Download PDF
Homeopathy 2023; 112(02): 074-084
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1750799
Original Research Article

Individualized Homeopathic Medicines in the Treatment of Tinea Corporis: Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Bakibillah Laskar 
1   Department of Materia Medica, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Swapan Paul 
1   Department of Materia Medica, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Abhijit Chattopadhyay 
1   Department of Materia Medica, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Avaranjika Karuppusamy 
1   Department of Materia Medica, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Dharshna Balamurugan 
1   Department of Materia Medica, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Puja Bhakta 
2   Department of Homoeopathy Pharmacy, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Sourav Das 
1   Department of Materia Medica, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Siddhartha Pal 
3   Department of Organon of Medicine and Homoeopathic Philosophy, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Navin Kumar Singh 
4   Department of Repertory, The Calcutta Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, affiliated to The West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Govt. of West Bengal, India
,
Munmun Koley 
5   Department of Health & Family Welfare, East Bishnupur State Homoeopathic Dispensary, Chandi Daulatabad Block Primary Health Centre, Govt. of West Bengal, West Bengal, India
,
Subhranil Saha 
6   Department of Repertory, D.N.De Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Govt. of West Bengal, Tangra, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
› Author Affiliations
› Further Information
Also available at
   Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Introduction Tinea corporis (TC; ringworm or dermatophytosis) is a superficial skin infection caused by Microsporum, Epidermophyton and Trichophyton genera of dermatophytes. We compared the effects of individualized homeopathic medicines (IHMs) in fifty-millesimal (LM) potencies against placebo in TC.

Methods A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, two parallel arms trial was conducted on 62 individuals suffering from TC at the National Institute of Homoeopathy, India. Participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either IHMs in LM potencies or identical-looking placebos for a period of 3 months. The primary outcome measure was the number of participants showing complete disappearance of skin lesions after 3 months. Secondary outcomes were a numeric rating scale (NRS) measuring intensity of itching and the Skindex-29 questionnaire (overall, and three sub-scales – degree of symptoms, psychological functioning, emotional status). All were assessed at baseline and every month, up to 3 months. The intention-to-treat sample was analyzed to detect inter-group differences using two-way repeated measures analysis of variance after adjusting for baseline differences.

Results The primary outcome revealed no improvement in either of the groups (χ 2 = 0.012, p = 0.999). Inter-group differences in some of the secondary outcomes favored IHMs against placebo – itching NRS (mean group difference after 3 months: −0.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], −1.1 to −0.4; p = 0.001); Skindex-29 overall (mean group difference after 3 months: 3.2 [95% CI, −0.6 to 7.0; p = 0.009]); Skindex-29 degree of symptoms (mean group difference after 3 months: 0.9 [95% CI, −0.2 to 1.9; p = 0.007]); and Skindex-29 psychological functioning (mean group difference after 3 months: 1.7 [95% CI, 0–3.4; p = 0.002]).

Conclusion Results were negative on the primary outcome; however, secondary outcomes included some statistically significant results favoring IHMs against placebo after 3 months.

Trial registration CTRI/2019/11/021999; UTN: U1111–1242–0070.

Keywords

homeopathy - itching - placebo - randomized controlled trial - Skindex-29 - Tinea corporis

Authors' Contributions

B.L., S.P., A.C. and N.K.S. contributed toward concept, literature search, and preparation of the article; B.L., S.P., A.C., A.K., D.B., P.B., S.D., and S.P. contributed toward the clinical study and data acquisition; M.K. and S.S. developed the concept and did the study design, data interpretation, statistical analysis, and preparation of the article. All the authors reviewed and approved the final article.


Author Disclosure Statement

None declared.


Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 04 November 2021

Accepted: 16 March 2022

Article published online:
19 September 2022

© 2022. Faculty of Homeopathy. This article is published by Thieme.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

  • References

  • 1 Dogra S, Uprety S. The menace of chronic and recurrent dermatophytosis in India: Is the problem deeper than we perceive?. Indian Dermatol Online J 2016; 7: 73-76
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Wolff K, Johnson RA, Saavedra AP. Fitzpatrick's Color Atlas and Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology. 7th ed. McGraw Hill Education; 2013. :606–627
    Google Scholar
  • 3 Habif TP, Chapman MS, Dinulos JG. et al. Skin Disease: Diagnosis and treatment. 1st South Asia ed. RELX India Pvt. Ltd.; 2018. :260–281
    Google Scholar
  • 4 Bhatia VK, Sharma PC. Epidemiological studies on dermatophytosis in human participants in Himachal Pradesh, India. Springerplus 2014; 3: 134
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Yee G, Al Aboud AM. Tinea corporis. StatPearls. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing; 2021
    Google Scholar
  • 6 World Health Organization (WHO). Epidemiology and management of common skin diseases in children in developing countries. World Health Organization, Geneva, 2005. WHO/FCH/CAH/05.12. Accessed April 25, 2020 at: https://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/documents/fch_cah_05_12/en/
    PubMed
  • 7 Jegadeesan M, Kuruvila S, Nair S. Clinico-etiological study of Tinea corporis: emergence of Trichophyton mentagrophytes . Int J Sci Stud 2017; 5: 161-165
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Lakshmanan A, Ganeshkumar P, Mohan SR, Hemamalini M, Madhavan R. Epidemiological and clinical pattern of dermatomycoses in rural India. Indian J Med Microbiol 2015; 33: 134-136
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Das S, De A, Saha R. et al. The current Indian epidemic of dermatophytosis: a study on causative agents and sensitivity patterns. Indian J Dermatol 2020; 65: 118-122
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Hanumanthappa H, Sarojini K, Shilpashree P, Muddapur SB. Clinicomycological study of 150 cases of dermatophytosis in a tertiary care hospital in South India. Indian J Dermatol 2012; 57: 322-323
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Singh BSTP, Tripathy T, Kar BR, Ray A. Clinico-mycological study of dermatophytosis in a tertiary care hospital in eastern India: a cross-sectional study. Indian Dermatol Online J 2019; 11: 46-50
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Sahoo AK, Mahajan R. Management of tinea corporis, tinea cruris, and tinea pedis: a comprehensive review. Indian Dermatol Online J 2016; 7: 77-86
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Leung AKC, Lam JM, Leong KF, Hon KL. Tinea corporis: an updated review. Drugs Context 2020; 9: 2020-5-6
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 El-Gohary M, van Zuuren EJ, Fedorowicz Z. et al. Topical antifungal treatments for tinea cruris and Tinea corporis . Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2014; 8: CD009992
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Bhatia A, Kanish B, Badyal DK, Kate P, Choudhary S. Efficacy of oral terbinafine versus itraconazole in treatment of dermatophytic infection of skin—a prospective, randomized comparative study. Indian J Pharmacol 2019; 51: 116-119
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Gupta Y, Tuteja S, Acharya A. et al. Effectiveness of homoeopathy in Tinea corporis and tinea cruris – a prospective, longitudinal, observational study. IJAAYUSH 2021; 10: 618-627
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Bhardwaj OP, Manchanda RK, Gupta R. Evaluation of Bacillinum in tinea infection. Br Hom J 1990; 79: 10-11
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Dixit AK, Giri N. Tinea corporis: an evidence-based case report treated with homoeopathic medicine Sepia. Homœopathic Links 2020; 33: 33-40
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Rai MK, Qureshi S. Comparative efficacy of four antimicrobials against keratophilic fungi. Anc Sci Life 1995; 14: 281-285
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 Baumann L, Weisberg E. Olive oil in botanical cosmeceuticals. In: Preedy VR, Watson RR. eds. Olives and Olive Oil in Health and Disease Prevention. San Diego: Academic Press; 2010: 1117-1124
    Google Scholar
  • 21 Khalid Thebo N, Ahmed Simair A, Sughra Mangrio G. et al. Antifungal potential and antioxidant efficacy in the shell extract of Cocos nucifera (L.) (Arecaceae) against pathogenic dermal mycosis. Medicines (Basel) 2016; 3: 12
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Udkoff J, Silverberg JI. Validation of scratching severity as an objective assessment for itch. J Invest Dermatol 2018; 138: 1062-1068
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Prinsen CA, Lindeboom R, Sprangers MA, Legierse CM, de Korte J. Health-related quality of life assessment in dermatology: interpretation of Skindex-29 scores using patient-based anchors. J Invest Dermatol 2010; 130: 1318-1322
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Schulz KF, Altman DG, Moher D. CONSORT Group. CONSORT 2010 statement: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomised trials. BMJ 2010; 340: c332
    Google Scholar
  • 25 Dean ME, Coulter MK, Fisher P, Jobst KA, Walach H. Reporting data on homeopathic treatments (RedHot): a supplement to CONSORT. J Altern Complement Med 2007; 13: 19-23
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Hering C. Hahnemann's three rules concerning the rank of symptoms. Hahnemann Monthly 1865; 1: 5-12
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 Vithoulkas G. The Science of Homeopathy. New York: Grove Weidenfeld; 1980
    Google Scholar
  • 28 Bell IR, Koithan M, Gorman MM, Baldwin CM. Homeopathic practitioner views of changes in patients undergoing constitutional treatment for chronic disease. J Altern Complement Med 2003; 9: 39-50
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 29 Allen JH. The Chronic Miasm. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd; 1998
    Google Scholar
  • 30 Burnett JC. Ringworm and Its Constitutional Treatment. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd; 2003
    Google Scholar
  • 31 Tafel LH. ed. The Chronic Diseases, Their Peculiar Nature and Their Homoeopathic Cure: by Samuel Hahnemann. Reprint ed. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd; 2013
    Google Scholar
  • 32 Douglass ME. Skin Diseases: Their Description, Etiology, Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia: Boericke and Tafel; 1900. :40
    Google Scholar
  • 33 Lilienthal S. Homoeopathic Therapeutics. 2nd Revised and Enlarged Edition. Philadelphia: Boericke and Tafel; 1879. :413
    Google Scholar
  • 34 Raue CG. Special Pathology and Diagnostics with Therapeutic Hints. Reprinted 4th ed. Kolkata: Paul Medico, Lake Town; 2001
    Google Scholar
  • 35 Kippax JR. A Hand-Book of Diseases of the Skin, and their Homoeopathic Treatment. 6th ed. Chicago: Gross & Delbridge Company; 1896
    Google Scholar
  • 36 Dearborn FM. Diseases of the Skin with Illustrations. Revised and enlarged 2nd ed. New York: Boericke and Runyon; 1906
    Google Scholar
  • 37 Bernstein R. Elementary Dermatology. Philadelphia: Boericke and Runyon; 1913
    Google Scholar
  • 38 Morrison R. Desktop Companion to Physical Pathology. California: Hahnemann Clinic Publishing; 1993
    Google Scholar
  • 39 Kent JT. Repertory of the Homoeopathic Materia Medica. 6th American ed. Delhi: Indian Books and Periodicals Publishers; 2018. :547, 990, 1312
    Google Scholar
  • 40 Boericke W, Boericke OE. Boericke's New Manual of Homoeopathic Materia Medica with Repertory. 3rd revised and augmented ed. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd.; 2007. :884, 890
    Google Scholar
  • 41 Phatak SR. A Concise Repertory of Homoeopathic Medicines Alphabetically Arranged. 4th ed. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd.; 2005. :121
    Google Scholar
  • 42 Schroyens F. Augmented Clinical Synthesis. 9.1 ed. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd.; 2016. :1854
    Google Scholar
  • 43 Knerr CB. Repertory of Hering's Guiding Symptoms of the Materia Medica. Augmented and Revised edition. New Delhi: B. Jain Publishers Pvt. Ltd.; 2006. :425
    Google Scholar
  • 44 Boger CM. Boger Boenninghausen's Characteristics and Repertory with Corrected Abbreviations and Word Index, 47th impression. Noida: B. Jain Publishers; 2018. :968
    Google Scholar
  • 45 Klein SD, Würtenberger S, Wolf U, Baumgartner S, Tournier A. Physicochemical investigations of homeopathic preparations: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis – Part 1. J Altern Complement Med 2018; 24: 409-421
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 46 Tournier A, Klein SD, Würtenberger S, Wolf U, Baumgartner S. Physicochemical investigations of homeopathic preparations: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis – Part 2. J Altern Complement Med 2019; 25: 890-901
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 47 Gautam M, Bhatia S. Mount the menace!—potassium hydroxide in superficial fungal infections. Indian J Paediatr Dermatol 2020; 21: 343-346
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar