By Dana Ullman MPH
People who are interested in knowing more about homeopathic CLINICAL research will benefit from purchasing the ebook, Evidence Based Homeopathic Family Medicine, by Dana Ullman, MPH, CCH. This ebook will provide you with the most comprehensive and up-to-date review of over 300 clinical studies published in peer-review medical journals. There are no shipping costs for the delivery of this ebook.
Other books that provide information about homeopathic research are here.
People who are interested in exploring the funding of homeopathic research will benefit from contacting Dana Ullman at: [email protected]
The second international conference on homeopathic research (Omeomed ’97) took place in Urbino, Italy, September 25-28, 1997. The conference took place at the university in Urbino. The information provided was obviously so earth shaking that Italy experienced a major earthquake during the conference (the center of the earthquake, near Assisi, was less than 100 miles away from Urbino).
The speakers at the conference primarily came from Italy, though there were also speakers from Israel, England, Germany, Austria, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, India, Portugal, and Slovenia. The topics included clinical studies, laboratory studies, and investigations into potential mechanisms of action of homeopathic medicines.
Of special interest were the following presentations… An Italian researcher, E. Felisi, conducted a preliminary placebo-controlled, double-blind study on patients with breast cancer who underwent radiation treatment. Patients were given Belladonna 7CH and X-Ray 15CH. The results showed that those given the homeopathic medicines had less redness and less burning pains, but not less swelling. An attendee at the conference noted that Apis would probably have been a better remedy for preventing swelling, heat, and redness than Belladonna.
An Indian researcher, N.C. Sukul, observed the influence of Nux Vomica 30C in the treatment of mice who were intoxicated with ethanol as a sleep-inducing agent. The researcher found that giving Nux Vomica 30C (made with 90% ethanol) reduced the sleep inducing effects of ethanol, while Nux Vomica 30C (made with 100% ethanol) and Nux Vomica 30C (90%) which was injected, rather than given orally, had no effect.
A team of Italian researchers, led by C. Cardella, observed the effects of homeopathic diluted weed-killer on lentils’ sprouting. The researchers found that, based on a total of 68 observations, those lentils that were given a 8CH of the weed- killer had a tendency to sprout in greater numbers than those lentils given a placebo.
A different group of Italian researchers, led by M. Brizzi, conducted a similar type of research. They tested the effects of Arsenicum 23x to 45x on wheat seeds which had been subjected to arsenic poisoning. The researchers noted that 40x and 45x had particularly beneficial effects on the wheat seed growth. Of special interest was the observation that potentized water also had an effect on wheat growth on seeds that were poisoned but not on seeds that were not poisoned. This study and a select number of previous studies from other researchers have observed an effect from potentized water, suggesting that there is something beneficial of simply potentizing water.
An Israeli reseacher, M. Oberbaum, conducted a preliminary clinical trial of children suffering from chemotherapy-induced stomatitis (the inflammatory damage of the oral mucous membranes). The researcher tested a popular German and American combination remedy commonly given for “trauma” and “inflammation.” This study was observational and was not randomized or double-blinded. It observed the effects on 27 children, aged 6 to 18. The benefit from the homeopathic medicine was considerable, and the researcher recommended that a larger and controlled trial be conducted.
The most significant clinical study presented at the conference was on the homeopathic treatment of chronic headaches. Conducted to a high level of sophistication, the German researcher, H. Walach, conducted a randomized placebo-controlled, double-blind trial with the aid of one of Vithoulkas’ leading students/practitioners in Germany (Wolfgang Springer, MD). One unique feature of this trial was that all six homeopathic physicians involved in the study had to agree to the accuracy of the homeopathic prescription in order for a patient to be admitted into the experiment. Initially, 139 patients were interviewed, and 101 patients were admitted into the trial as those who homeo- paths agreed upon the prescription. The first phase of the trial was 12 weeks, and the second phase was 12 months.
The first phase showed no difference in headache or overall health between those prescribed the homeopathic medicine and those given a placebo. The second phase also showed no difference in headaches in either group, but based on standardized questionaire assessments, those given homeopathic medicines showed improved psychological states and reduced overall physical complaints.
Although those of us involved in homeopathy may be surprised to learn that this rigorous study showed no reduction in headaches from homeopathic medicines, headaches may be like certain skin ailments, in which improvement may not be observable for a longer period of time and that the person’s overall health is first improved.
My own presentation described recent clinical and basic sciences research in the U.S. One soon-to-be published study by Los Angeles homeopath/psychologist John Lamont, PhD, investigation the homeopathic treatment of 43 children with ADD. This double-blind, placebo-controlled trial showed significant results from individualized homeopathic medicines. Another trial by Susan Garcia-Swain, MD, tested individually chosen homeopathic medicine in the treatment of chemically-dependent patients in a drug rehabilitation hospital. This study was a particularly large trial with 703 patients, one-third of whom received a homeopathic medicine, one-third of whom received a placebo, and one-third of whom received no medicines. The study found that those patients given a placebo and those given no medication had limited and similar results, while those patients given a homeopathic medicine experienced highly significant results in numerous measurements of physical and psychological health and in drug use. Interestingly enough to those of us familiar with Hering’s law of cure, this trial showed that those patients given a homeopathic medicine had an increase in rhinitis, and skin and muscu- loskeletal symptoms during the first three days after treatment.
I also discussed some new work conducted by a Los Angeles physicist, Shui-Yin Lo, PhD, on the mechanism of action of highly diluted substances. With the aid of electron microscope and an Atomic force microscope, Dr. Lo has discovered IE (“I” stands for ice, and “E” subscripted stands for in an electrical field). Dr. Lo has found that these ice crystals appear in room temperature water when a substance is diluted and vigorous shaken at least to the 6x. These ice crystals have a unique geometrical shape as well as charge and density. Dr. Lo has published his work on this subject (see Modern Physics Letters B, 10,19, 1996, pages 921-930). He is continuing new work in this area and is having others replicate his work.
Sadly, the earthquake occurred half-way through the first day of the conference, and city officials chose to close the university where the conference took place after lunchtime. The conference resumed in a classroom outside of town. As a result of this change of venue and because many speakers spoke over their alloted time, there was no time for questions or discussion after any presentation, even for the three following days of the conference. While this problem is understandable during the first day, it is inexcusable that the conference organizers didn’t keep speakers to a schedule. Since discussion after presentations on research subjects is so vital, conference organizers must plan for and insist upon adequate time for discussion.
The above described research was only a small number of the studies described, some of which was preliminary and others were finalized trials. It is always quite exciting to know that there are an active group of reseachers investigating homeopathy in its various forms.
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