No fear of ghosts in Lycopodium: a contribution to the discussion on repertory reliability.

BACKGROUND: Repertory mistakes in modern homeopathy have been pointed out since the early years after the publication of the sixth edition of Kent's repertory. A structural error of many current repertories is the use of Kent's repertory as a basic information source. 'Fear of ghosts' is widely considered to be a symptom of Lycopodium clavatum by the homeopathic community. OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate that the source of 'fear of ghosts' in Lycopodium clavatum was an inaccurate translation, that has been spread by secondary sources and to review Hahnemann's conception and efforts towards a reliable repertory. RESULTS: The symptom 'fear of ghosts' does not exist in the primary source, being the product of a misunderstanding of the English translation of Hahnemann's original record, 'fear of frightful imaginary images'. Hahnemann's efforts to compile a reliable and complete dictionary of Materia Medica were also briefly presented, as well as Rückert's repertory, which, in addition to collating and classifying symptoms in alphabetical rubrics and sub-rubrics, displayed them completely, as registered in primary sources. CONCLUSION: The misunderstanding about 'fear of ghosts' in Lycopodium clavatum exemplifies how distant current homeopathic information is from its primary sources and from Hahnemann's ideal of a symptom-lexicon. In spite of its technical limitations, Rückert's repertory, which was strongly recommended by Hahnemann, can be considered as a template for new repertories based on primary sources.

Homeopathic Individualized Q-Potencies versus Fluoxetine for Moderate to Severe Depression: Double-Blind, Randomized Non-Inferiority Trial.

Homeopathy is a complementary and integrative medicine used in depression, The aim of this study is to investigate the non-inferiority and tolerability of individualized homeopathic medicines [Quinquagintamillesmial (Q-potencies)] in acute depression, using fluoxetine as active control. Ninety-one outpatients with moderate to severe depression were assigned to receive an individualized homeopathic medicine or fluoxetine 20 mg day(-1) (up to 40 mg day(-1)) in a prospective, randomized, double-blind double-dummy 8-week, single-center trial. Primary efficacy measure was the analysis of the mean change in the Montgomery & Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) depression scores, using a non-inferiority test with margin of 1.45. Secondary efficacy outcomes were response and remission rates. Tolerability was assessed with the side effect rating scale of the Scandinavian Society of Psychopharmacology. Mean MADRS scores differences were not significant at the 4th (P = .654) and 8th weeks (P = .965) of treatment. Non-inferiority of homeopathy was indicated because the upper limit of the confidence interval (CI) for mean difference in MADRS change was less than the non-inferiority margin: mean differences (homeopathy-fluoxetine) were -3.04 (95% CI -6.95, 0.86) and -2.4 (95% CI -6.05, 0.77) at 4th and 8th week, respectively. There were no significant differences between the percentages of response or remission rates in both groups. Tolerability: there were no significant differences between the side effects rates, although a higher percentage of patients treated with fluoxetine reported troublesome side effects and there was a trend toward greater treatment interruption for adverse effects in the fluoxetine group. This study illustrates the feasibility of randomized controlled double-blind trials of homeopathy in depression and indicates the non-inferiority of individualized homeopathic Q-potencies as compared to fluoxetine in acute treatment of outpatients with moderate to severe depression.

Homeopathic Individualized Q-potencies versus Fluoxetine for Moderate to Severe Depression: Double-blind, Randomized Non-inferiority Trial

Homeopathy is a complementary and integrative medicine used in depression, The aim of this study is to investigate the non-inferiority and tolerability of individualized homeopathic medicines [Quinquagintamillesmial (Q-potencies)] in acute depression, using fluoxetine as active control. Ninety-one outpatients with moderate to severe depression were assigned to receive an individualized homeopathic medicine or fluoxetine 20 mg day(-1) (up to 40 mg day(-1)) in a prospective, randomized, double-blind double-dummy 8-week, single-center trial. Primary efficacy measure was the analysis of the mean change in the Montgomery & Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) depression scores, using a non-inferiority test with margin of 1.45. Secondary efficacy outcomes were response and remission rates [...] Non-inferiority of homeopathy was indicated because the upper limit of the confidence interval (CI) for mean difference in MADRS change was less than the non-inferiority margin: mean differences (homeopathy-fluoxetine) were -3.04 (95% CI -6.95, 0.86) and -2.4 (95% CI -6.05, 0.77) at 4th and 8th week, respectively. There were no significant differences between the percentages of response or remission rates in both groups. Tolerability: there were no significant differences between the side effects rates, although a higher percentage of patients treated with fluoxetine reported troublesome side effects and there was a trend toward greater treatment interruption for adverse effects in the fluoxetine group. This study illustrates the feasibility of randomized controlled double-blind trials of homeopathy in depression and indicates the non-inferiority of individualized homeopathic Q-potencies as compared to fluoxetine in acute treatment of outpatients with moderate to severe depression.(AU)

Hahnemann's experiments with 50 millesimal potencies: a further review of his casebooks.

BACKGROUND: A review of Hahnemann's clinical records at the Institute for History of Medicine of the Robert Bosch Foundation in Stuttgart shows that until the end of his life, Hahnemann continued to refine his clinical method, based on clinical cases. His "most perfected method" motivated him to write the sixth edition of the The Organon of the Healing Art, proposing solutions controlling the side effects he observed with repeated doses of homeopathic medicines. Unfortunately, this was published many years posthumously. The sixth edition of The Organon introduced the fifty-millesimal scale. OBJECTIVES: To identify the clinical cases treated with fifty-millesimal potencies and analyze Hahnemann's use of them. RESULTS: 1836 prescriptions of fifty-millesimal potencies were found, between 1837 and 1843 in three phases: initially sporadic; later compared regularly to centesimal dynamizations; and finally systematically. Thirty five medicines were identified in fifty-millesimal prescriptions, seven in potencies higher than 10 and only 3 (Sulphur, Mercurius solubilis and Rhus toxicodendron) used in the 30th degree. This accords with Haehl's information about the remedies in Hahnemann's case of fifty-millesimal potencies. CONCLUSIONS: Hahnemann probably decided to write the sixth edition, in 1840, to incorporate his latest experience with the repetition of potentized doses and periodically modified potencies. He must have revised it after February 1842 to include his latest findings with fifty-millesimal potencies in ascending degrees. Hahnemann's conception about the superiority of the fifty-millesimal in comparison with the centesimal dynamization was based on a significant number of experiments with the two scales.

The influence of childhood infections and vaccination on the development of atopy: a systematic review of the direct epidemiological evidence.

BACKGROUND: The 'hygiene hypothesis' has been used to justify a belief common among homeopaths, that the suppression of childhood infections and immunisation may lead to the development of chronic atopic diseases. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the influence of childhood infections and immunisation on the development of atopy. METHODS: Qualitative systematic review of direct epidemiological evidence (Medline 1993-2004) concerning the influence of childhood infections and immunisation on the development of atopy and discussion based on homeopathy. CONCLUSIONS: (1) Childhood infections do not protect against atopy; on the contrary, they increase the risk of allergic diseases, in agreement to Hahnemann's observations, which included epidemic diseases among the factors capable of stimulating the development of chronic diseases. (2) Vaccination is not a risk factor for atopy, notwithstanding the allergenic effect of some vaccines.

[Not Available]. / Nachweis von 681 Q-Potenzen in den französischen Krankenjournalen Samuel Hahnemanns.

In Samuel Hahnemann's French medical diaries, which are owned by the Institute for the History of Medicine of the Robert Bosch Foundation in Stuttgart, 681 prescriptions of Q-potencies, complying with the findings of the 6th edition of the Organon, were identified and listed. The first of these originates in 1838, the last in 1843. This corresponds with Hahnemann's statement that he had gathered four to five years' experience with his "modified, new perfected method" (dynamisation method). According to his data, Hahnemann prescribed sulphur three times more than all other medicines put together, followed by calcarea as the second most prescribed substance. No higher potencies thaan Q8 could be determined. By far the largest number of prescriptions of Q-potenciess are to be found in the as-yet unpublished case-books 13 and 14.