Research

Selected scientific publications, studies and reviews from Greece and abroad.

Research and scientific dialogue

At the Hippocratic Centre of Classical Homeopathy we consider it important for students and practitioners to engage with the current research literature on homeopathy.

For this reason, this section brings together and presents selected scientific publications, studies and literature reviews from Greece and abroad, to inform, to support study and to cultivate scientific thinking.

International research on homeopathy spans different fields and research approaches.

This section hosts publications on, among other things, clinical research, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, basic and laboratory research, as well as studies on education and clinical practice.

Presenting this literature aims to give access to scientific sources and to encourage a critical study of the available research data.

The four publications below are demo entries, chosen to show the layout of this page.

Laboratory research

Reproducibility of effects of homeopathically potentised gibberellic acid on the growth of Lemna gibba L. in a randomised and blinded bioassay

Authors: Majewsky V, Scherr C, Arlt SP, Kiener J, Frrokaj K, Schindler T, Klocke P, Baumgartner S

Homeopathy · 2014 · 103(2): 113–126

Randomised, blinded bioassay

The study tried to reproduce an earlier finding on the effect of potentised gibberellic acid (14x–30x) on the growth rate of the duckweed Lemna gibba, in three series of blinded, randomised experiments and three series of negative-control experiments. A statistically significant effect appeared only in the series with gibbous (swollen) plants, in a different direction and at different potency levels than in the original study. The authors suggest that future reproducibility studies take the physiological state of the test organism into account.

Systematic review

Randomised placebo-controlled trials of individualised homeopathic treatment: systematic review and meta-analysis

Authors: Mathie RT, Lloyd SM, Legg LA, Clausen J, Moss S, Davidson JRT, Ford I

Systematic Reviews · 2014 · 3: 142

Systematic review and meta-analysis

The review identified 32 randomised trials of individualised homeopathy in 24 medical conditions. Twenty-two had data suitable for meta-analysis, and only 3 were judged to provide reliable evidence. The pooled odds ratio was 1.53 (95% CI 1.22–1.91) in favour of homeopathy. The authors conclude that individualised homeopathic medicines may have small, specific treatment effects, but note that the low or unclear overall quality of the evidence calls for caution in interpreting the findings.

Clinical research

Homeopathic treatment of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled crossover trial

Authors: Frei H, Everts R, von Ammon K, Kaufmann F, Walther D, Hsu-Schmitz SF, et al.

European Journal of Pediatrics · 2005 · 164: 758–767

Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial

The trial tested whether individualised homeopathic treatment differs from placebo in children aged 6–16 with ADHD. After an open-label phase to find the suitable remedy, 62 children who had responded entered a double-blind crossover phase. Parents’ ratings on the Conners’ Global Index were significantly lower while the children took the homeopathic remedy than while they took placebo. The authors conclude that the trial suggests evidence of the efficacy of homeopathy, particularly for behavioural and cognitive functions.

Other study

Homeopathic medical practice: Long-term results of a cohort study with 3981 patients

Authors: Witt CM, Lüdtke R, Baur R, Willich SN

BMC Public Health · 2005 · 5: 115

Prospective, multicentre cohort study

The study followed 3,981 patients (2,851 adults and 1,130 children) of 103 physicians specialised in homeopathy in Germany and Switzerland for two years, under everyday practice conditions. 97% of the diagnoses were chronic conditions. Disease severity as rated by the patients on a 0–10 scale fell from 6.2 to 3.0 in adults and from 6.1 to 2.2 in children. The authors note that, because patients could also receive conventional treatment, the improvement cannot be attributed to homeopathy alone.