Homeopathic medicines contain minute doses of plant, animal or mineral products leading critics to argue that any effectiveness is due to placebo.[1] Myriad studies refute this assertion.[2] As well, a 2014 review of scientific literature found that homeopathic and conventional pharmaceuticals share similar levels of effectiveness,[3] indicating that some placebo effect is normal in any medicine – conventional or homeopathic.
According to the Harvard Medical School, placebo effect does not reflect failure of a medicine, but a reflection “that another, non-pharmacological mechanism may be present.”[4] For instance, in one study, three groups of migraine sufferers tested a conventional migraine drug and placebo. The results showed “the placebo was 50% as effective as the conventional pharmaceutical drug in reducing pain after a migraine attack.”[5] That is, there is a different healing mechanism involved going beyond our current understanding of microbiology or biochemistry to explain how living organisms work at the cellular level.
With regard to homeopathy, current scientific studies support Harvard’s theory that a non-pharmacological mechanism may be present. Peer-reviewed published research demonstrates that homeopathy’s effectiveness goes beyond placebo with positive results confirmed in people,[6][7][8][9][10] plants,[11][12][13][14] and animals.[15][16][17][18][19] It is difficult to argue placebo when the patient is a plant or an animal.
The final assessment should be whether a medicine works. If it works, has no side effects, and is not addicting, health care practitioners should feel encouraged and confident in giving it.
References
[1] One study which received a lot of attention was done by Shang, et al. It compared 110 clinical studies each for homeopathy and conventional medicine. Shang concluded that clinical effects of homeopathy are placebo. Shang’s work has been widely criticized for a number of reasons. He excluded positive homeopathy trials because there was no conventional medicine equivalent and he used conventional medicine trials where the outcome was already known to be positive. The data from all but 8 homeopathy trials was excluded for unknown reasons and even these were not made known to the article’s readers. If the hallmark of good research is its reproducability, this study has been criticized for not being reproducible due to its lack of transparency in the criteria used and improper use of statistical analysis. Lüdtke R, Rutten AL. The conclusions on the effectiveness of homeopathy highly depend on the set of analyzed trials. J Clin Epidemiol. 2008;61(12):1197-1204; Hahn HG. Homeopathy: meta-analysis of pooled clinical data. Forsch Komplementmed. 2013;20(5):376-381.
[2] Kleijnen J, Knipschild P, ter Riet G. Clinical trials of homoeopathy. BMJ 1991, 302:316–323; Boissel JP, Cucherat M, Haugh M, Gauthier E: Critical literature review on the effectiveness of homoeopathy: overview of data from homoeopathic medicine trials; Homoeopathic Medicine Research Group, Report of the Commission of the European Communities, Directorate-General XII – Science, Research and Development, Directorate E – RTD Actions. Brussels, Belgium: Life Sciences and Technologies – Medical Research, 1996; Linde K, Clausius N, Ramirez G, et al. Are the clinical effects of homoeopathy placebo effects? A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials. Lancet 1997, 350: 834–843; Berghian-Grosan C, Isik S, Sebastian Porav A, et al. Ultra-high dilutions analysis: Exploring the effects of potentization by electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and deep learning. Journal of Molecular Liquids, Vol 401, 2024, 124537.
[3] Faculty of Homeopathy.org, Research. Retrieved on 2-28-2019 from https://facultyofhomeopathy.org/research/ (189 peer reviewed papers on 100 medical conditions found that 41% were positive in favor of homeopathy’s effectiveness, 5% were negative, and 54% were inconclusive; Of 1016 studies of conventional medicine 49% were favorable to pharmaceutical’s effectiveness, 7% were negative and 44% were inconclusive.)
[4] The power of the placebo effect. Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publishing; May 2017. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-power-of-the-placebo-effect
[5] Faculty of Homeopathy.org, supra.
[6] Schneider B, Klein P, Weiser M. Treatment of Vertigo with a Homeopathic Complex Remedy Compared with Usual Treatment. Arzneim Forsch/ Drug Res 55. 2005; 1: 23-29. http://www.biopathica.co.uk/Articles/Dizziness/19%20-%20Vertigo%20Treatment%20with%20a%20Homeopathic%20Complex%20Remedy.pdf
[7] Jacobs J, Jonas W, Jimènez-Pérez M, Crothers D. Homeopathy for childhood diarrhea: combined results and meta analysis from three randomized, controlled clinical trials. Pediatric Infect Dis J. 2003 Mar; 22(3): 229-34. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12634583
[8] Lüdtke R, Wiesenauer M. A Meta-Analysis of the Homeopathic Treatment of Pollinosis with Galphimia glauca. Wien Med Wochenschr. 1997; 147(14): 323-7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9381725
[9] Reilly D, Taylor M, McSharry C, Aitchison T. Is homoeopathy a placebo response? Controlled trial of homeopathic potency, with pollen in hay fever as model. Lancet. 1986 Oct 18; 2(8512): 881-6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2876326
[10] Möllinger H, Schneider R. Walach H. Homeopathic pathogenetic trials produce specific symptoms different from placebo. Forsch Komplementmed. 2009; 16:105-110. https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/209386
[11] Baumgartner s, Jäger T, Majewsky V, et al. Use of plants in basic research in homeopathic potentisation. Homeopathy Research Institute. 2012 Summer (16). https://www.hri-research.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/HRI_ResearchArticle_16_Baumgartner_PlantModels.pdf
[12] Majewsky V, Scherr C, Schneider C. Reproducibility of the effects of homeopathically potentised Argentum nitricum on the growth of Lemna gibber L. in a randomized and blinded bioassay. Homeopathy. 2017 Aug; 106 (3): 145-54. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28844287
[13] Brizzi M, Lazzarato L, Nani D, et al. A biostatistical insight into the As(2)O(3) high dilution effects on the rate and variability of wheat seedling growth. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd. 2005 Oct; 12(5): 277-83. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16230857
[14] Betti L, Lazzarato L, Trebbi G, et al. Effects of homeopathic arsenic on tobacco plant resistance to tobacco mosaic virus. Theoretical suggestions about system variability, based on a large experimental data set. Homeopathy. 2003 (Oct; 92 (4): 195-202.
[15] Camerlink I, Ellinger L, Bakker E, Lantinga EA. Homeopathy as replacement to antibiotics in the case of Escherichia coli diarrhea in neonatal piglets. Homeopathy. 2010 Jan; 99(10: 57-62. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20129177
[16] Weiermayer P. Wound Healing Disorder in a Horse, Associated with Antimicrobial-ResistantBacteria, Resolved with a Homeopathic Medicine – A Case Report. J Equine Vet Sci. 2018 Aug: 67: 37-43.
[17] Mazón-Suástegui J, Garcia-Bernal M, Enrique Saucedo P, Campa-Cordova A. Homeopathy outperforms antibiotics treatment in juvenile scallop argopecten ventricosus: Effects on growth, survival, and immune response.
[18] Endler P, Pongratz W, Kastberger G, et al. The effect of highly diluted agitated thyroxine on the climbing activity of frogs. Vet Hum Toxic. 1994 Feb; 36(1): 56-9.
[19] Lewandowski V, Sary C, Campos E., et al. Homeopathy improves production and hatching probability of zebrafish eggs. Latin Amer J Aquat Res, 2019; 47(4): 595-61.