Avilian

Jacques Benveniste (Mar 12, 1935–Oct 3, 2004) was a French immunologist. In 1979 he published a well-known paper on the structure of platelet-activating factor and its relationship with histamine. He was head of INSERM’s Unit 200, directed at immunology, allergy and inflammation.  

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Seasonal variation of the effect of extremely diluted agitated gibberellic Acid (10e-30) on wheat stalk growth: a multiresearcher study. Endler PC, Matzer W, Reich C, Reischl T, Hartmann AM, Thieves K, Pfleger A, Hofäcker J, Lothaller H, Scherer-Pongratz W. Division Complementary Health Sciences, Interuniversity College for Health and Development Graz, Castle of Seggau, 8042 Graz, Austria. ScientificWorldJournal. 2011;11:1667-78. Epub 2011 Sep 26.

Abstract: The influence of a homeopathic high dilution of gibberellic acid on wheat growth was studied at different seasons of the year. Seedlings were allowed to develop under standardized conditions for 7 days; plants were harvested and stalk lengths were measured.

The data obtained confirm previous findings, that ultrahigh diluted potentized gibberellic acid affects stalk growth. Furthermore, the outcome of the study suggests that experiments utilizing the bioassay presented should best be performed in autumn season. In winter and spring, respectively, no reliable effects were found.

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Nonlinear changes in the activity of the oxygen-dependent demethylase system in Rhodococcus erythropolis cells in the presence of low and very low doses of formaldehyde. Malarczyk E, Pazdzioch-Czochra M, Grąz M, Kochmańska-Rdest J, Jarosz-Wilkołazka A. Biochemistry Department, UMCS, Lublin, Poland. malar@poczta.umcs.lublin.pl. Nonlinear Biomed Phys. 2011 Nov 21;5(1):9.

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The effect of exogenous, highly diluted formaldehyde on the rate of demethylation/re-methylation of veratric acid by the bacteria Rhodococcus erythropolis was studied using electrophoretic and microscopic techniques. The activity of 4-O-demethylase, responsible for accumulation of vanillic acid, and the levels of veratric and vanillic acids were determined using capillary electrophoresis.

Formaldehyde was serially diluted at 1:100 ratios, and the total number of iterations was 20. After incubation of the successive dilutions of formaldehyde with the bacteria, demethylase activity oscillated in a sinusoidal manner.

It was established using capillary electrophoresis that methylation of vanillic acid to veratric acid occurred at a double rate, as shown by the doubled fluctuation in the concentration of veratrate. There were also changes in the NADH oxidase activity, which is associated with methylation processes. Microscopic observations revealed the presence of numerous enlarged vacuoles in bacterial cells during the accumulation of large amounts of vanillic acid, and their disappearance together with a decrease in 4-O-demethylase activity.

The presented results give evidence for the ability of living cells to detect the presence of submolecular concentrations of biological effectors in their environment and provide a basis for a scientific explanation of the law of hormesis and the therapeutic effect of homeopathic dilutions.

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Real-life effect of classical homeopathy in the treatment of allergies: A multicenter prospective observational study. Gründling C, Schimetta W, Frass M. General and Homeopathic Medical Practice, Enns, Austria, praxis@drgruendling.at. Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2011 Dec 8. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of allergic disorders in western industrialized countries has steadily increased during the last three decades. Public acceptance of complementary treatment methods is high. The aim of this study was to assess the real-life efficacy of classical homeopathic treatment and the potential to reduce conventional medication dosage.

METHODS: A prospective multicenter observational study was conducted by general practitioners specializing in homeopathy in nine Austrian test centers. Personal data and symptoms of allergic patients diagnosed with allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma and neurodermatitis before and after homeopathic treatment were assessed by means of questionnaires (classification of patients’ condition by using visual analogue scales/VAS).

RESULTS: 40 out of 44 patients originally recruited for the trial were found to meet the eligibility criteria. All clinical symptoms were shown to improve substantially, in most cases quite markedly (p < 0.001). 21 patients undergoing conventional medication therapy at baseline (62%) were able to discontinue at least one medication, while the remaining patients (38%) reported a dose reduction in at least one medication. No side effects were reported during treatment.

CONCLUSION: The symptoms of patients undergoing homeopathic treatment were shown to improve substantially and conventional medication dosage could be substantially reduced. While the real-life effect assessed indicates that there is a potential for enhancing therapeutic measures and reducing healthcare cost, it does not allow to draw conclusions as to the efficacy of homeopathic treatment per se.

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The role of alternative medicine in rhinology. Roehm CE, Tessema B, Brown SM. Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030, USA. Facial Plast Surg Clin North Am. 2012 Feb;20(1):73-81.

Abstract: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) includes treatments from traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, naturopathy, herbal medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, mind-body medicine, chiropractic or osteopathic manipulations, and massage. More than 40% of patients in the United States use CAM, with 17% of CAM use related to otolaryngology diagnoses, but nearly half of CAM users do not communicate their use of these medications to their physicians. Perioperative risk of bleeding is a particular concern in surgical specialties, and knowledge of these therapies and their potential adverse effects is critical.

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Management of distress during climacteric years by homeopathic therapy. Nayak C, Singh V, Singh K, Singh H, Gupta J, Lamba CD, Sharma A, Sharma B, Indira B, Bhuvaneshwari S, Bindra SK, Luxmi KS. 1 Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) , New Delhi, India. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Nov;17(11):1037-42.

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: The purpose of this study was to ascertain the usefulness of homeopathic therapy in the management of distressing symptoms encountered during climacteric years in women (primary objective) and also the changes brought about in the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and lipid profile in these women after homeopathic treatment (secondary objective).

Materials and methods: An open, multicenter, prospective, observational study was carried out to ascertain the usefulness of homeopathic treatment in distress during climacteric years (DDCY). Patients were enrolled from the general outpatient department of the six Institutes/Units of Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) and were required to complete a follow-up period of 1 year as per the protocol designed by the CCRH. A uniform questionnaire assessing 15 predefined symptoms of menopause was adopted, with assessment of each symptom at every visit. Levels of serum FSH and lipid profile were monitored at entry and at completion. Effect size of the study was also calculated. CARA Software was used for repertorization of the presenting symptoms of menopause along with the characteristic attributes of each patient to arrive at a simillimum. The selected medicine was prescribed in a single dose as per the homeopathic principles. The assessment of the results was made through statistical analysis using the Wilcoxon signed rank test on Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) comparing symptom score at entry and completion of 1 year of treatment and t test for analyzing improvement in laboratory findings.

Results: Homeopathic therapy was found to be useful in relieving menopausal distressing symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, palpitation, depression, insomnia, and so on. Influence on serum levels of FSH, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein was not significant but serum levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and very-low-density lipoprotein decreased significantly. Effect size of the study was found to be large. The medicines found to be most frequently indicated and useful were Sepia, Lachesis, Calcarea carb., Lycopodium, and Sulphur.

Conclusions: This study proves the usefulness of homeopathic medicines in relieving DDCY.

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With Thanks to The Homeopathy Research Institute 19.11.11:

Effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of homeopathy in general practice. Forsch Komplementärmed 2006;13(Supplement 21:19-2); DOI: 10.1159/00009358. Bornhöft G, Wolf U, von Ammon K, Righetti M, Maxion-Bergemann S, Baumgartner S, Thurneysen A, Matthiessen PF: The English translation of the Swiss Health Technology Assessment (HTA) report on Homeopathy will be published in the UK on 30th November 2011. We are glad to bring you a taster of the contents of this exciting report. ‘Homöopathie in der Krankenversorgung. Wirksamkeit, Nutzen, Sicherheit und Wirtschaftlichkeit.’ English Title announced as: ‘Homeopathy in Healthcare: Effectiveness, Appropriateness, Safety, Costs.’ by Gudrun Bornhöft and Peter F. Matthiessen (Editors).

The 2006 HTA report on homeopathy was commissioned by the Federal Social Insurance Office (*FSIO) within the context of an overall evaluation of Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAMs). It was written by a team of German speaking academics and edited by G Bornhöft & F Matthiessen of Witten/Herdecke University in Germany.

Interestingly, the HTA methodology, unlike meta-analyses and systematic reports such as the Cochrane Collaboration, does not just ask the question of effectiveness of a particular intervention, it also addresses the questions of effectiveness of a therapy in everyday use (i.e. real world effectiveness), how it is used, its safety and its cost-effectiveness.

This report, amounting to 300-plus pages, exhaustively reviews the scientific literature in homeopathy. It summarises 22 reviews, 20 of which show positive results for homeopathy. Four of these showed strong evidence that homeopathy, as a system of medicine, is efficacious. It also finds strong supporting evidence for the homeopathic treatment of allergies and upper-respiratory tract infections.

Shang et al comparative meta-analysis which appeared in The Lancet in 2005 and was heralded by The Lancet’s editor as “The end of homeopathy” was, according to Bornhöft & Matthiessen, commissioned by the FSIO as a part of this same assessment of CAMs. It was originally meant to investigate the quality of homeopathy trials compared to those of conventional medicine. In the HTA report the authors analyse the Shang et al 2005 study, stating that, “Although we cannot conclude from the previous remarks [about the Shang et al 2005 study] the opposite conclusion – that homeopathy is effective – we can say with certainty that the Shang et al 2005 study does not prove that homeopathy has no effect.” The report also presents the results of the quality assessment of homeopathy trials, concluding that “studies of homeopathy and phytotherapy were of better quality than comparable conventional medicine studies”.

The Bornhöft & Matthiessen HTA report ends with this statement: “In conclusion we have established that there is sufficient supporting evidence for the pre-clinical (experimental) as well as clinical effects of homeopathy, and that in absolute terms, as well as when compared to conventional therapies, it offers a safe and cost-effective treatment.”

With the publication of the English translation of the HTA report, we hope that the debate will finally move from the question, ‘Does homeopathy work?’ to the more pressing questions of ‘How does homeopathy work?’ and ‘What conditions can homeopathy treat effectively and cost-efficiently?’

*The Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) is the Swiss National Centre of expertise on policies related to old-age, invalidity and the family. It plans, manages and monitors the corresponding social insurance systems to ensure that they function effectively. The FSIO also initiates and coordinates reciprocal social security agreements with other countries.

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http://avilian.co.uk/2010/06/re-analysis-of-shang-et-al-meta-analysis/

http://avilian.co.uk/2009/09/luc-montagnier-foundation-proves-homeopathy-works/