RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Individualised homeopathy as an adjunct in the treatment of childhood asthma: a randomised placebo controlled trial
JF Thorax
JO Thorax
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Thoracic Society
SP 317
OP 321
DO 10.1136/thorax.58.4.317
VO 58
IS 4
A1 A White
A1 P Slade
A1 C Hunt
A1 A Hart
A1 E Ernst
YR 2003
UL http://thorax.bmj.com/content/58/4/317.abstract
AB Background: Homeopathy is frequently used to treat asthma in children. In the common classical form of homeopathy, prescriptions are individualised for each patient. There has been no rigorous investigation into this form of treatment for asthma. Methods: In a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial the effects of individualised homeopathic remedies were compared with placebo medication in 96 children with mild to moderate asthma as an adjunct to conventional treatment. The main outcome measure was the active quality of living subscale of the Childhood Asthma Questionnaire administered at baseline and follow up at 12 months. Other outcome measures included other subscales of the same questionnaire, peak flow rates, use of medication, symptom scores, days off school, asthma events, global assessment of change, and adverse reactions. Results: There were no clinically relevant or statistically significant changes in the active quality of life score. Other subscales, notably those measuring severity, indicated relative improvements but the sizes of the effects were small. There were no differences between the groups for other measures. Conclusions: This study provides no evidence that adjunctive homeopathic remedies, as prescribed by experienced homeopathic practitioners, are superior to placebo in improving the quality of life of children with mild to moderate asthma in addition to conventional treatment in primary care.