Homeopathy最新文献

Introduction Complementary and alternative veterinary medicine (CAVM) has been intensively used, and there is currently an increasing demand for a more rigorous approach regarding its clinical effectiveness.

Aims The objectives of this overview were: first, to identify systematic reviews on homeopathy, acupuncture and phytotherapy in veterinary medicine and assess their methodological quality; and second, to map interventions and findings in the treatment or prophylaxis of any medical conditions in any animal species for which high-quality systematic reviews had identified reliable evidence of efficacy or effectiveness in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or controlled clinical trials (CCTs).

Method The study was an overview of systematic reviews published in the years 2000 to 2022 inclusive. The following databases were used: CAB Abstracts, PubMed and Vet Index, from which the abstracts of 173 articles were extracted, 22 of which were initially included for complete analysis. After excluding 15 studies according to the exclusion/inclusion criteria, 7 review papers were comprehensively analyzed. The review quality was assessed by the Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR 2) method. The reported RCTs/CCTs in these reviews were analyzed for their reliability, and the results were classified according to statistical significance and risk of bias.

Results Seven eligible systematic reviews reported studies on dogs, horses, cats, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, rabbits and poultry. The number of primary RCTs/CCTs was 38 for homeopathy, 35 for acupuncture, and 171 for phytotherapy. The AMSTAR 2 evaluation ranked two reviews of veterinary homeopathy as high-quality, in which two placebo-controlled RCTs comprised reliable evidence, one of which reported efficacy of homeopathy as prophylaxis for diarrhea in pigs. The systematic reviews of acupuncture and phytotherapy were all of low quality, preventing formal assessment of their reviewed RCTs/CCTs.

Conclusion Only the systematic reviews of homeopathy were rated of sufficient quality to enable the assessment of reliable evidence within their reviewed RCTs. Contemporary high-quality systematic reviews of clinical trials in each of the three areas of CAVM are required.

Introduction In 2021, the area of CRAS (Centro de Reabilitação de Animais Selvagens – Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center), located in a state park in Campo Grande City, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, was suffering from a tick infestation affecting wild animals that inhabit the area and humans that visited its trails. Following a formal technical–scientific cooperation agreement between IMASUL, an institute for the environment in Mato Grosso do Sul state, and SIGO Homeopatia, a formulated homeopathic complex (Formula Parques Urbanos, FPU) was designed and prepared specifically to treat the animals. This environmental intervention used specially designed slow-release water biodegradable devices. Tracking the FPU signal in water was necessary to monitor and manage the intervention.

Aims Our aims were (1) to evaluate, among six previously standardized solvatochromic dyes, which would serve as a marker for the homeopathic complex under study; and (2) to evaluate whether the chosen solvatochromic dye could map the propagation of the homeopathic complex activity throughout the stream system from water samples harvested at different locations over time.

Method Water samples were harvested from each point at different times, filtered, frozen, and sent to the laboratory, where they were prepared at 1cH potency for analysis using 30% ethanol as the vehicle. Solvatochromic dyes were used to analyze the samples since they alter their absorbance when in contact with homeopathic potencies. Of the six dyes tested, Coumarin 7 was found to be the most suitable for tracking the FPU complex. A static and average unidirectional magnetic field of 2,400 Gauss (240 mT), generated by a neodymium magnet, was applied to the samples immediately before reading.

Results There were significant differences in the delta absorbance of dyes when adding treated/potentized water samples, making it possible to map the propagation of the FPU signal throughout the park over time. The signals were identifiable at the same point 1 minute and 32 days after the insertion of the device into the water. These signals were also identifiable after 75 minutes and 8 days at a point far from the insertion place.

Conclusion Coumarin 7 was the best marker for the homeopathic complex (FPU) used to treat the wild animals living in the park. The microplates/enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reader method and the application of a magnetic field to samples were shown to be effective in tracing homeopathic signals by changes in dye absorbance (p ≤ 0.02) in a real-life situation, with large volumes of water, involving many environmental variables, and over large distances.

Background and objectives:  Over the past decade, research using various methods has claimed the material nature, including nanoparticles (NPs), of high homeopathic potencies. The current study aims to verify these findings using NP tracking analysis (NTA).

Methods:  Six independent serial dilutions of commonly used homeopathic medicines-either soluble (Gelsemium, Pyrogenium, Kalium mur) or insoluble (Cuprum, Argentum, Silicea)-were prepared according to European Pharmacopoeia standards. We compared the homeopathic dynamisations (DYNs) in pure water with their potentised controls and with simple dilutions (DIL) up to 30cH/10^-60. We also tested the influence of the container (glass or PET) on the solvent controls.

Results:  We observed the presence of particles from 20 to 300-400 nm in all DYNs, DILs and controls, except in pure unstirred water. The sizes and size distributions of NPs in high homeopathic potencies were smaller than those in controls for soluble sources and larger for insoluble sources, even above 11cH. The opposite behaviour was observed in the number of NPs. When comparing DYN and DIL, the number, size, presence of aggregates or chains and brightness of NPs increased with DYNs, which was also observed above 11cH. Many NPs scattered light of low intensity, indicating the presence of material particles. The container had a significant effect on the number and size of NPs, indicating the involvement of the atmosphere and leaching processes.

Conclusion:  Homeopathic medicines contain NPs with specific properties, even when diluted beyond Avogadro's number. Homeopathic potentisation is not a simple dilution. The starting material, the solvent used, the type of container and the manufacturing method influence the characteristics of these NPs. The nature of these NPs is not known, but most likely they are a mixture of nanobubbles and elements from the atmosphere and container, including insoluble ones.

Background:  In the last 2 years of the pandemic, a wide range of cases of post-COVID functional gastrointestinal disorders (PC-FGIDs) has been reported.

Aim:  This case series aimed to investigate the role of homeopathic intervention in the treatment of PC-FGIDs.

Methods:  This is a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of individuals who had suffered from PC-FGIDs that were diagnosed based on clinical symptoms using the Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale (GSRS) and treated exclusively with individualized homeopathic medicines. Cases that had undergone regular monthly assessment using the GSRS and had a Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) score for up to 3 months were considered.

Results:  Thirty cases were screened and twelve were included according to the study criteria. The mean age of seven women and five men was 36 years. GSRS and PCFS scores showed marked improvement in each of 10 cases within the 3-month treatment period.

Conclusion:  Homeopathic intervention proved beneficial in 10 of 12 patients with PC-FGIDs. The findings may help researchers plan future controlled clinical studies in this field.

By means of a historical, classical philological and philosophical approach, this paper attempts to demonstrate that homeopathy is based on three powerful traditions of thinking, which can be traced back to Ancient Greece's pre-Socratic era. Actually, it seems to be constituted by what may be termed lógos-, hómoion- and iásthai-thinking: that is, thinking in terms of rationality, similarity and healing. By contrast, modern medicine tends to be aligned with just one of these traditions, at the expense of the others, this being not without risk and adverse effects. It is mainly determined by the first type of rationality that genealogically derives from, and is therefore compatible with, the logic of economics whose predominance in the health care systems of modern societies is progressively rising. Homeopathy, however, may not be sufficiently and fairly understood without taking into account the complementary forms of thinking on which it also rests, such as the principle of similarity in an all-encompassing sense, and ancient healing knowledge in the tradition of catharsis. As a corollary of being essentially constituted by the three, homeopathy may persistently be in need of a dynamic equilibrium of its three constituent bases. Attempts to approach homeopathy from only one of the indicated modes of thinking fail to grasp its essence and result in figments or caricatures of what homeopathy was originally meant to be.

The principle of similitude put forward by Hahnemann has challenging practical consequences in the selection of the right homeopathic medicine for a patient. According to this principle, only the medicines that best fit the totality of the symptoms of a given patient are supposed to really cure: this greatly depends on the homeopath's clinical analysis. In addition, a patient's illness may be more or less curable, depending on the characteristics of the disease. In their daily practice, homeopaths typically apply Bayesian reasoning to deal with uncertainty associated with both medicine and disease. We suggest that clinical research on homeopathy would gain by integrating this kind of prior estimation of (1) the probability of a given medicine being effective for that particular patient and (2) the probability of the patient's disease (or symptoms) being curable. We therefore suggest that future trials of N-of-1 design may gain (1) by testing a small number of "best candidate" medicines (instead of one) for a given patient facing a given disease, and (2) by including careful prior estimations of the probabilities that (a) each selected medicine will be efficient for that patient and (b) the patient's disease will be reversible with the medicine.

Background:  Myiasis by Cochliomyia hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a serious problem in animal health. Homeopathic Sulphur presents similarity with the clinical presentation verified in these cases and has already shown in vitro efficacy on the blowfly that causes this pathology. This article presents the report of a series of clinical cases of myiasis by C. hominivorax in sheep that underwent adjuvant treatment with homeopathic Sulphur and presents a theoretical-scientific discussion of biological events related to the clinical treatment of the condition.

Patients:  Seven naturally occurring myiases affecting sheep from an experimental farm were treated by an ointment impregnated with the homeopathic medicine Sulph 12cH, used as adjuvant after the manual removal of accessible larvae from the wound during wound cleaning. The animals were treated daily and evaluated clinically until complete healing of the lesions. Clinical information on the evolution of the inflammatory and scarring process was collected. Blood counts and bacteriological examinations were performed before and after topical homeopathic treatment.

Results:  The homeopathic ointment Sulph 12cH was able to inhibit the development of parasitic C. hominivorax larvae and promote tissue repair and healing in naturally occurring myiasis in the sheep of this study.

Conclusion:  The homeopathic medicine Sulphur, formulated as an ointment, may be a useful new and adjuvant therapeutic option for treating myiasis in animals.