Subscribe to RSS
DOI: 10.1016/j.homp.2008.04.003
‘Homeopathy’: Untangling the debate
Subject Editor:
Publication History
Received01 June 2007
revised07 March 2008
accepted17 April 2008
Publication Date:
16 December 2017 (online)
There are active public campaigns both for and against homeopathy, and its continuing availability in the NHS is debated in the medical, scientific and popular press. However, there is a lack of clarity in key terms used in the debate, and in how the evidence base of homeopathy is described and interpreted.
The term ‘homeopathy’ is used with several different meanings including: the therapeutic system, homeopathic medicine, treatment by a homeopath, and the principles of ‘homeopathy’. Conclusions drawn from one of these aspects are often inappropriately applied to another aspect. In interpreting the homeopathy evidence it is important to understand that the existing clinical experimental (randomised controlled trial) evidence base provides evidence as to the efficacy of homeopathic medicines, but not the effectiveness of treatment by a homeopath. The observational evidence base provides evidence as to the effectiveness of treatment by a homeopath. We make four recommendations to promote clarity in the reporting, design and interpretation of homeopathy research.
-
References
- 1 Thomas K.J., Nicholl J.P., Coleman P. Use and expenditure on complementary and alternative medicine in England – a population based survey. Comp Ther Med 2001; 9 (01) 2-11.
- 2 Samarasekara U. Pressure grows against homeopathy in the UK. Lancet 2007; 370: 1677-1678.
- 3 Horton R. The end of homoeopathy. Lancet 2005; 366 (9487): 690.
- 4 Goldacre B. <www.nature.com/news/2007/070319/pf/446352a_pf.html>.
- 5 Shang A., Huwiler-Muntener K., Nartey L. et al. Are the clinical effects of homoeopathy placebo effects? Comparative study of placebo-controlled trials of homoeopathy and allopathy. Lancet 2005; 366 (9487): 726-732.
- 6 Hill C., Doyon F. Review of randomized trials of homoeopathy. Revue d'Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique 1990; 38: 139-147.
- 7 Kleijnen J., Knipschild P., Riet G.R. Trials of homoeopathy. British Medical Journal 1991; 302 (6782): 960.
- 8 Ernst E. A systematic review of systematic reviews of homeopathy. Br J Clinic Pharmacol 2002; 54: 577-582.
- 9 NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD). Effective Health Care 2002; 7 (03) 12 <http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd/ehcb.htm>.
- 10 Last J.M. A dictionary of epidemiology. 4th edn. Oxford University Press; 2001.
- 11 National Institute for Clinical Excellence. <www.nice.org.uk>.
- 12 Thomas K.J., Fitter M. Evaluating complementary therapies for use in the National Health Service: ‘Horses for courses’. Part 2: alternative research strategies. Comp Ther Med 1997; 5: 94–98.
- 13 Fitter M.J., Thomas K.J. Evaluating complementary therapies for use in the National Health Service: ‘Horses for courses’. Part 1: the design challenge. Comp Ther Med 1997; 5: 90-93.
- 14 Mathie R.T. Research development in homeopathy – a question of methods and priorities. HOMP 2005; 94: 73.
- 15 Fonnebo V., Grimsgaard S., Walach H. et al. Researching complementary and alternative treatments – the gatekeepers are not at home. BMC Med Res Methodol 2007; 7: 7 10.1186/1471-2288-7-7.
- 16 Dean M.E. The trials of homeopathy. Essen: KVC Verlag; 2004.
- 18 Van Hootegem H. Can homeopathy learn something from psychoanalysis?. HOMP 2007; 96 (02) 108-112.
- 19 Thompson E.A., Thompson T.D. Placebo or non-specific effects: what are the unique ingredients in homeopathy?. The Homeopath 2006; 25 (03) 82-83.
- 20 Thompson T.D.B., Weiss M. Homeopathy – what are the active ingredients? An exploratory study using the UK Medical Research Council's framework for the evaluation of complex interventions. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2006; 6: 37.
- 21 Weatherley-Jones E., Relton C. Researching homeopathic treatment – can the placebo model really be an appropriate test of homeopathy. The Homeopath 2003; 88: 24-25.
- 22 Weatherley-Jones E., Thompson E.A., Thomas K.J. The placebo-controlled trial as a test of complementary and alternative medicine: observations from research experience of individualised homeopathic treatment. HOMP 2004; 93: 186-189.
- 23 Medical Research Council. A framework for development and evaluation of RCTs for complex interventions to improve health. <www.mrc.ac.uk/complex_packages.html>. 2000
- 24 Personal communication with archivist of the therapeutic system of homeopathy Francis Treuherz April 2007.
- 25 Clover A. Patient benefit survey: Tunbridge Wells Homeopathic Hospital. Br Homeo J 2000; 89 (02) 68-72.
- 26 Riley D., Fischer M., Singh B. et al. Homeopathy and conventional medicine: an outcomes study comparing effectiveness in a primary care setting. J Altern Comp Med 2001; 7 (02) 149-159.
- 27 Spence D.S., Thompson E.A., Barron E.A. Homeopathic treatment for chronic disease: a 6-year, university hospital outpatient observational study. J Altern Compl Med 2005; 11 (05) 793-798.
- 28 Dean M.E., Coulter M.K., Fisher P., Jobst K., Walach H. Reporting data on homeopathic treatments (RedHot): a supplement to CONSORT. HOMP 2007; 96 (01) 42-45.