Homeopathic consultations in a university clinic – Inselspital Bern, Switzerland

Background:

Since 1995, there is an institute for complementary medicine at the university of Bern, Switzerland, with a faculty for homeopathy. Since 1998, we have a consulting service for in- and out-patients of the university clinics of the ”Inselhospital”. Most of the consultations take place in the child care-unit of the university, initially in collaboration with neuro-pediatricians, neonatology and presently hematology/oncology. Adult patients are consulted, too, allocated mainly from the sections for oncology and radiotherapy.

Methods:

Since 2008 consultations are systematically documented and will be presented.

Results:

Of the affiliated children- and youth-inpatients, in accordance with the respective family wishes, 22% were homeopathically treated complementary to the standard hemato-oncological therapy. The diseases treated, included the whole spectra of this subject area, focusing on leucemia and neurological-tumors. 60% of the cases were co-treated because of the expected, acute side effects of the chemo- and/or radiotherapy, including: mucosa-inflammation, nausea, vomiting and neuropsychiatric anomalities.

The high potency remedies used were: arnica, gelsemium, nux vomica, borax, hypericum (in declining frequency). Every patient was treated with an additional remedy, in accordance with the individual symptom-totality and constitution:

Calc., phos., lyc., sil., carc., sulph., bell., puls, ars., calc-p., merc., nat-m., and sep. (in declining frequency). Follow-ups were conducted variably: from a few days up to 2 years (averaging 6 months).

The average costs of the homeopathic complementary therapy amounted to Chf 667.- (approx. € 600.-).

Conclusion:

A homeopathic complement-therapy of hemato-/oncological sick children and youths can be useful by hospitalized patients in the manner of a consiliary-supportive service. Further research regarding patient-safety, cost-efficiency and usefulness is needed.