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Homeopathy 2023; 112(01): 001-002
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1760101
Editorial

Transition and Evolution in Homeopathy Research

Robert T. Mathie
1   Faculty of Homeopathy, London, United Kingdom
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At the time of writing, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic retains the status of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern,[1] though some countries have begun transitioning their position to one of endemic disease. Many academic journals, including ours, have witnessed a burst of research activity related to the virus,[2] with 25% of our last 10 issues' papers or correspondence being COVID-related (26 out of 103 items in total). All these 26 items are also presented together online in our Virtual Issue, Homeopathy and COVID-19 [3]: five contributions in this February 2023 edition of the journal will be copied into that Virtual Issue.

As coronavirus and its effects have evolved, so too has the related research in homeopathy, as seen in four of the Original Research articles in this current issue. A study from Brazil compares the homeopathic treatment used for symptomatic cases of COVID-19 in March–April 2021 with cases treated in the corresponding 2 months of 2020: distinctly different disease characteristics, and thus the indicated homeopathic medicines, are apparent at the two stages of the pandemic.[4] In another observational study – this time from the Directorate of AYUSH in Delhi – some new prominent COVID-19 symptoms are found during India's second major wave of coronavirus, indicating the use of additional homeopathic medicines.[5] With a different research emphasis, a further study from the AYUSH group combines information available in ongoing international data collection projects to prepare a novel mini-repertory and corresponding app, giving indications for specific medicines for common COVID-19 symptoms.[6] A fourth paper using observational methods reports an investigation of the “genus epidemicus” concept during the first wave of the pandemic in a small sample of patients in China: there are at least two distinct homeopathic symptom pictures, challenging the notion of a single “genus epidemicus” for COVID-19 in that population.[7] Meanwhile, in Italy, a single practitioner recounts the consistent effectiveness of Eupatorium perfoliatum observed in the homeopathic management of non-serious cases of coronavirus.[8]

Submissions of non-COVID research articles in homeopathy have continued almost as normal in the past 3 years, and elsewhere in this issue there are two in vitro studies in cell biology[9] [10] plus a Commentary article that elucidates the miasm theory in homeopathy.[11] Our current issue is completed by a Conference Report from the Homeopathy Research Institute about its one-day online conference held in 2022 which mitigated the loss of that organisation's biennial live three-day event that could not happen in 2021 due to continuing COVID-related travel restraints.[12] During 2023 we shall begin to see the extent to which the homeopathy research community's activity evolves further as it transitions out of the acute pandemic.



Publication History

Article published online:
23 January 2023

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