Homœopathic Links 2020; 33(01): 007-017
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1701672
Original Article
Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Private Ltd.

Effectiveness of Adjunctive Mother Tinctures to Individualized Homeopathic Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: An Open Randomized Pragmatic Pilot Trial

Aniruddha Banerjee
1   Department of Case Taking and Repertory, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Laijun Nahar
2   Department of Homoeopathic Materia Medica, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Showket Ahmad Bhat
1   Department of Case Taking and Repertory, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Ashutosha Kumar
1   Department of Case Taking and Repertory, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Rachna Goenka
3   Department of Homoeopathic Pharmacy, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Pralay Sharma
4   National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Swapan Paul
2   Department of Homoeopathic Materia Medica, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Abhijit Chattopadhyay
2   Department of Homoeopathic Materia Medica, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Sk Swaif Ali
5   Mahesh Bhattacharya Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Doomurjola, Howrah, West Bengal, India
,
Anamika Basu
5   Mahesh Bhattacharya Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Doomurjola, Howrah, West Bengal, India
,
James Michael
6   Department of Organon of Medicine and Homoeopathic Philosophy, National Institute of Homoeopathy, Salt Lake, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
,
Munmun Koley
7   Independent Researcher, Champsara, Baidyabati, Hooghly, West Bengal, India
,
Subhranil Saha
8   Independent Researcher, Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal, India
› Institutsangaben
Funding We received no funding for the project. The institution has no role to play in analysis of the study results and publication of the paper.
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Publikationsverlauf

Publikationsdatum:
09. April 2020 (online)

Abstract

Background We evaluated whether adjunctive mother tinctures (MTs) to individualized homeopathy (IH) have significant effect beyond IH alone in treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD).

Methods An open, randomized (1:1; IH + MT versus IH only), two parallel arms, pragmatic trial (n = 60) was conducted at National Institute of Homoeopathy, India. Primary outcomes were forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/FVC, measured at baseline and 6 months; secondary outcomes were Bengali COPD assessment test (CAT-B) questionnaire and (clinical COPD questionnaire) CCQ-B, measured at baseline, and after 3 and 6 months; and exacerbation frequencies during 6 months.

Results Five patients dropped out (IH + MT: 3, IH: 2). Though intragroup changes were significant, intergroup differences of spirometric changes over 6 months were nonsignificant (Mann Whitney U test); FEV1 (P 0–6 = 0.761), FVC (P 0–6 = 0.512), and FEV1/FVC (P 0–6 = 0.741). Over 3 and 6 months, differences of changes in CAT-B (P 0–3 = 0.553 and P 0–6 = 0.900) and CCQ-B (P 0–3 = 0.428 and P 0–6 = 0.953) scores were also nonsignificant. Exacerbation frequencies were nonsignificant between groups over 6 months (p = 1.000).

Conclusion Although adjunctive MTs to IH could not produce any treatment benefits in COPD, the trial being underpowered, cautious interpretation is necessary.

Trial registration CTRI/2018/04/013394.

Authors' Contribution

AB, PS, SP, AC, JM, MK and SS: concept, design, literature search, data interpretation, and preparation of the article; AB, LN, SAB, AK and RG: clinical study and data acquisition; SSA and AB: data compilation, management and master chart preparation; SSA, AB, JM, MK and SS: data interpretation, statistical analysis and preparation of the article. All the authors reviewed and approved the final article.


 
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