The purpose of this ongoing research is to investigate the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment delivered to HIV-positive patients mainly in resource-limited settings. The study includes patients on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and those not yet initiated on ART, in Swaziland. Data from the Swaziland Homeopathy Project, 2014 clinic database was analysed.
The study is a retrospective observational study of a group of 1003 HIV positive individuals comprising 147 males and 856 females. Patients attend clinics voluntarily and are offered homeopathic treatment as a complement to any other conventional medical treatment. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Standard Student t-test. The end points are changes in the Practitioner and Patient overall scores (based on Karnofsky) and Symptom Evaluation Scale (VAS) scores.
The analysis showed statistically significant positive changes in all average overall health scores of the patients between initial case-taking prior to remedy prescription and follow-up consultations. Mean patient scores for patients on ART increased by 1.18 points (from 6.11 to 7.29) on the 9-point Karnofsky scale (p value < 0.01). Mean patient scores for those not on ART increased by 0.94 points, from 6.30 to 7.24 (p value < 0.01). Practitioner scores showed similar increases. From all the overall health scores, an average of 66% of the patients showed improvement at the first monthly follow-up. Analysis of the symptoms indicated that symptom improvement occurred in 65% of all presenting symptoms at first follow-up. This trend was observed for both mental and physical symptoms.
The study indicates that all patients, including those receiving ART and those not yet initiated, were significantly improved after receiving homoeopathic treatment. Symptom analysis indicates that homeopathic treatment can alleviate both long and short-term ART adverse effects including peripheral neuropathy and is effective in addressing emotional issues such as grief and trauma as well as opportunistic infections.
Keywords
Outreach homeopathic treatment - Observational study - HIV-positive patients - Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) - Overall scores - Symptom scores - Statistically significant improvement
