homeo study in British Medical Journal

[ForumGal]

Friends,
FYI. Good news. Real Health Daily Dose is quite a good newsletter,
written by Dr. William Campbell Douglass. Best, Margaret

In a message dated 9/13/02 10:23:28 PM, real@agoramail.net writes:

<< Don't be such a drip

A study reported in the British Medical Journal found that
homeopathy is a far more effective treatment than
conventional medical practitioners are willing to admit. The
study investigated the effectiveness of homeopathic
treatments in cases of allergic rhinitis (nasal congestion).
Results revealed that of the 50 patients who completed the
study, those who received homeopathy had a 28 percent
improvement in their nasal air flow, whereas those in the
placebo group experienced a 3 percent improvement.

The author of the study, Dr. David Reilly of the Glasgow
Homoeopathic Hospital, explained in an interview with Reuters
Health how homeopathy works: Homeopathy is "a method of
stimulating or provoking the body to defend itself (rather
than the usual methods of blocking body responses by drugs)."
It goes against some basic tenets of science and so the
method is simply unacceptable to "modern" scientists, no
matter how well it works.

Reilly and his co-workers studied 51 patients who suffer from
perennial allergic rhinitis (hay fever). Twenty-four of the
study subjects received daily homeopathy and 27 received a
daily placebo treatment during the four-week study period. In
addition, all of the subjects kept a diary in which they
recorded twice daily their nasal air flow measurements and
symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, and eye and chest
problems.

The study was conducted according to scientific standards,
including using a placebo for comparison purposes, randomly
assigning participants to either treatment or placebo groups,
and making the study "double blind," that is, making sure
that neither participants nor researchers knew who was taking
the homeopathic drug.

Acute conditions, such as colds and allergies, will often
respond to homeopathic treatment. However, treating yourself
with health food store homeopathic remedies is not advised.
It takes years of training to become a qualified homeopath.
To find a doctor in your area, contact the International
Foundation for Homeopathy at (206)776-4147 or the National
Center for Homeopathy at (703)548-7790.

Dr. William Campbell Douglas