJECTIVE: To assess the noninferiority of therapy based on the homeopathic preparation Traumeel S ointment (Heel GmbH, Baden-Baden, Germany) compared with treatment based on diclofenac 1% gel in patients with tendinopathies of varying etiology. DESIGN: Nonrandomized, observational study. SETTING: Ninety-five homeopathy and conventional medical practices in Germany. PATIENTS: Three hundred fifty-seven patients aged 18 to 93 years with tendinopathy of varying etiology based on excessive tendon load rather than inflammation. INTERVENTIONS: Traumeel S ointment or diclofenac 1% gel for a maximum of 28 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Efficacy was measured on a four-degree scale on pain-related variables, on variables related to motility, and on overall treatment outcome. Tolerability was monitored as adverse events. Compliance was assessed by practitioner and patient on a four-degree scale. RESULTS: The patients groups were comparable at baseline. The changes in summary score of all pain-related variables were -5.3 +/- 2.7 (all values means +/- SD) in the Traumeel group and -5.0 +/- 2.7 in the control group. Changes for all motility-related variables were -4.2 +/- 3.8 with Traumeel and -3.7 +/- 3.4 with control therapy. The summary scores for all clinical variables were reduced by -9.5 +/- 5.7 with Traumeel therapy and by -8.7 +/- 5.4 with diclofenac-based treatment. Homeopathic therapy was noninferior to diclofenac therapy on all variables. For motility-related variables, there was a trend toward superiority of Traumeel. Treatments were well tolerated with no treatment-related adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that Traumeel ointment is an effective alternative to nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs therapy for the acute symptomatic treatment of patients with tendinopathy.

OBJECTIVE: 1) To assess the efficacy of homeopathic prepared Galphimia glauca compared to placebo in the treatment of pollinosis. 2) To estimate the corresponding overall success rate of Galphimia glauca. Meta-analysis of clinical trials. STUDY SELECTION: 7 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials and 4 not placebo-controlled trials (1 randomized and controlled, 1 prospective uncontrolled, 2 retrospective uncontrolled) performed by our study group between 1980 and 1989. An additional MEDLINE search revealed no further trials on this topic. Exclusion and inclusion criteria were identical over all trials. In total, 1038 ambulatory patients that suffered from acute pollinosis (752 in placebo-controlled trials) entered the analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Relative frequency and relative risk for showing noticeable and soothing relief in ocular symptoms as assessed by the patient. The overall rate of improved eye-symptoms is about 1.25 (CI: 1.09 to 1.43) times higher in the verum than in the placebo group. Verum success rate is estimated by 79.3% (CI: 74.1% to 85.0%). Across the single studies the results were highly comparable except for the study run in 1985. A significant superiority of Galphimia glauca over placebo is demonstrated. Estimates of verum success rates are comparable with those of conventional antihistaminics, but no side effects occurred. As not all of the single studies were analyzed by intention to treat analysis the results may be biased.

OBJECTIVE:There is no management regime for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) that has been found to be universally beneficial and no treatment can be considered a "cure". Patients with CFS may use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Our aim was to evaluate homeopathic treatment in reducing subjective symptoms of CFS.

METHOD:Using a triple-blind design (patient and homeopath blind to group assignment and data analyst blind to group until after initial analyses to reduce the possibility of bias due to data analyst), we randomly assigned patients to homeopathic medicine or identical placebo. One hundred and three patients meeting the Oxford criteria for CFS were recruited from two specialist hospital out patient departments. Patients had monthly consultations with a professional homeopath for 6 months. Main outcome measures were scores on the subscales of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) and proportions of each group attaining clinically significant improvements on each subscale. Secondary outcome measures were the Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS) and the Functional Limitations Profile (FLP). Ninety-two patients completed treatment in the trial (47 homeopathic treatment, 45 placebo). Eighty-six patients returned fully or partially completed posttreatment outcome measures (41 homeopathic treatment group who completed treatment, 2 homeopathic treatment group who did not complete treatment, 38 placebo group who completed treatment, and 5 placebo group who did not complete treatment).

RESULTS:Seventeen of 103 patients withdrew from treatment or were lost to follow-up. Patients in the homeopathic medicine group showed significantly more improvement on the MFI general fatigue subscale (one of the primary outcome measures) and the FLP physical subscale but not on other subscales. Although group differences were not statistically significant on four out of the five MFI subscales (the primary outcome measures), more people in the homeopathic medicine group showed clinically significant improvement. More people in the homeopathic medicine group showed clinical improvement on all primary outcomes (relative risk=2.75, P=.09).

CONCLUSIONS:There is weak but equivocal evidence that the effects of homeopathic medicine are superior to placebo. Results also suggest that there may be nonspecific benefits from the homeopathic consultation. Further studies are needed to determine whether these differences hold in larger samples.

OBJECTIVE:: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a homeopathic gel vs an NSAID (piroxicam) gel in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.

METHOD:: One hundred and eighty-four out-patients with radiographically confirmed symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee were entered into a pragmatic, randomized, double-blind controlled trial and treated with 1 g of gel three times daily for 4 weeks. Main outcome measures were pain on walking as a Visual Analogue Score (VAS) and a single-joint Ritchie index.

RESULTS:: One hundred and seventy-two of the 184 enrolled patients had endpoints for the main outcome parameters. The pain reduction was 16.5 mm VAS in the homeopathy group (n = 86) and 8.1 mm in the piroxicam group (n = 86); the difference between treatment groups was 8.4 mm (95% confidence interval 0.8-15.9), and after adjustment for pain at baseline it was 6.8 mm (95% confidence interval -0.3 to 13.8). There was no significant difference between treatment groups in the single-joint Ritchie index (P = 0.78). Adverse events occurred in 28 patients (12 homeopathy group, 5 withdrawn; 16 piroxicam group, 9 withdrawn); 18 of the events involved a local reaction (7 homeopathy group, 2 withdrawn; 11 piroxicam group, 5 withdrawn).

CONCLUSION:: The homeopathic gel was at least as effective and as well tolerated as the NSAID gel. The presence of a clinically relevant difference between treatment groups cannot be excluded. The homeopathic gel supplemented by simple analgesics if required may provide a useful treatment option for patients with osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND:The objective of the clinical study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerance of a homeopathic nasal spray in cases of hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis) in comparison with the conventional intranasal cromolyn sodium therapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:In total, 146 outpatients with symptoms of hay fever were enrolled into the clinical study (randomized, double-blind, equivalence trial) (time of treatment: 42 days). The homeopathic remedy (Luffa comp.-Heel trade mark Nasal Spray, dosage: 0.14 ml per application, 4 times per a day / naris) consisted of a fixed combination made up of Luffa operculata, Galphimia glauca, histamine, and sulfur. The main outcome measure of the efficacy was the quality of life as measured by means of the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life-Questionnaire (RQLQ). The tolerance of the trial medication was registered by means of global assessment, rhinoscopy, recording of adverse events and with the aid of vital and laboratory parameters.

RESULTS:The results of the study demonstrate a quick and lasting effect of the treatment. This effect was independent from the medication applied and produced a nearly complete remission of the hay fever symptoms. The RQLQ global score changed significantly in the course of the treatment, indicating therapeutic equivalence between the two forms of treatment. Adverse systemic effects did not occur. Local adverse events appeared in 3 patients.

CONCLUSIONS:The study proved that, for the treatment of hay fever, the homeopathic nasal spray is as efficient and well tolerable as the conventional therapy with cromolyn sodium.

BACKGROUND:Stomatitis is a common consequence of chemotherapy and a condition for which there is little effective treatment. Although the management of patients with other chemotherapy-related toxicities has improved in recent years, the incidence of stomatitis is increasing because of more intensive treatment and is often a dose limiting factor in chemotherapy. The authors assessed the efficacy of a homeopathic remedy, TRAUMEEL S(R), in the management of chemotherapy-induced stomatitis in children undergoing bone marrow transplantation.

METHODS:A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial was conducted in 32 patients ages 3-25 years who had undergone allogeneic (16 patients) or autologous (16 patients) stem cell transplantation. Of the 30 evaluable patients, 15 were assigned placebo, and 15 were assigned TRAUMEEL S both as a mouth rinse, administered five times daily from 2 days after transplantation for a minimum of 14 days, or until at least 2 days after all signs of stomatitis were absent. Stomatitis scores were evaluated according to the World Health Organization grading system for mucositis.

RESULTS:A total of five patients (33%) in the TRAUMEEL S treatment group did not develop stomatitis compared with only one patient (7%) in the placebo group. Stomatitis worsened in only 7 patients (47%) in the TRAUMEEL S treatment group compared with 14 patients (93%) in the placebo group. The mean area under the curve stomatitis scores were 10.4 in the TRAUMEEL S treatment group and 24.3 in the placebo group. This difference was statistically significant (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS:This study indicates that TRAUMEEL S may reduce significantly the severity and duration of chemotherapy-induced stomatitis in children undergoing bone marrow transplantation.

BACKGROUND:Mortality in patients with severe sepsis remains high despite the development of several therapeutic strategies. The aim of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to evaluate whether homeopathy is able to influence long-term outcome in critically ill patients suffering from severe sepsis.

METHODS:Seventy patients with severe sepsis received homeopathic treatment (n = 35) or placebo (n = 35). Five globules in a potency of 200c were given at 12h interval during the stay at the intensive care unit. Survival after a 30 and 180 days was recorded.

RESULTS:Three patients (2 homeopathy, 1 placebo) were excluded from the analyses because of incomplete data. All these patients survived. Baseline characteristics including age, sex, BMI, prior conditions, APACHE II score, signs of sepsis, number of organ failures, need for mechanical ventilation, need for vasopressors or veno-venous hemofiltration, and laboratory parameters were not significantly different between groups. On day 30, there was non-statistically significantly trend of survival in favour of homeopathy (verum 81.8%, placebo 67.7%, P= 0.19). On day 180, survival was statistically significantly higher with verum homeopathy (75.8% vs 50.0%, P = 0.043). No adverse effects were observed.

CONCLUSIONS:Our data suggest that homeopathic treatment may be a useful additional therapeutic measure with a long-term benefit for severely septic patients admitted to the intensive care unit. A constraint to wider application of this method is the limited number of trained homeopaths.

OBJECTIVES:Evidence from clinical trials questions the benefit-risk ratio of first-line antibiotic treatment for uncomplicated acute otitis media in childhood. Alternative treatment strategies are very popular but have not been the subject of larger controlled clinical trials. This trial compares an alternative with a conventional treatment strategy for acute otitis media.

METHODS AND PATIENTS:390 children aged 1-10 years presenting with uncomplicated acute otitis media participated in a prospective, open, non-randomized, controlled, parallel-group study. According to self-assignment of investigators, children were treated either conventionally (free combinations of decongestant nose drops, mucolytics, analgesics and antibiotics) or alternatively with Otovowen (fixed combination of plant-based tinctures and homeopathic potencies), supplemented by conventional medications when considered necessary.

RESULTS:Alternatively treated patients (n = 192) had significantly less severe otoscopic findings and clinical symptom ratings at baseline than children treated in conventional centers (n = 193). Patients cared for by conventional therapists took more antibiotics (80.5% vs. 14.4%; chi2-test, p<0.001) and analgesics (66.8% vs. 53.2%; chi2-test, p = 0.007). Times to recovery were 5.3 +/- 2.4 and 5.1 +/- 2.2 days for alternative and conventional treatment, respectively. Odds ratios (OR) with a lower limit of 1-sided 97.5% confidence interval (CI) were 0.98 (0.76), 0.95 (0.73) and 0.88 (0.69) for results adjusted to baseline otoscopy, pain and symptom score, respectively (Cox-Mantel test). Absence from school or preschool nursery was 1.7 days in both groups; ORs (CI) were 1.00 (0.76), 0.96 (0.73) and 1.04 (0.80). Noninferiority of alternative treatment (CI limit of OR above 0.696) was not proven for pain resolution (-5.2 vs. -5.8 score points); OR (CI) were 0.87 (0.68), 1.15 (0.87) and 0.74 (0.58). Alternative treatment was judged both by doctors (Mann-Whitney estimator with 2-sided 95% CI 0.41 (0.35-0.47)) and parents (0.42 (0.36-0.48)), to be significantly better tolerated than conventional treatment.

CONCLUSIONS:In primary care management of uncomplicated acute otitis media in childhood, an alternative treatment strategy based on the natural medicine, Otovowen may substantially reduce the use of antibiotics without disadvantage to the clinical outcome.

To examine if a potentized homeopathic drug, Natrum Sulphuricum 200 (Nat Sulph-200) has protective potentials against hepatocarcinogenesis, liver tumors were induced in mice through chronic feeding of P-dimethylaminoazobenzene (p-DAB; initiator of hepatocarcinogenesis) and phenobarbital (PB; promoter). Mice were divided into five sub-groups: fed normal low protein diet (Gr. I, normal control); fed normal low protein plus alcohol-200 (vehicle of the homeopathic remedy) (Gr. II); fed diet mixed with 0.06% p-DAB plus 0.05% PB (Gr. III); fed diet and carcinogens like Gr.III, plus alcohol 200 (positive control for drug fed mice) (Gr. IV) and fed diet and carcinogens like Gr. III, plus Natrum Sulphuiricum-200 (Gr. V; drug fed). Mice were sacrificed at day 7, 15, 30, 60, 90 and day 120 for study of cytogenetical endpoints like chromosome aberrations (CA), micronuclei (MN), mitotic index (MI) and sperm head anomaly (SHA) and biochemical toxicity parameters like aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT), acid (AcP) and alkaline (AlkP) phosphatases, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and reduced glutathione (GSH) content. Less number of liver tumors were observed in Gr. V (drug fed) mice. Administration of Nat Sulph 200 reduced genomic damage, activities of AcP, AlkP, AST, ALT, LPO and increased GSH content. Therefore, independent replication of the study by others is encouraged.

OBJECTIVES: To study the anti-asthmatic and anti-anaphylactic activities of Blatta orientalis mother tincture (B. orientalis MT), a homeopathic medicine, in experimental animal models. METHODS: The anti-asthmatic activity of B. orientalis MT was studied in the bronchial hyperactivity models, acetylcholine and histamine induced bronchospasm, in guinea pigs. Anti-anaphylactic activity was tested by active and passive anaphylaxis models in rats, anti-eosinophilic activity was tested by milk-induced eosinophilia in mice. RESULTS: Significant protection against acetylcholine and histamine aerosol-induced bronchospasm in B. orientalis MT treated guinea pigs was seen. In active and passive anaphylaxis albino rat models significant reduction in mesenteric mast cells degranulation, serum IgE level and eosinophil cell count was observed in the B. orientalis MT treated rat group when compared with the sensitized control rat group. CONCLUSION: These results reveal broad activity of B. orientalis MT. It may have nonselective anti-asthmatic activity. The anti-anaphylactic activity of B. orientalis MT may be due to mast cell stabilization, suppression of IgE and eosinophil cell count.

The anti-inflammatory effect of Arnica montana 6cH was evaluated using acute and chronic inflammation models. In the acute, model, carrageenin-induced rat paw oedema, the group treated with Arnica montana 6cH showed 30% inhibition compared to control (P<0.05). Treatment with Arnica 6cH, 30 min prior to carrageenin, did not produce any inhibition of the inflammatory process. In the chronic model, Nystatin-induced oedema, the group treated 3 days previously with Arnica montana 6cH had reduced inflammation 6 h after the inflammatory agent was applied (P<0.05). When treatment was given 6 h after Nystatin treatment, there was no significant inhibitory effect. In a model based on histamine-induced increase of vascular permeability, pretreatment with Arnica montana 6cH blocked the action of histamine in increasing vascular permeability.

BACKGROUND:The homeopathic preparation of Pulsatilla nigricans is used in the treatment of anxiety related disorders. Though in clinical use for many years, the anxiolytic activity of Pulsatilla nigricans (Puls) has not been evaluated experimentally. Hence the present study was conducted in Swiss albino mice to evaluate the anxiolytic activity of Puls and compare its activity with the standard anxiolytic drug, diazepam.

METHODS:Twenty four mice were divided into 4 groups of 6 animals each, control, standard and two test groups. The control group was treated Ethyl alcohol 10ml/kg. The standard group received Diazepam, 1mg/kg. Puls 3x and 6x solutions were given at the dose of 10ml/kg to the test groups. All animals were given the test and control treatments orally for 15 days. The anxiolytic effect was tested on days 1, 8 and 15 using the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) and Open Field Test (OFT).

RESULTS:Both diazepam and Puls showed significant anxiolytic activity in EPM and OFT test compared to control. The total number of entries and time spent in open arm in EPM was increased by both diazepam and Puls, the effect of 3x dilution of Puls was greater than diazepam. In the OFT the number of squares crossed, rearing and assisted rearings decreased with both diazepam and Puls compared to control and the anxiolytic effect of diazepam was greater than Puls. The anxiolytic effect is greater for the 3x dilution than 6x dilution of Puls.

CONCLUSION:The study showed an anxiolytic effect of homeopathic preparation of Pulsatilla nigricans comparable to that found with a standard drug.

BACKGROUND: Homeopathy is a complementary medicine widely used around the world. Despite extensive use of homeopathy for cancer and other serious conditions with reported success, clinical and laboratory research has been equivocal, and no rigorous research has been done on cancer. In 1999, the US National Cancer Institute evaluated the effects of homeopathic treatment of cancer from a clinic in India and has released a request for protocols to conduct further research into this treatment. Therefore, the authors conducted a series of carefully controlled laboratory studies evaluating the effects of commonly used homeopathic remedies in cell and animal models of prostate cancer. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred male Copenhagen rats were randomly assigned to either treatment or control groups after inoculation with prostate tumor cells. METHODS: Prostate tumor cells DU-145, LNCaP, and MAT-LyLu were exposed to 5 homeopathic remedies. Male Copenhagen rats were injected with MAT-LyLu cells and exposed to the same homeopathic remedies for 5 weeks. In vitro outcomes included tumor cell viability and apoptosis gene expression. In vivo outcomes included tumor incidence, volume, weight, total mortality, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression, apoptotic cell death (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated d-uridine triphosphate nick end labeling), and gene expression (rAPO-multiprobe). RESULTS: There were no effects on cell viability or gene expression in 3 prostate cell lines with any remedies at any exposure time. There was a 23% reduction in tumor incidence (P<.0001), and for animals with tumors, there was a 38% reduction in tumor volume in homeopathy-treated animals versus controls (P<.02). At time of killing, experimental animals with tumors had a 13% lower average tumor weight (P<.05). Tumors in these treated animals showed a 19% increase in apoptotic cell death (P<.05) and reduced PCNA-positive cells. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that selected homeopathic remedies for the present study have no direct cellular anticancer effects but appear to significantly slow the progression of cancer and reduce cancer incidence and mortality in Copenhagen rats injected with MAT-LyLu prostate cancer cells.

INTRODUCTION: Homeopathy is a popular form of complementary and alternative medicine and is used to treat for certain liver ailments. AIM: To analyze the efficacy of homeopathic Chelidonium majus (Chel) 30C and 200C in amelioration of experimentally induced hepato-toxicity in rats. METHODS: Rats were randomized into six sub-groups: negative control; negative control+EtOH; positive control; positive control+EtOH group; Chel 30; Chel 200. Rats were sacrificed at day 30, 60, 90 and 120; various toxicity biomarkers and pathological parameters were evaluated. Gelatin zymography for determination of metalloproteinases activity and Western blot of p53 and Bcl-2 proteins were also employed. All analyses were observer blind. RESULTS: Chronic feeding of p-dimethyl amino azo benzene (p-DAB) and phenobarbital (PB) elevated the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), triglyceride, cholesterol, creatinine and bilirubin and lowered the levels of glutathione (GSH), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD), catalase and HDL-cholesterol. There were statistically significant modulations of these parameters in the treated animals, compared to positive controls. In both treated groups, there was downregulation of metalloproteinases, p53 and Bcl-2 proteins compared to over-expression in the positive control groups. CONCLUSION: Both the potencies of Chel exhibited anti-tumor and anti-oxidative stress potential against artificially induced hepatic tumors and hepato-toxicity in rats. More studies are warranted.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic primary insomnia is defined as difficulty in initiating or maintaining sleep or of non-restorative sleep that lasts for at least 1 month and causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning. The homeopathic simillimum is that remedy which most closely corresponds to the totality of symptoms; remedy selection is based on a full evaluation of the patient's physical, emotional and mental characteristics. AIM/PURPOSE: The purpose of this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the efficacy of homeopathic simillimum in the treatment of chronic primary insomnia. METHOD: 30 participants were selected in accordance with DSM-IV TR (2000)(1) criterion 307.42 Primary Insomnia and then randomly divided between treatment and placebo groups. The measurement tools used were a Sleep Diary (SD) and the Sleep Impairment Index (SII).(2) After an initial consultation, 2 follow-up consultations at 2-week intervals took place. Homeopathic medication was prescribed at the first and second consultations. The SII was completed at each consultation and participants were instructed at the first consultation to start the SD. RESULTS: SD data revealed that verum treatment resulted in a significant increase in duration of sleep throughout the study, compared to the placebo treatment which resulted in no significant increase in duration of sleep. A significant improvement in SII summary scores and number of improved individual questions were found in the verum group, responses to all 11 questions having improved significantly upon completion of the study. An initial improvement occurred in the placebo group, but was not sustained. Comparison of results between the groups revealed a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: The homeopathic simillimum treatment of primary insomnia was effective, compared to placebo. Homeopathy is a viable treatment modality for this condition and further research is justified.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Many cancer patients seek homeopathy as a complementary therapy. It has rarely been studied systematically, whether homeopathic care is of benefit for cancer patients. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study with cancer patients in two differently treated cohorts: one cohort with patients under complementary homeopathic treatment (HG; n=259), and one cohort with conventionally treated cancer patients (CG; n=380). For a direct comparison, matched pairs with patients of the same tumour entity and comparable prognosis were to be formed. Main outcome parameter: change of quality of life (FACT-G, FACIT-Sp) after 3 months. Secondary outcome parameters: change of quality of life (FACT-G, FACIT-Sp) after a year, as well as impairment by fatigue (MFI) and by anxiety and depression (HADS). RESULTS: HG: FACT-G, or FACIT-Sp, respectively improved statistically significantly in the first three months, from 75.6 (SD 14.6) to 81.1 (SD 16.9), or from 32.1 (SD 8.2) to 34.9 (SD 8.32), respectively. After 12 months, a further increase to 84.1 (SD 15.5) or 35.2 (SD 8.6) was found. Fatigue (MFI) decreased; anxiety and depression (HADS) did not change. CG: FACT-G remained constant in the first three months: 75.3 (SD 17.3) at t0, and 76.6 (SD 16.6) at t1. After 12 months, there was a slight increase to 78.9 (SD 18.1). FACIT-Sp scores improved significantly from t0 (31.0 - SD 8.9) to t1 (32.1 - SD 8.9) and declined again after a year (31.6 - SD 9.4). For fatigue, anxiety, and depression, no relevant changes were found. 120 patients of HG and 206 patients of CG met our criteria for matched-pairs selection. Due to large differences between the two patient populations, however, only 11 matched pairs could be formed. This is not sufficient for a comparative study. CONCLUSION: In our prospective study, we observed an improvement of quality of life as well as a tendency of fatigue symptoms to decrease in cancer patients under complementary homeopathic treatment. It would take considerably larger samples to find matched pairs suitable for comparison in order to establish a definite causal relation between these effects and homeopathic treatment.

BACKGROUND:Homeopathic medicine is a branch of integrative medicine that has been gaining increasing popularity. However, its clinical application remains controversial. To improve the understanding of homeopathy, observational studies-which monitor the effects of homeopathy in real-life clinical settings-are a helpful adjunct to randomized controlled trials. The goal of this controlled observational study was to investigate the role of the homeopathic medicine in preventing respiratory tract infections (RTIs).

METHODS:This retrospective analysis of patients' medical records focused on a single centre from 2002 to 2011, and examined 459 patients, out of whom 248 were treated with homeopathic medicine (specific extract of duck liver and heart) and 211 were not treated. All patients were followed-up for at least 1 year, and up to a maximum of 10 years.

RESULTS:A significant reduction in the frequency of onset of RTIs was found in both the homeopathic medicine and untreated groups. The reduction in the mean number of RTI episodes during the period of observation vs. the year before inclusion in the study was significantly greater in the homeopathic-treated group than in untreated patients (-4.76 ± 1.45 vs. -3.36 ± 1.30; p = 0.001). The beneficial effect of the homeopathic medicine was not significantly related to gender, age, smoking habits or concomitant respiratory diseases when compared to the effect observed in untreated patients.

CONCLUSION:These results suggest that homeopathic medicine may have a positive effect in preventing RTIs. However, randomized studies are needed before any firm conclusion can be reached.

Atropa belladonna and Echinacea angustifolia have been used in homeopathy as modulators of inflammatory processes, in simple potency or 'accord of potencies', as recommended by homotoxicology. We evaluated their effects on leukocyte migration and macrophage activity induced by experimental peritonitis in vivo. Mice were injected (i.p.) with LPS (1.0mg/kg) and treated (0.3ml/10g/day, s.c.) with different commercial forms of these medicines. Echinacea angustifolia D4--a simple potency preparation--and Belladonna Homaccord, Belladonna Injeel, Belladonna Injeel Forte, Echinacea Injeel and Echinacea Injeel Forte--all in 'accord of potencies'--were tested. The association of A. belladonna and E. angustifolia in 'accord of potencies' produced an increase of polymorphonuclear cell migration (Kruskal-Wallis, P = 0.03) and a decrease of mononuclear cell percentages (Kruskal-Wallis, P

OBJECTIVES:To design a model for performing reproducible, objective analyses of skin color changes and to apply this model to evaluate the efficacy of homeopathic Arnica montana as an antiecchymotic agent when taken perioperatively.

METHODS:Twenty-nine patients undergoing rhytidectomy at a tertiary care center were treated perioperatively with either homeopathic A. montana or placebo in a double-blind fashion. Postoperative photographs were analyzed using a novel computer model for color changes, and subjective assessments of postoperative ecchymosis were obtained.

RESULTS:No subjective differences were noted between the treatment group and the control group, either by the patients or by the professional staff. No objective difference in the degree of color change was found. Patients receiving homeopathic A. montana were found to have a smaller area of ecchymosis on postoperative days 1, 5, 7, and 10. These differences were statistically significant (P<.05) only on postoperative days 1 (P<.005) and 7 (P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS:This computer model provides an efficient, objective, and reproducible means with which to assess perioperative color changes, both in terms of area and degree. Patients taking perioperative homeopathic A. montana exhibited less ecchymosis, and that difference was statistically significant (P<.05) on 2 of the 4 postoperative data points evaluated.