Evidence study of the effectiveness of homeopathy in treating amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea

Methods:

Study design and participants: Pilot study with Placebo preliminary phase (n=44).

Indication of treatment: abnormal menstrual cycle with involuntary childlessness (n=22) and without (n=22).

Qualitative Layout of Study therapy: doctor with additional qualification in Homeopathy and Psychotherapy, additional use of supervisors.

Location: Ambulance for Endocrinology, woman hospital Heidelberg University, Prof I. Gerhard.

Sponsor and scientific advisory: Karl and Veronica Carstens Foundation, Essen.

Recruiting time: May 1995 to December 1998.

Testing period: 12 months.

Post-observation time: variable, median of 39,6 months.

Goal criteria: amenorrhea: at least two menstruations within six months or ovulation or pregnancy; oligomenorrhea: at least 10% reduction of the cycle.

Objective:

• Assessment of the effects of the homeopathic therapy on regulation of the menstrual cycle considering effects of nonspecific curative reactions and

• Assessment of the effects of the homeopathic remedy on psychodynamic processes.

Results:

40,9% of the participants reached the goal criteria in the Placebo preliminary phase, 75% during the Placebo preliminary phase and testing period.

The influence on psychodynamic processes, outgoing from homeopathic medication, could be proven. Hormone substitutions in nearly all cases can be called dispensable due to the results found including during the post-observation period.

Conclusions:

Pilot studies with a success rate of 75% are ill-suited to proving the effectiveness of homeopathy and are hardly suitable for a serious scientific argument. Such results include the entire effective spectrum of the homeopathic therapy under study conditions including the effects which arise only by omitting the standard conventional therapy and the unquestionable existence of the placebo effect.

The high proportion of nonspecific curative reactions in the setting of homeopathic therapy could be one of the principal reasons for the sometimes unexpectedly good results of the placebo group by previously placebo-controlled conducted studies.

Keywords:

Gynaecology, clinical research.

Schlüsselwörter:

Gynäkologie, klinische Forschung.

Korrespondierender Autor: Magdalena Schmück, Handschuhsheimer Landstr. 90, D-69121 Heidelberg, Germany

E-Mail: [e-mail]