Priorities and methods for developing the evidence profile of homeopathy Recommendations of the ECH General Assembly and XVIII Symposium of GIRI

Abstract

To achieve scientific acceptance, homeopathy must investigate several questions: 1. The activity of very highly diluted preparations. The consensus of the meeting was that there is clear evidence of this. 2. The content of very highly diluted homeopathic preparations. More research is needed but evidence exists that a specific signal is present in homeopathic preparations. 3. A theoretical framework in which the effects of homeopathic diluted preparations can be explained. The 'Body Information Theory' is such a theory. 4. The clinical effectiveness of homeopathy. Because they avoid the placebo effect, animal studies are a priority. For human trials using Quality of Life questionnaires, studies on the activity, content and theoretical basis of homeopathic preparations were reviewed approximately 70% of cases; more in children showed improvement. Homeopathy reduced costs and allowed a better improvement in work-days lost compared with conventional practice. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) implicitly test the placebo hypothesis; RCTs have been performed and meta-analyses conclude that there is clear evidence of efficacy which cannot be attributed to placebo effect. Priorities depend on the audience. More research is needed especially regarding the content of homeopathic preparations and the transmission of information. Theoretical issues are also important to avoid incorrect design of research protocols. More effort should be dedicated to veterinary research. Clinical effects analysis in humans remains important. Many other questions should be prioritised, such as the potential of homeopathy to avoid invasive procedures in children and the long-term effects of homeopathy in preventing chronic complications.

Homeopathic Medicine Improves the Motility and Vigor of Semen in Rams

“…The results of homeopathic treatments in veterinary medicine eventually erased the doubt that the results in humans could often be attributed to the placebo effect [23]. Supporting this principle, Van Wassenhoven [24] states that studies in animals ultimately demonstrate the clinical efficacy of homeopathic treatment. Lobreiro [25] evaluated the effect of homeopathic treatment in infertility in a Nellore bull and found an increase in the number of doses of semen, an increase in sperm motility, and a decrease in total sperm defects, results similar to the study of Gerhárd & Walliss [22] in humans.…”

Research on Homeopathy: State of the Art

“…While a number of interesting single results have been reported, 51,52 which have been reviewed in a report soon to be presented to the World Health Organization, 53 there has been no consistent attempt at isolating one replicable model. 18 Thus, there are some hints from experimental research that homeopathic substances diluted and succussed beyond Avogadro's number are biologically active but there are no consistent effects from independently reproducible models.…”

Towards a New Model of the Homeopathic Process Based on Quantum Field Theory

“…Thus during trials, concentration on the remedy as the sole therapeutic agent might lead to the breaking of any non-local coherence between Pr, Px, and Rx. This could be a key factor introducing a degree of uncertainty into these trials as to remedy effectiveness [4,5]. Another reason for pursuing QT models of homeopathy is the recent formulation of a more generalised version of quantum mechanics called Weak Quantum Theory (WQT) [6].…”

“…This essentially frees QT from its orthodox constraints within the nanoscopic domain of atoms and molecules, permitting its application to problems of complementarity and entanglement thought to arise epistemologically within our own macroscopic world. Even though evidence for such macroscopic entanglement has yet to be convincingly demonstrated [5,6], it is interesting and desirable to continue developing these models so that advantage can be taken of the range of possibilities on offer in QT per se. It is hoped that this will ultimately lead to new ways of experimentally verifying homeopathy [7], which could then transcend the narrowly focused, randomised controlled trials procedures of deterministic bio-medicine.…”