Is homeopathy in need of a philosophical and political reframing? No! … But my ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE HALL OF FAME has a new member

The ‘LIGA MEDICORUM HOMOEOPATHICA INTERNATIONALIS’ recently held its 77th ‘World Homeopathic Congress’ in Seville, Spain. No, I was not invited and did not attend, but I have seen the abstract of a keynote lecture by Prof. Josef M Schmidt from the
Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany (the university where I studied and worked for many years). I find it quite remarkable and hope you agree:

Today, homeopathy is having to face massive campaigns targeted at excluding it from what is considered to be scientific medicine, as well as from participation in markets. These attacks are based on philosophical and political presuppositions without which this could not happen.

The common denominator of these ideologies is a reductionist world view, in terms of a money-driven rationality, with a neglect of other dimensions of life. Within this mediocre frame of thought and judgment, there would be little choice left for homeopathy other than to fight for its recognition and market access by means of administrative standards established by their competitors, i.e. by randomised clinical trials, onerous approval procedures, etc.

In reality, however, homeopathy can be said to encompass far more dimensions of being than just lógos-thinking in terms of measurability, reproducibility, commodifiability and the like. Its theory and practice also rests on hómoion- and iásthai-thinking, i.e. on the principles of similarity and healing, as has been recently suggested by medical historical research and presented at the last LMHI congresses (Istanbul 2022, Bogotá 2023).

In order to exploit the unique multidimensionality of homeopathy and its potential impact on the current scientific discourse, another framework for homeopathy within medical and political theory may well be needed. First, the reductionistic view of man advocated by the “buffered selves” of modernity (Charles Taylor) would have to be challenged and overcome, then, a wider and richer anthropology as well as educational and political ideals be advocated and, finally, homeopathy be presented as an exemplary art of healing, in terms of reasonability, efficiency and safety. Only thus may it become clear that, given its multidimensionality, homeopathy may have much more to give and to offer than continually partaking in a desperate struggle to fulfill the one-dimensional requirements their opponents use to impose upon it.

Schmidt has a remarkable CV:

1. Academic Education
Medical School at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich 1973–1980
Doctoral Degree in Medicine (MD) at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich in 1980
PhD-Program in Philosophy, Theology, and History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich 1982–1988
Doctoral Degree in Philosophy (PhD) at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich in 1990
Habilitation (venia legendi) for the History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich in 2005

2. Professional Career
Resident at the Clinical Center of the Technical University of Munich (Klinikum rechts der Isar der TUM) and other hospitals and medical offices in Munich 1981, 1989–1991, 1993–1994
Medical Specialization (Consultant) in General Practice (Family Medicine) in 1994
Additional Medical Qualifications in Homeopathy (1985), Naturopathy (1990) and Quality Management (1999)
Trial Investigator and Physician at the Hospital of Naturopathy in Munich (Krankenhaus für Naturheilweisen) 1995–2001
Head of the Library of the Hospital of Naturopathy in Munich 1989–2003
Research Associate (freelance) at the Institute of the History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich 1988–2007
Research Associate at the University of California, San Francisco, USA, 1991–1992
Associate Lecturer (Lehrbeauftragter) for the History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich 1992–2005
Private Lecturer (Privatdozent) for the History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich 2005–2013
Research Associate (Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter) at the Institute of the History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich 2007–2011
Research Associate (freelance) at the Institute of Ethics, History, and Theory of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich since 2011
Adjunct Professor (außerplanmäßiger Professor) for the History of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilian’s University of Munich since 2013

3. Awards
Scholarship of the Robert Bosch Foundation 1987–1988
Scholarship of the German Research Association (DFG) 1991–1992
Professor Alfons Stiegele Research Award for Homeopathy in 1993
Science Award Samuel Hahnemann of the Town of his Birth Meißen 2015
Honorary Membership of the German Central Association of Homeopathic Physicians 2016

Even more remarkably, Schmidt has 25 Medline-listed publications all on homeopathy. As far as I can see, only one of them relates to a clinical trial. Here is its abstract:

Objective: To test whether an ultramolecular dilution of homeopathic Thyroidinum has an effect over placebo on weight reduction of fasting patients in so-called ‘fasting crisis’.

Design: Randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group, monocentre study.

Setting/location: Hospital for internal and complementary medicine in Munich, Germany.

Subjects: Two hundred and eight fasting patients encountering a stagnation or increase of weight after a weight reduction of at least 100 g/day in the preceding 3 days.

Intervention: One oral dose of Thyroidinum 30cH (preparation of thyroid gland) or placebo.

Outcome measures: Main outcome measure was reduction of body weight 2 days after treatment. Secondary outcome measures were weight reduction on days 1 and 3, 15 complaints on days 1-3, and 34 laboratory findings on days 1-2 after treatment.

Results: Weight reduction on the second day after medication in the Thyroidinum group was less than in the placebo group (mean difference 92 g, 95% confidence interval 7-176 g, P=0.034). Adjustment for baseline differences in body weight and rate of weight reduction before medication, however, weakened the result to a non-significant level (P=0.094). There were no differences between groups in the secondary outcome measures.

Conclusions: Patients receiving Thyroidinum had less weight reduction on day 2 after treatment than those receiving placebo. Yet, since no significant differences were found in other outcomes and since adjustment for baseline differences rendered the difference for the main outcome measure non-significant, this result must be interpreted with caution. Post hoc evaluation of the data, however, suggests that by predefining the primary outcome measure in a different way, an augmented reduction of weight on day 1 after treatment with Thyroidinum may be demonstrated. Both results would be compatible with homeopathic doctrine (primary and secondary effect) as well as with findings from animal research.

So, Schmidt turned an essentially negative finding into a (cautiously) positive one by starting his conclusion with the sentence: Patients receiving Thyroidinum had less weight reduction on day 2 after treatment than those receiving placebo.

Altogether this seems to me to be a herculean effort that merits admission into my ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE HALL OF FAME where he joins all of the following members:

1. Meinhard Simon (homeopathy0
2. Richard C. Niemtzow (acupuncture)
3. Helmut Kiene (anthroposophical medicine)
4. Helge Franke (osteopathy, Germany)
5. Tery Oleson (acupressure , US)
6. Jorge Vas (acupuncture, Spain)
7. Wane Jonas (homeopathy, US)
8. Harald Walach (various SCAMs, Germany)
9. Andreas Michalsen ( various SCAMs, Germany)
10. Jennifer Jacobs (homeopath, US)
11. Jenise Pellow (homeopath, South Africa)
12. Adrian White (acupuncturist, UK)
13. Michael Frass (homeopath, Austria)
14. Jens Behnke (research officer, Germany)
15. John Weeks (editor of JCAM, US)
16. Deepak Chopra (entrepreneur, US)
17. Cheryl Hawk (chiropractor, US)
18. David Peters (osteopathy, homeopathy, UK)
19. Nicola Robinson (TCM, UK)
20. Peter Fisher (homeopathy, UK)
21. Simon Mills (herbal medicine, UK)
22. Gustav Dobos (various SCAMs, Germany)
23. Claudia Witt (homeopathy, Germany/Switzerland)
24. George Lewith (acupuncture, UK)
25. John Licciardone (osteopathy, US)