Homeopathy for chronic asthma (Cochrane Review)

[Sheri Nakken]

From The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2004. Chichester, UK: John Wiley &
Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://www.cochrane.org/cochrane/revabstr/AB000353.htm

Homeopathy for chronic asthma (Cochrane Review)
McCarney RW, Linde K, Lasserson TJ
A substantive amendment to this systematic review was last made on 23 July
2003. Cochrane reviews are regularly checked and updated if necessary.
Background: Homeopathy involves the use, in dilution, of substances which
cause symptoms in their undiluted form. It is one of the most widespread
forms of complementary medicines and is also used to treat asthma.

Objectives: The objective of this review was to assess the effects of
homeopathy in people with chronic stable asthma.

Search strategy: We searched the Cochrane Airways Group trials register,
the Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field trials register, the Glasgow
Homeopathic Hospital database, the Münchener Modell database and reference
lists of articles. Searches were current as of August 2003.

Selection criteria: Randomised trials of homeopathy for the treatment of
stable chronic asthma, with observation periods of at least one week were
included.

Data collection and analysis: Data extraction was undertaken by two
reviewers. Trial quality was assessed by the reviewers.

Main results: Six trials with a total of 556 people were included. These
trials were all placebo-controlled and double-blind, but of variable
quality. They used different homeopathic treatments which precluded
quantitative pooling of results for the primary outcome. Standardised
treatments in these trials are unlikely to represent common homeopathic
practice, where treatment tends to be individualised. No trial reported a
significant difference on validated symptom scales. There were conflicting
results in terms of lung function between the studies. There has been only
a limited attempt to measure a 'package of care' effect (i.e., the effect
of the medication as well as the consultation, which is considered a vital
part of individualised homeopathic practice).

Reviewers' conclusions: There is not enough evidence to reliably assess the
possible role of homeopathy in asthma. As well as randomised trials, there
is a need for observational data to document the different methods of
homeopathic prescribing and how patients respond. This will help to
establish to what extent people respond to a 'package of care' rather than
the homeopathic intervention alone.

Citation: McCarney RW, Linde K, Lasserson TJ. Homeopathy for chronic asthma
(Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2004. Chichester, UK:
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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This is an abstract of a regularly updated, systematic review prepared and
maintained by the Cochrane Collaboration. The full text of the review is
available in The Cochrane Library (ISSN 1464-780X).
The Cochrane Library is designed and produced by Update Software Ltd, and
published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Classical Homeopath
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