A Critical Overview of Homeopathy Renan M.V.R. Almeida, PhD TO THE EDITOR: Jonas and colleagues (1) forgot some important "symptoms" that a homeopath has to look for when considering a Pulsatilla prescription: "flatulence, no two stools alike, averse to fat, drink and warm food" (2) and "morbid dread of the opposite sex, religious melancholy, given to extremes of pleasure and pain" (2), together with dozens of other unrelated signs, supposedly generated in healthy people by this "preeminently female remedy, especially for mild, gentle, yielding disposition...crying readily; weeps when talking" (2). Thus, the clear inverse correlation between the quality of a homeopathic study and its positive result comes as no surprise. When independent replication is demanded, it is even less surprising to see the positive results drop to zero. For instance, consider 1 of Jonas and colleagues’ examples, in which the findings of 1 study (3) were nonindependently replicated by a second (4). Homeopathy was prescribed for diarrhea; some of the "symptoms" involved were head sweats during sleep and the presence of 1 red cheek and 1 pale cheek. Other investigators (5) have detailed the many inconsistencies and errors in the first of these 2 studies. In fact, the investigators of the original study seem to have manipulated variables and end points in search of a significant P value (which they found: P = 0.048). For instance, in the original study (3), a "significant difference in the average number of stools by day 3" is considered a positive outcome. However, in the second study (4), the difference appears by day 5 (in the first study, this had yielded a negative result). Yet Jonas and colleagues consider these to be high-quality studies! Finally, 1 of the authors had a $50 million budget solely for complementary and alternative medicine research. The authors’ statement that "more and better research is needed, unobstructed by belief or disbelief" (1) sounds like a cry for mercy for a pseudoscience disguised as an "alternative" therapy. References: 1. Jonas WB, Kaptchuk TJ, Linde K. A critical overview of homeopathy. [PMID: 12614092] Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:393-9. 2. Boericke W. Homoeopathic Materia Medica. Accessed at http://www.homeoint.org/books/boericmm/ on 2 April 2003. 3. Jacobs J, Jimenez LM, Gloyd SS, Gale JL, Crothers D. Treatment of acute childhood diarrhea with homeopathic medicine: a randomized clinical trial in Nicaragua. [PMID: 8165068] Pediatrics. 1994;93:719-25. 4. Jacobs J, Jimenez LM, Malthouse S, Chapman E, Crothers D, Masuk M, et al. Homeopathic treatment of acute childhood diarrhea: results from a clinical trial in Nepal. [PMID: 10784270] J Altern Complement Med. 2000;6:131-9. 5. Sampson W, London W. Analysis of homeopathic treatment of childhood diarrhea. [PMID: 7478845] Pediatrics. 1995;96:961-4. Author information From Federal University Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro RJ 21945970, Brazil. Annals of Internal Medicine 21 October 2003 | Volume 139 Issue 8 | Page W-74 From an email, 1/04 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.