Summary
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) becomes ever more important for the legal situation
of homeopathy. This poses a problem insofar as many influential proponents of EBM
consider homeopathy to be a mere placebo therapy. The difficulty of homeopathy with
EBM is that the statistical method is not very reliable, especially when it comes
to regulative therapies. This first article investigates the limitations and shortcomings
of EBM in general.
Key words
Evidence-based medicine - Homeopathy - Regulation
References
1 A newer study declines the strategy of “watchful waiting” showing that an antibiotic
therapy is more effective than a placebo therapy when strict criteria for otitis are
used as middle-ear fluid, inflammatory signs in the tympanic membrane and fever, ear
pain, or respiratory symptoms [65]. However, the study does not take any side effects
into account, like allergies, relapses, long-term consequences for the gut flora,
or the development of resistance.
2 “It is said that coincidence may play so large a part in causes of statistical errors,
that we should base conclusions only on large numbers. But physicians have nothing
to do with what is called the law of large numbers, a law which, according to a great
mathematician's expression, is always true in general and false in particular” [4]
S. 138.
3 Ghost writing seems to be common practice in medicine. Articles written by the pharmaceutical
companies are published under the name of well-known scientists [66, 67].
Georg Ivanovas
72400 Milatos
Crete
Greece
eMail: ivanovas@gmx.net
