Perceptions of homeopathy in supportive cancer care among oncologists and general practitioners in France

Bagot, Jean-Lionel; Theunissen, Ingrid; Serral, A

doi:10.1007/s00520-021-06137-5

Cited by 12 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The goal of core pharmacy curricula is to prepare graduates to be able to make informed recommendations and appropriately answer patient questions and concerns about prescription medications and over-the-counter products. Pharmacists should be able to make recommendations on safe and effective complementary therapies, and homeopathy, though controversial, is being recommended more and more to augment standard medical care in different countries and in a variety of fields [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pharmacist Knowledge and Perceptions of Homeopathy: A Survey of Recent Pharmacy Graduates in Practice

et al. 2022

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Homeopathic products are available over the counter in many pharmacies in the United States and are popular among consumers, although there is no conclusive evidence of their therapeutic effects. Pharmacists are obligated to provide well-informed, evidence-based information on these products, but many graduates may not be receiving adequate training in this area. This report outlines the results of a survey assessing whether taking a focused elective course in complementary and integrative health (CIH) affects knowledge and perceptions regarding homeopathy. A 22-question survey was developed and distributed to graduates of Idaho State University College of Pharmacy. Responses on survey items were compared between those who had reported taking the CIH elective course and those who had not. Of the 475 pharmacists, 89 completed the survey (response rate of 18.7%). Pharmacists who had taken the CIH elective course reported being more comfortable answering patient questions (82% vs. 44%, p < 0.001), felt more able to make recommendations (75% vs. 36%, p < 0.001), and felt they could explain the proposed mechanism of action of homeopathic remedies to their patients (87% vs. 61%, p = 0.002). Those who took the elective course were also more likely to say that any benefits of homeopathy were due to the placebo effect (82% vs. 64%, p = 0.007). A significantly higher portion of respondents who had not taken the elective course indicated that they could benefit from further training on CIH topics when compared with those who had taken the elective course (85% vs. 51%, p = 0.02). There was no significant difference between groups with respect to their use of reliable resources (e.g., PubMed and Natural Medicines) vs. unreliable sources (other internet searches or personal anecdotes) when addressing CIH-related questions. These findings indicate that pharmacists with more focused training in CIH are more comfortable, confident, and knowledgeable when discussing homeopathy. Such education should be provided more broadly to students in colleges of pharmacy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pharmacist Knowledge and Perceptions of Homeopathy: A Survey of Recent Pharmacy Graduates in Practice

et al. 2022

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“…This suggests that QoL is improved in patients with breast cancer who use homeopathy [24 & ]. We conducted a study regarding the perception of homeopathy in supportive cancer care among oncologists and general practitioners (GPs) in France [25]. Ten percent of oncologists indicated they prescribed homeopathy, while 36% recommended it.…”

Section: Complementary Approach: the Example Of Homeopathymentioning

confidence: 99%

Supportive cancer care: is integrative oncology the future?

Theunissen,

Bagot

2024

Current Opinion in Oncology

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Purpose of review Nearly half of cancer patients use complementary therapies alongside the conventional cancer treatment. This clinical reality is a challenge for the medical team mainly to guarantee patient's safety. The evolution from Supportive Care to Integrative oncology is taking shape. Recent findings Integrative oncology, a new field in cancer care, combines conventional supportive care and validated complementary approaches. The first part of this review is to highlight the process of validation of one of the most popular complementary medicines among European cancer patients: homeopathy. It seems to be a well tolerated and useful complementary approach in integrative cancer care. The second part shows through the example of stage IV lung cancer the transition from conventional supportive care to integrative oncology with a benefit for their quality of life and survival. Summary The future of supportive cancer care seems to lead towards a move from coexistence of conventional care and complementary approaches to a combination of both in integrative oncology. This would require new skills among caregivers, specific academic training and adapted studies. Further research is needed to highlight the benefits in the specific field of integrative cancer care.

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“…It can improve the quality of life [3] and consequently the survival of the patients [4,5]. Well accepted by French oncologists and general practitioners [6], inexpensive [7], it is the complementary medicine most used in supportive care [8]. Homeopathic supportive care is provided in several cancer centres in France and other parts of Europe [9,10] and patient satisfaction rate is very high [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Tolerance and Compliance of New Targeted Therapies with Homeopathy: A Major Challenge in Oncology

BAGOT¹

2022

OBM ICM

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The application of targeted therapies (TT) in oncology has prolonged survivals and even enabled complete remission of cancers previously considered incurable. With small therapeutic indices, the reduction in dosage or spacing out of the doses of TT due to side effects, represents a significant loss of treatment opportunity for the patients. In the absence of drug interaction and significant side effects, homeopathy used in supportive care improves the quality of life of patients, compliance with oncological treatments and consequently their survival. Based on the author’s clinical experience and published studies, a therapeutic regimen for systematic supportive care of TT is proposed in this study. The originality of the treatment lies in combining a symptomatic diluted and dynamised homeopathic medicine with the patient’s constitutional homeopathic medicine as well as the isotherapeutic agent used for targeted therapy in 7c (10-14). If needs be, the eponymous organotherapy of the organ most affected by the side effects can be added in 4c (10-8). This therapeutic regimen is well accepted and well tolerated. It has been prescribed to approximately 5,000 patients over 25 years including those patients who were given hormone therapy. Facilitating tolerance and acceptance of targeted therapies is very important in oncology in order to fully benefit from the TT efficacy. Homeopathy, organotherapy and isotherapy, by supporting the whole body and treating the major side effects, might improve observance and consequently therapeutic results. Clinical trials could be carried out following the designs and protocols presented in this article.

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Perceptions of homeopathy in supportive cancer care among oncologists and general practitioners in France

Cited by 12 publications

References 25 publications

Pharmacist Knowledge and Perceptions of Homeopathy: A Survey of Recent Pharmacy Graduates in Practice

Pharmacist Knowledge and Perceptions of Homeopathy: A Survey of Recent Pharmacy Graduates in Practice

Supportive cancer care: is integrative oncology the future?

Improving Tolerance and Compliance of New Targeted Therapies with Homeopathy: A Major Challenge in Oncology

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