Homeopathic Medicines Used as Prophylaxis in Kolkata during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Community-Based, Cluster-Randomized Trial.
Homeopathy
; 111(2): 97-104, 2022 05.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1493296
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
There is some evidence that homeopathic treatment has been used successfully in previous epidemics, and currently some countries are testing homeoprophylaxis for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. There is a strong tradition of homeopathic treatment in India therefore, we decided to compare three different homeopathic medicines against placebo in prevention of COVID-19 infections.METHODS:
In this double-blind, cluster-randomized, placebo-controlled, four parallel arms, community-based, clinical trial, a 20,000-person sample of the population residing in Ward Number 57 of the Tangra area, Kolkata, was randomized in a 1111 ratio of clusters to receive one of three homeopathic medicines (Bryonia alba 30cH, Gelsemium sempervirens 30cH, Phosphorus 30cH) or identical-looking placebo, for 3 (children) or 6 (adults) days. All the participants, who were aged 5 to 75 years, received ascorbic acid (vitamin C) tablets of 500 mg, once per day for 6 days. In addition, instructions on healthy diet and general hygienic measures, including hand washing, social distancing and proper use of mask and gloves, were given to all the participants.RESULTS:
No new confirmed COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in the target population during the follow-up timeframe of 1 month-December 20, 2020 to January 19, 2021-thus making the trial inconclusive. The Phosphorus group had the least exposure to COVID-19 compared with the other groups. In comparison with placebo, the occurrence of unconfirmed COVID-19 cases was significantly less in the Phosphorus group (week 1 odds ratio [OR], 0.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06 to 0.16; week 2 OR, 0.004; 95% CI, 0.0002 to 0.06; week 3 OR, 0.007; 95% CI, 0.0004 to 0.11; week 4 OR, 0.009; 95% CI, 0.0006 to 0.14), but not in the Bryonia or Gelsemium groups.CONCLUSION:
Overall, the trial was inconclusive. The possible effect exerted by Phosphorus necessitates further investigation. TRIAL REGISTRATION CTRI/2020/11/029265.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Materia Medica
/
Bryonia
/
Gelsemium
/
COVID-19
/
COVID-19 Drug Treatment
/
Homeopathy
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Child
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Homeopathy
Journal subject:
Complementary Therapies
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S-0041-1734026
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