I see some deficite in knowledge about Homepathy:

Some abstracts to that:

Is evidence for homoeopathy reproducible?

Reilly D, Taylor MA, Beattie NG, Campbell JH, McSharry C, Aitchison TC,
Carter R, Stevenson RD.

University Department of Medicine, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, UK.

We tested, under independent conditions, the reproducibility of evidence
from two previous trials that homoeopathy differs from placebo. The test
model was again homoeopathic immunotherapy. 28 patients with allergic
asthma, most of them sensitive to house-dust mite, were randomly
allocated to receive either oral homoeopathic immunotherapy to their
principal allergen or identical placebo. The test treatments were given
as a complement to their unaltered conventional care. A daily visual
analogue scale of overall symptom intensity was the outcome measure. A
difference in visual analogue score in favour of homoeopathic
immunotherapy appeared within one week of starting treatment and
persisted for up to 8 weeks (p = 0.003). There were similar trends in
respiratory function and bronchial reactivity tests. A meta-analysis of
all three trials strengthened the evidence that homoeopathy does more
than placebo (p = 0.0004). Is the reproducibility of evidence in favour
of homoeopathy proof of its activity or proof of the clinical trial's
capacity to produce false-positive results?
###
Treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis using homeopathic preparation of
common allergens in the southwest region of the US: a randomized,
controlled clinical trial.

Kim LS, Riedlinger JE, Baldwin CM, Hilli L, Khalsa SV, Messer SA, Waters RF.

Southwest College Research Institute, Southwest College of Naturopathic
Medicine & Health Sciences, Tempe, AZ 85282-1751, USA. l.kim@scnm.edu

BACKGROUND: Studies using homeopathy have reported beneficial effects
from treating allergy-related conditions. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the
effects of a homeopathic drug prepared from common allergens (tree,
grass, weed species) specific to the Southwest region of the US.
METHODS: A 4-week, double-blind clinical trial comparing homeopathic
preparations with placebo was conducted in the Phoenix metropolitan area
during the regional allergy season from February to May. Participants
included 40 men and women, 26-63 years of age, diagnosed with moderate
to severe seasonal allergic rhinitis symptoms. Study outcomes included
allergy-specific symptoms using the rhinoconjunctivitis quality-of-life
questionnaire (RQLQ), functional quality of life using the Medical
Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (MOS SF-36), and the work productivity and
activity impairment (WPAI) questionnaire. RESULTS: Scales from the RQLQ,
MOS SF-36, and WPAI questionnaire showed significant positive changes
from baseline to 4 weeks in the homeopathic group compared with the
placebo group (p < 0.05). Subjects reported no adverse effects during
the intervention period. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary findings
indicate potential benefits of the homeopathic intervention in reducing
symptoms and improving quality of life in patients with seasonal
allergic rhinitis in the Southwestern US.
###
Improved clinical status in fibromyalgia patients treated with
individualized homeopathic remedies versus placebo.

Bell IR, Lewis DA 2nd, Brooks AJ, Schwartz GE, Lewis SE, Walsh BT,
Baldwin CM.

Department of Psychiatry, Mel and Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of
Public Health at the University of Arizona, Tucson, USA. IBELL@U.ARIZONA.EDU

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of individualized classical homeopathy
in the treatment of fibromyalgia. METHODS: This study was a
double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial of
homeopathy. Community-recruited persons (N = 62) with
physician-confirmed fibromyalgia (mean age 49 yr, s.d. 10 yr, 94% women)
were treated in a homeopathic private practice setting. Participants
were randomized to receive oral daily liquid LM (1/50,000) potencies
with an individually chosen homeopathic remedy or an indistinguishable
placebo. Homeopathic visits involved joint interviews and concurrence on
remedy selection by two experienced homeopaths, at baseline, 2 months
and 4 months (prior to a subsequent optional crossover phase of the
study which is reported elsewhere). Tender point count and tender point
pain on examination by a medical assessor uninvolved in providing care,
self-rating scales on fibromyalgia-related quality of life, pain, mood
and global health at baseline and 3 months, were the primary clinical
outcome measures for this report. RESULTS: Fifty-three people completed
the treatment protocol. Participants on active treatment showed
significantly greater improvements in tender point count and tender
point pain, quality of life, global health and a trend toward less
depression compared with those on placebo. CONCLUSIONS: This study
replicates and extends a previous 1-month placebo-controlled crossover
study in fibromyalgia that pre-screened for only one homeopathic remedy.
Using a broad selection of remedies and the flexible LM dose (1/50,000
dilution factor) series, the present study demonstrated that
individualized homeopathy is significantly better than placebo in
lessening tender point pain and improving the quality of life and global
health of persons with fibromyalgia.
###

Effect of Arnica D30 in marathon runners. Pooled results from two
double-blind placebo controlled studies.

Tveiten D, Bruset S.

Baerumsveien 451, 1346 Gjettum, Norway. datveite@online.no

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the homeopathic medicine Arnica D30 has an
effect on muscle soreness and cell damage after marathon running.
METHODS: The subjects were 82 marathon runners from two separate
randomised double-blind placebo controlled trials participating in the
Oslo Marathon in 1990 and 1995. Five pills of Arnica D30 or placebo were
given morning and evening. Treatment started on the evening before the
marathon and continued on day of the race and the three following days.
The runners assessed muscular soreness on a visual analogue scale.
Muscle enzymes, electrolytes and creatinine were measured before and
after the marathon. RESULTS: Muscle soreness immediately after the
marathon run was lower in the Arnica group than in the placebo group (P
= 0.04). Cell damage measured by enzymes was similar in the Arnica and
the placebo group. CONCLUSION: These pooled results suggest that Arnica
D30 has a positive effect on muscle soreness after marathon running, but
not on cell damage measured by enzymes.
###
The results of this pilot study showed a trend towards a beneficial
effect of ARNICA D12 with regard to reduction of hematoma and pain
during the postoperative course.
###
Forsch Komplementarmed. 1998;5 Suppl S1:52-59.     Related Articles, Links
    Click here to read
    Theorie und Erfahrung in der Medizin: Orthodoxe Wissenschaft und
ganzheitliche Kybernetik.

    Zycha H.

    Theory and Practice in Medicine: Orthodox Science and Comprehensive
Cybernetics The problems of today's health care system require a radical
change of view. With its orientation towards the modern
materialistic-reductionistic natural science, the focus of university
research moved from a subjective ascertainable healing towards
pathogenesis, which is objectively measurable by physical and chemical
methods. Natural science research is especially interested in the
distinct pathological changes expressed by the various diseases and
their causes, but not in the constantly similar normal condition of a
healed person. This led to the idea that the reversal of the
investigated causal chain equals healing; healing and disease are
considered as opposites. This way of thinking led to growing problems,
which result from the dubious nature of a causal principle, that is
transferred from everyday thinking into the micro world. Each of those
causal chains represents an artificial linearization of complex natural
interrelations and, additionally, can never be followed up to its ends.
This infinite regress of reductionistic thinking can only artificially
be stopped by unlikely hypotheses, which are responsible for missing
healing success and the manifold side effects of modern therapies - for
the discrepancy between theory and experience. With an
holistic-spiritual view of nature today cybernetics shows us a new
route. Cybernetics leads to a lergely hypothesis-free insight into
life's processes and to a scientifically sound definition of disease:
Disease and healing should not be considered as opposite, as healing is
already laid down in the pathogenesis! Cybernetics will especially lead
to the long-awaited scientific proof of homoeopathy and, apart from
this, will prove that the healing principle of homoeopathy is the
general natural principle of all successful therapies in the whole field
of medicine.

    PMID: 9892831 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
###