Two new studies claim that the infamous Lancet study which proclaimed “The Death of Homeopathy” was flawed: see New evidence for homeopathy on Eureka! Science News
Stephen Gordon, the General Secretary of the European Council for Classical Homeopathy, asks that the following information be made known:
“Two new studies conclude that a review which claimed that homeopathy is just a placebo, published in The Lancet, was seriously flawed.
George Lewith, Professor of Health Research at Southampton University comments: ‘The review gave no indication of which trials were analysed nor of the various vital assumptions made about the data. This is not usual scientific practice. If we presume that homeopathy works for some conditions but not others, or change the definition of a ‘larger trial’, the conclusions change. This indicates a fundamental weakness in the conclusions: they are NOT reliable.’
The background to the ongoing debate is as follows:
In August 2005, The Lancet published an editorial entitled ‘The End of Homeopathy’, prompted by a review comparing clinical trials of homeopathy with trials of conventional medicine. The claim that homeopathic medicines are just placebo was based on 6 clinical trials of conventional medicine and 8 studies of homeopathy but did not reveal the identity of these trials. The review was criticised for its opacity as it gave no indication of which trials were analysed and the various assumptions made about the data.
Sufficient detail to enable a reconstruction was eventually published and two recently published scientific papers based on such a reconstruction challenge the Lancet review, showing that:
The Lancet review, led by Prof Matthias Egger of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Berne, started with 110 matched clinical trials of homeopathy and conventional medicine, reduced these to ‘higher quality trials’ and then to 8 and 6 respectively ‘larger higher quality trials’. Based on these 14 studies the review concluded that there is ‘weak evidence for a specific effect of homoeopathic remedies, but strong evidence for specific effects of conventional interventions’.
There are a limited number of homeopathic studies so it is quite possible to interpret these data selectively and unfavourably, which is what appears to have been done in the Lancet paper. If we assume that homeopathy does not work for just one condition (Arnica for post-exercise muscle stiffness), or alter the definition of ‘larger trial’, the results are positive. The comparison with conventional medicine was meaningless: the original 110 trials were matched, but matching was lost after they were reduced to 8 and 6. But the quality of homeopathic trials was better than conventional trials.
This reconstruction casts serious doubts on the review, showing that it was based on a series of hidden judgments unfavourable to homeopathy. An open assessment of the current evidence suggests that homeopathy is probably effective for a number of conditions including allergies, upper respiratory tract infections and ‘flu, but more research is desperately needed.
Prof Egger has declined to comment on these findings.
References
Lüdtke R, Rutten ALB. The conclusions on the effectiveness of homeopathy highly depend on the set of analyzed trials. J Clin Epidemiol 2008. doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2008.06.015
Rutten ALB, Stolper CF. The 2005 meta-analysis of homeopathy: the importance of post-publication data. Homeopathy 2008. doi:10.1016/j.homp.2008.09.008.”
According to the Wright Stuff, the Queen never travels abroad without a collection of 60 or so vials of homeopathic remedies. Follow the link to watch a recording of the show, including a spirited discussion between homeopathy-sceptic Simon Singh and Jayney Goddard of the Complementary Medical Association: http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=4369961974109179973.
It’s easy to think that we know everything about the world, and how things are. For example, sceptics often repeat that homeopathy makes no sense, and therefore can’t work.
But experts can be wrong:
“The radio craze…will die out in time.” Thomas Edison, 1922
“There is not the slightest indication that energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will.” Albert Einstein, 1932
“The abdomen, the chest and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon.” Sir John Eric Ericson, Surgeon to Queen Victoria, 1873
“If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one.” Dr. W. C. Heuper, National Cancer Institute, 1954
“Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of axphyxia.” Professor Dionysus Lardner, 1830
“X-Rays will prove to be a hoax.” Lord Kelvin, President of the Royal Society, 1895
“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.” Lord Kelvin, President of the Royal Society, 1896
“Radio has no future.” Lord Kelvin, President of the Royal Society 1898
“I can accept the theory of relativity as little as I can accept the existence of atoms and other such dogma.” Professor Ernst Mach (as in speed-of-sound measurement), 1913
“There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom. The glib supposition of utilizing atomic energy when our coal has run out is a completely unscientific Utopian dream, a childish bug-a-boo. Nature has introduced a few fool-proof devices into the great majority of elements that constitute the bulk of the world, and they have no energy to give up in the process of disintegration.” Robert Millikan, Nobel prizewinner in physics, 1920
“The most important fundamental laws and facts of physical science have all been discovered, and these are now so firmly established that the possibility of their ever being supplemented by new discoveries exceedingly remote.” Simon Newcomb, astronomer, 1903
“Flight by machines heavier than air is impractical and insignificant, if not utterly impossible.” Simon Newcomb, astronomer, 1902
“Such startling announcements as these should be deprecated as being unworthy of science and mischievious to to its true progress.” Sir William Siemens (on Edison’s announcement of a successful light bulb), 1880
“The abolishment of pain in surgery is a chimera. It is absurd to go on seeking it today.” Dr Alfred Velpeau, surgeon professor, Paris Faculty of Medicine, 1837
“With regard to the electric light, much has been said for and against it, but I think I may say without contradiction that when the Paris Exhibition closes, electric light will close with it, and no more will be heard of it.” Erasmus Wilson, Oxford University professor, 1878
“Space travel is utter bilge.” Dr. Richard van der Riet Woolley, Astronomer Royal, 1956
“Space travel is bunk” Sir Harold Spencer Jones, Astronomer Royal, 1957 (two weeks before the launch of Sputnik)
Disclaimer: Any views or advice in this weblog should not be taken as a substitute for medical advice or treatment, especially if you know you have a specific health complaint. Please remember that homeopathic remedies should be individually-selected to match the whole person, not just the unwelcome symptom. For chronic, severe or long-standing complaints, seek professional advice rather than self-prescribing.
The Daily Mail’s front page story today carried warnings of a more severe than usual flu season this winter. Yet it seems that the flu vaccine may not give as much protection against flu as is commonly thought, despite it being aggressively marketed and available in many high street pharmacies.
Does the flu jab work?
The flu vaccine’s creator, Dr Graeme Laver, is reported as saying of the flu jab “I have never been very impressed with its efficacy” and “It is better than nothing and I wouldn’t want to advise people not to take it, but you can’t rely on it doing any good.”
What’s in the jab?
This might come as a bit of a shock to the 15 million Britons who have the flu jab each year, and is a pretty worrying confession, given that recent flu vaccines have been reported as containing thiomersal (can lead to poor memory and confusion), formaldehyde, three different antibiotics, as well as three strains of flu virus - in my view, not ingredients to have injected into one’s body lightly!
Are there any risks?
According to the Lancet (1998; 351), the flu jab can be a trigger for asthma, and has little effect against flu, flu-like illnesses or pneumonia for older people living in their own homes (Lancet 2005; 366).
Side effects of the flu jab include flu-like symptoms, allergic reactions to the egg protein it contains, and joint or nervous system inflammation.
Flu in vaccinated people
There are many flu-like illnesses, and flu viruses are constantly changing and mutating, meaning that the strains of flu in the jab may be superseded pretty fast. At best, the jab may give three months’ protection from the flu strains included in it. Homeopathic remedies don’t have the same problem. This is because the remedies don’t have any direct effect on the virus itself.
Instead, they seem to modify our body’s response to it by enabling our defence mechanisms towards a better recognition of what needs to be fought off.
Flu treatment options
Last winter in the Phoenix clinic, two patients reported suffering flu: incredibly, both had been vaccinated against flu during the preceding month!
Dr Laver is concerned that new flu treatment medicines like Tamiflu should be made more widely available in order to save lives.
Certainly, flu needs to be taken seriously, because it can kill, and quickly.
However, given the excellent survival statistics for homeopathy in the terrible 1918 Spanish (bird) flu epidemic (at the time, homeopaths reported a 1% mortality rate, whereas conventional doctors were losing at least 30% of their patients), at home we put our trust in homeopathic remedies like Gelsemium (Yellow Jasmine), my number one homeopathic remedy for flu and flu-like illnesses (indicated where there is great weakness and heaviness of the limbs, eyes, head and body, and the patient is thirstless and has chills), Eupatorium perf (indicated for flu with bone pains as if the bones are broken, or flu where even the eyeballs are sore), or Bryonia (can help where the patient is very hot, dry, thirsty for cold drinks, and needs to lie perfectly still) .
Homeopathic help
Given the latest concerns about a flu pandemic, now might be a good time to consult a homeopath for:
Phoenix also has limited stocks of a free Flu Information leaflet, available to registered patients.
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