• homeopathy
• asthma
• children

We read with interest the article by White et al on the use of homeopathy as an adjunct in the treatment of childhood asthma.¹ We also obtained negative findings in an open study in which we assessed the effects of homeopathy on spirometry and exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) in children with stable asthma.

Twelve asthmatic children (4 boys, median age 13.5 years, range 7–18) who satisfied the following inclusion criteria were recruited: (1) stable asthma with no clinical indication for change in treatment, on any dose of inhaled corticosteroid and any other asthma medications; (2) raised eNO level at the start of the study despite clinical stability; (3) identifiable sensitivity to house dust mite (HDM, n=3) or cat and HDM (n=9) by history and skin prick test (SPT); (4) no hospital admission or emergency department attendance for asthma in the previous 3 months; (5) no history of consumption of oral corticosteroid in the previous 3 months; (6) no homeopathic treatment within the previous 6 months, allergen desensitisation within the previous year, or HDM avoidance measures or removal of household pet to which the subject had a positive SPT in the previous 3 months.

At baseline all recruited patients underwent SPT if this had not been done within the previous 2 years, eNO measurement (NIOX, Aerocrine, Sweden), and spirometric testing (Vitalograph, Buckingham, UK) measuring forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁). The mean of three best efforts was recorded and the result was expressed as percentage predicted. The homeopathic remedy was prescribed according to the child’s SPT result. This was a preparation of HDM or cat dander (or both, if appropriate) in the form of two lactose globules. The preparation was made up according to the principles laid out in the British Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia. The patients were told to …