Updated Edition!
The aim of this systematic review was to assess the efficacy of homeopathic remedies (HRs) in the treatment of mental disorders.
Italian psychiatrists performed a Medline/Embase search for studies written in English and published from any date to October 23, 2018. All randomized controlled trials enrolling patients with any psychiatric disorder and comparing HR with placebo, no treatment, or other psychotropic drugs were included.
A total of 212 studies were screened, 9 met all selection criteria and reported data on major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 4), generalized anxiety disorder (n = 1), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (n = 2), and premenstrual syndrome/dysphoric disorder (n = 2). Eight of 9 randomized controlled trials showed high risk of bias. Homeopathy showed greater efficacy in MDD compared with fluoxetine, and in premenstrual syndrome/dysphoric disorder compared with placebo, whereas no difference emerged between homeopathy and placebo in MDD and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
The authors concluded that the available data on homeopathy in psychiatric disorders are insufficient to support their use in clinical practice.
In their discussion section, they also add an interesting note of caution: Ethical considerations should therefore prevent clinicians from recommending HRs, which have a cost either for patients or for health care systems, until when a sufficient amount of solid evidence becomes available. In addition, systematic reviews of randomized trials, if unavailable, are advisable for all medical conditions for which homeopathy is currently prescribed.
This is a rigorous, transparent and clear review which generates no surprises. Few critical thinkers would have expected a positive result. It also teaches us, I think, a valuable lesson about the difference between a rigorous and a flimsy review, between independent and biased research. In 2011, evidently pro-homeopathy authors published a paper of the latter kind. Here is its abstract:
Objective: To systematically review placebo-controlled randomized trials of homeopathy for psychiatric conditions.
Data sources: Eligible studies were identified using the following databases from database inception to April 2010: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Hom-Inform, Cochrane CENTRAL, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine grantee publications database, and ClinicalTrials.gov. Gray literature was also searched using Google, Google Scholar, the European Committee for Homeopathy, inquiries with homeopathic experts and manufacturers, and the bibliographic lists of included published studies and reviews. Search terms were as follows: (homeopath* or homoeopath*) and (placebo or sham) and (anxiety or panic or phobia or post-traumatic stress or PTSD or obsessive-compulsive disorder or fear or depress* or dysthym* or attention deficit hyperactivity or premenstrual syndrome or premenstrual disorder or premenstrual dysphoric disorder or traumatic brain injury or fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalitis or insomnia or sleep disturbance). Searches included only English-language literature that reported randomized controlled trials in humans.
Study selection: Trials were included if they met 7 criteria and were assessed for possible bias using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) 50 guidelines. Overall assessments were made using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation procedure. Identified studies were grouped into anxiety or stress, sleep or circadian rhythm complaints, premenstrual problems, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, mild traumatic brain injury, and functional somatic syndromes.
Results: Twenty-five eligible studies were identified from an initial pool of 1,431. Study quality according to SIGN 50 criteria varied, with 6 assessed as good, 9 as fair, and 10 as poor. Outcome was unrelated to SIGN quality. Effect size could be calculated in 16 studies, and number needed to treat, in 10 studies. Efficacy was found for the functional somatic syndromes group (fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome), but not for anxiety or stress. For other disorders, homeopathy produced mixed effects. No placebo-controlled studies of depression were identified. Meaningful safety data were lacking in the reports, but the superficial findings suggested good tolerability of homeopathy. A funnel plot in 13 studies did not support publication bias (χ(2)(1) = 1.923, P = .166).
Conclusions: The database on studies of homeopathy and placebo in psychiatry is very limited, but results do not preclude the possibility of some benefit.
The two conclusions speak for themselves, I think. They should remind us that, although systematic reviews are in principle the most reliable source of evidence, it is still necessary to check the quality of the work and the independence of the worker.
Just when I thought I had seem all of the corona-idiocy, I found this paper by Dr Kajal Jain MD Homoeopathy (Materia Medica ) Medical Officer under Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission. It promotes specific nosodes and other homeopathics against the current pandemic. In my view, it discloses a new dimension of the delusion which seems to have engulfed so many homeopaths. Allow me to copy a short passage from it:
TUBERCULINUM
A glycerine extract of a pure cultivation of tubercle bacilli (human).
As per Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica by Dr Kent (page 1000) the Tuberculin nosode can prevent TB infection in those having predisposition to miasma. “If Tuberculinum bovinum be given in 10m, 50m, and CM potencies, two doses of each at long intervals, all children and young people who have inherited tuberculosis may be immuned from their inheritance and their resiliency will be restored
Burnett treated 54 cases of different types of TB Tuberculinum(Tub)/Bacillinum(Bac) 3
As stated in an article published in economic times ,countries without universal policies of BCG vaccination, such as Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States, have been more severely affected compared to countries with universal and long-standing BCG policies,” noted the researchers led by Gonzalo Otazu, assistant professor of biomedical sciences at NYIT.
The study noted that Australian researchers have recently announced plans to fast track large-scale testing to see if the BCG vaccination can protect health workers from the coronavirus.
The team compared various nations’ BCG vaccination policies with their COVID-19 morbidity and mortality and found a “significant positive correlation” between the year when universal BCG vaccination policies were adopted and the country’s mortality rate.
Iran, for instance, which has a current universal BCG vaccination policy that only started in 1984, has an elevated mortality rate with 19.7 deaths per million inhabitants, they said.
In contrast, Japan, which started its universal BCG policy in 1947, has approximately 100 times fewer deaths per million people, with 0.28 deaths, according to the study.
Brazil, which started universal vaccination in 1920 has an even lower mortality rate of 0.0573 deaths per million inhabitants, the scientists noted.
The researchers noted that among the 180 countries with BCG data available today, 157 countries currently recommend universal BCG vaccination.
The remaining 23 countries have either stopped BCG vaccination due to a reduction in TB incidence or have traditionally favoured selective vaccination of “at-risk” groups, they said.4
Thus we can see that Tuberculinium is reputed since a long timeas homoeoprophylactic in place of BCG. So Tuberculinum in high potency can act as an effective and dependable prophylactic in corona Virus .
PNEUMOCOCCINUM-
Pneumococcinum is reputed to prevent pneumonia. 5
In end stages OF CORONA VIRUS when we encounter symptoms like high fever ,pneumonia,pleurisy , -Pneumococcinum can be considered due to it being most similar to exisiting disease condition. Historically Pneumococcinum along with Influenzinum has been seen in eliciting drastic immunological responses in disease conditions following flu since it creates picture of pneumonia..
INFLUENZINUM and Oscillococcinum
Influenzinum is reputed to prevent flu and flu line symptoms 5
Oscilllococcinum –prepared from liver of wild duck has been observed to reduce course of illness due to influenza this it can be included as one of the probable medicnes in treatment of corona virus in earlier stages 6
A study conducted by Colombo GL1, Di Matteo S2 et al suggests that the treatment with Oscillococcinum could be helpful in preventing RTIs and improving the health status of patients who suffer from respiratory diseases7
Comparison of Allopathic vaccines and Nosodes
Allopathic vaccines are isopathic in nature, cude in nature unlike nosodes which are dynamic in nature with deeper penetrative abilities ..Nosodes when administered mimic the sickness and by natures law of cure prevent and treat illness.Nosodes being the same as original disease are more similar to the disease condition and are deeper in action since they are potentised
Thus realising effectiveness of nosodes in prevention and treatment of epidemics Nosodes are suggested as one of the probable approaches for COVID 19
This paper is so full of utter nonsense that I am unable to point it all out in a short blog-post. I trust you can easily identify it yourself. Let me therefore just focus on one specific point.
I did highlight reference 6 in the text for a special reason. Here is the reference provided by Dr Jain:
6. Vickers AJ, Smith C. Homoeopathic Oscillococcinum for preventing and treating influenza and influenza-like syndromes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2000;(2):CD001957
It does not take much research to find out what is wrong with it. It refers to a Cochrane review which, of course, seems most laudable. To be precise, it refers to the 2000 version of this review which concluded that Oscillococcinum probably reduces the duration of illness in patients presenting with influenza symptoms. Though promising, the data are not strong enough to make a general recommendation to use Oscillococcinum for first-line treatment of influenza and influenza-like syndrome. Further research is warranted but required sample sizes are large. Current evidence does not support a preventative effect of homeopathy in influenza and influenza-like syndromes.
This review is today obsolete, as it has meanwhile up-dated no less than 4 (!) times.
The latest version of this review is from 2015 (authored by well-known proponents of homeopathy) and concluded as follows: There is insufficient good evidence to enable robust conclusions to be made about Oscillococcinum® in the prevention or treatment of influenza and influenza-like illness. Our findings do not rule out the possibility that Oscillococcinum® could have a clinically useful treatment effect but, given the low quality of the eligible studies, the evidence is not compelling. There was no evidence of clinically important harms due to Oscillococcinum®.
It is virtually impossible to not realise all this when accessing the reviews via Medline. And that leads me to fear that the author of the above paper, Dr Kajal Jain MD Homoeopathy (Materia Medica ) Medical Officer under Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, is not just deluded, but fraudulent.
As we have discussed repeatedly, chiropractors tend to be critical of vaccinations. This attitude is easily traced back to DD Palmer, the founding father of chiropractic, who famously wrote about smallpox vaccinations: ‘…the monstrous delusion … fastened on us by the medical profession, enforced by the state boards, and supported by the mass of unthinking people …’
In Canada, the anti-vaccination attitude of chiropractors has been the subject of recent media attention. Therefore, researchers explored the association between media attention and public dissemination of vaccination information on Canadian chiropractors’ websites.
In 2016, an international team of investigators identified all Canadian chiropractors’ websites that provided information on vaccination by extracting details from the regulatory college website for each province using the search engine on their “find a chiropractor” page. The researchers assessed the quality of information using the Web Resource Rating Tool (scores range from 0% [worst] to 100% [best]), determined whether vaccination was portrayed in a positive, neutral or negative manner, and conducted thematic analysis of vaccination content. Now the researchers have revisited all identified websites to explore the changes to posted vaccination material.
Here are their findings:
In July 2016, of 3733 chiropractic websites identified, 94 unique websites provided information on vaccination:
- 59 (63%) gave negative messaging,
- 19 (20%) were neutral,
- 16 (17%) were positive.
The quality of vaccination content on the websites was generally poor, with a median Web Resource Rating Tool score of 19%. Four main themes were identified:
- there are alternatives to vaccination,
- vaccines are harmful,
- evidence regarding vaccination,
- health policy regarding vaccination.
From 2012 to 2016, there was one single Canadian newspaper story concerning anti-vaccination statements by chiropractors, whereas 51 news articles were published on this topic between 2017 and 2019. In April 2019, 45 (48%) of the 94 websites originally identified in 2016 had removed all vaccination content or had been discontinued.
The authors of this investigation concluded that in 2016, a minority of Canadian chiropractors provided vaccination information on their websites, the majority of which portrayed vaccination negatively. After substantial national media attention, about half of all vaccination material on chiropractors’ websites was removed within several years.
I find these findings encouraging. They demonstrate that media attention can produce change for the better. That gives me the necessary enthusiasm to carry on my work in putting the finger on the dangers of chiropractic and other forms of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM). At the same time, the findings of this investigation are also disappointing. About half of all the chiropractors had not removed their misleading content from their websites despite the 51 articles highlighting the problem. This shows, I think, how deeply entrenched this vitalistic nonsense is in the heads of many chiropractor.
This means there is still a lot to do – so, let’s get on with it!
‘THE INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE COLLABORATIVE‘ claim to be a collection of the leading organisations within the field, who are committed to working together to improve healthcare in the UK. They believe that a truly integrated healthcare service would improve patient experiences, bring about better patient outcomes, and provide a framework for a more cost-effective delivery of healthcare services.
Their purpose is as follows:
To bring together professional associations and stakeholders within complementary, traditional and natural healthcare, to identify common areas of interest, and to collectively take forward agreed objectives to promote greater integration with conventional Western medicine.
Objectives:
- To increase public awareness, knowledge and understanding of complementary, traditional and natural healthcare.
- To raise issues in integrated healthcare with government and decision-makers.
- To provide information on complementary, traditional and natural healthcare to the media and interested parties.
- To promote the benefits to public health of greater provision and integration of complementary, traditional and natural healthcare.
- To develop co-ordinated strategies to help patients access accurate information on integrated healthcare.
- To facilitate better access to, and choice of, appropriate complementary, traditional and natural healthcare within the NHS.
- To empower the public to share responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.
- To encourage whole-person, individualised healthcare.
- To advocate collaboration with conventional Western healthcare professionals.
- To support the development of a robust and appropriate evidence base.
They sate that Integrated Healthcare involves combining the best of conventional Western Medicine with a range of complementary, traditional and natural therapies.
The IHC brings together the following leading organisations, who are Core Members and lead our work.
- Alliance of Registered Homeopaths (ARH)
- Association of Energy Therapists (AET)
- Association of Naturopathic Practitioners (ANP)
- Association of Physical and Natural Therapists (APNT)
- Association of Reflexologists (AoR)
- Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture (ATCM)
- British Complementary Medicine Association (BCMA)
- British Reflexology Association (BRA)
- Chinese Medical Institute and Register (CMIR)
- Craniosacral Therapy Association (CSTA)
- General Council and Register of Naturopaths (GCRN)
- Faculty of Homeopathy (FoH)
- Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT)
- International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA)
- Kinesiology Federation (KF)
- McTimoney Chiropractic Association (MCA)
- National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH)
- Shiatsu Society UK (SSUK)
- Society of Homeopaths (SoH)
- Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (STAT)
- UK Reiki Federation (UKRF)
The IHC also provide revealing paragraphs about several so-called alternative medicines (SCAMs) on their website. This is where I have found a host of interesting statements. Here are just 6 examples:
- Chiropractic treatment mainly involves safe, specific spinal manipulation to free joints in the spine or other areas of the body that are not moving properly.
- Science is starting to understand the mechanism of action of ultra-high dilutions in the body, and homeopathic medicines are gentle, safe to use and in widespread use across the world.
- By testing … muscles the kinesiologist can get a picture of what is happening in your meridian system and how this may be affecting you.
- Radionics is a healing technique in which your natural intuitive faculties are used both to discover the energetic disturbances underlying illness and to encourage the return of a normal energetic field that supports health.
- Reflexology is a complementary therapy based on the belief that there are reflex areas in the feet and hands which are believed to correspond to all organs and parts of the body.
- [Reiki] is a tradition that is open to any belief system and benefits may include deep relaxation and the promotion of a calm peaceful sense of wellbeing.
And here are 6 corrections of the above-listed statements:
- Chiropractic involves unsafe spinal manipulation to free customers of their cash.
- Science has long understood that there is no mechanism that could possibly explain homeopathy.
- By testing muscles, the kinesiologist pretends to do something meaningful in order to be able to bill the customer.
- Radionics is a con technique that is counter-intuitive, implausible and unrelated to energy.
- Reflexologists believe to have shown conventional anatomy and physiology to be mistaken.
- Reiki is a tradition and a belief system demonstrably out of touch with reality.
PS
If the IHC want to change their text and adopt my corrections, I would waive my fee for this efforts.
There is much uncertainty about the value of dietary advice and dietary supplements. If these interventions do anything at all, then surely this would show in malnourished patients. And if any effect can be demonstrated, then surely with a hard endpoint, such as survival. This study tested the hypothesis; it investigated the effect on survival after 6 months of treatment involving individual dietary advice and oral nutritional supplements in older malnourished adults after discharge from hospital.
This multicentre randomised controlled trial was supported by grants from Region Västmanland, Uppsala-Örebro Regional Research Foundation (RFR), and the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. It included 671 patients aged 65 years who were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition when admitted to hospital between 2010 and 2014, and followed up after 8.2 years (median 4.1 years). Patients were randomised to receive:
- dietary advice,
- oral nutritional supplements,
- a combination of both,
- routine care.
The intervention started at discharge from the hospital and continued for 6 months, with survival being the main outcome measure.
During the follow-up period 398 (59.3%) participants died. At follow-up, the survival rates were
- 36.9% for dietary advice,
- 42.4% for oral nutritional supplements,
- 40.2% for dietary advice combined with oral nutritional supplements,
- 43.3% for the control group.
After stratifying the participants according to nutritional status, survival still did not differ significantly between the treatment arms (log-rank test p = 0.480 and p = 0.298 for the 506 participants at risk of malnutrition and the 165 malnourished participants, respectively).
The authors concluded that oral nutritional supplements with or without dietary advice, or dietary advice alone, do not improve the survival of malnourished older adults. These results do not support the routine use of supplements in older malnourished adults, provided that survival is the aim of the treatment.
The findings of this trial seem perhaps counter-intuitive and they contradict the current Cochrane review on the subject. I nevertheless feel that this is an interesting, rigorous and important study. It deserves to be publicised widely – perhaps more widely than the ‘Upsala Journal of Medical Science’ would afford.
For complete newcomers to this blog, I should preface this post with four statements of fact (evidence to support them can be found in numerous previous posts on this blog or in my book entirely dedicated to homeopathy):
- Homeopathic remedies are usually so highly diluted that they do not contain enough active molecules to have any effect whatsoever.
- The evidence from clinical trials fails to show that homeopathic remedies are more than placebos.
- Boiron is the world’s largest manufacturer of homeopathic remedies.
- Therapeutic claims made for homeopathic remedies are bogus.
_____________
BOIRON USA, seem to employ someone who does little else but tweet irresponsible advertisements that mislead and endanger the public. On 5/5/2020, for instance, I saw within a matter of just hours in my Twitter timeline dozens of advertisements by Boiron USA . I copied a few examples:
- Boiron USA Learn more about Histaminum for #allergies from @DrGaryK
-
Oscillococcinum USA Check out @BoironUSA ‘s #cough, #cold and #flu products to keep your family healthy all year long! Our medicines do not cause drowsiness or sleeplessness. bit.ly/2rbmOAp
- Oscillococcinum USA Clinical studies show that Oscillococcinum reduces the duration and severity of flu-like symptoms such as body aches, headache, fever, chills, and fatigue.*
- Boiron USA Ignatia amara relieves a lump in throat, hypersensitivity or intolerance to light, noise, or smells, frequent sighing, difficulty breathing, spasms, & cramps related to stress. It may help those who feel moody or emotional from added #stress. Claim basis: bit.ly/2VaVt0o
- Boiron USA Itchy nose? Histaminum helps relieve all symptoms of #allergic origin. DOSAGE: Dissolve 5 pellets under the tongue 3 times a day. Decrease frequency with improvement. Claim basis: bit.ly/2ohasEP
-
- Boiron USA #Itchy eyes? #Sneezing? Allium cepa may help! Claim basis: bit.ly/2nh76zS Apis mellifica
- Boiron USA Calendula officinalis (Garden marigold) offers more than its good looks. This flower has healing power! Calendula has been used for centuries as a healing and soothing substance for skin irritations like cuts, scrapes, chafing, minor burns and sunburn. bit.ly/2srZqPI
- Boiron USA Do you know what #homeopathic medicines are essential for springtime? Find out from @HomeopathyWorks!
- Boiron USA When Baby Bites: #Teething Tips for Nursing #Moms bit.ly/2MRVTpE
And here are four more from 6/5/2020:
- #Homeopathic Sabina relieves profuse and painful periods with red blood clots and pain spreading to the tops of the thighs. Dosage: Dissolve 5 pellets under the tongue 4 times a day. Decrease frequency with improvement. Claim basis: bit.ly/2I1L3sN
- Colocynthis 6C relieves abdominal & menstrual cramps improved by bending over, strong pressure and heat. Dosage: Dissolve 5 pellets under the tongue every 30 minutes. Decrease frequency with improvement. Claim basis: bit.ly/2oMa9RX
- Caulophyllum thalictroides 30C relieves menstrual cramps occurring at the onset of periods, with scanty flow. Dosage: Dissolve 5 pellets under the tongue 4 times a day. Decrease frequency with improvement, Claim basis: bit.ly/2q7Ea2Q
- #Homeopathic Cimicifuga racemosa 6C relieves cramps associated with #PMS and aggravated by cold and humidity. Dosage: Dissolve 5 pellets under the tongue twice a day. Decrease frequency with improvement. Claim basis: bit.ly/2Kj57Yk
(Please do click on the links for ‘claim basis’ and be surprised!)
As far as I can tell, Boiron USA have been doings this sort of thing incessantly since years. Why does someone not stop them? All of these advertisements make claims that are bogus, unethical, and potentially harmful for many consumers. How can this be legal? Should there not be some sort of consumer protection?
But perhaps there is something all of my US readers can do quite effortlessly: on their website, Boiron USA state that they are
committed to providing top-quality products to our customers. Subject to the Terms, Conditions and Limitations below, if within 30 days of purchase, you are not completely satisfied with our medicines for any reason, we’ll give you your money back.
To receive your refund, please send us the following items within 30 days of purchase at the address below:
-
- Your name, address and telephone number
- The original UPC from the Boiron product purchased
- The original dated cashier register receipt with the purchase price circled
Boiron Information Center
Attn: Refunds
4 Campus Boulevard
Newtown Square, PA 19073
So, how about buying the preparations advertised and then insisting on a refund, if they did not achieve what was promised in their advertisement on Twitter? That might soon stop them misleading the public!
In March, 2020, the International Chiropractors Association (ICA), a US based chiropractic organization, posted a report claiming that chiropractic adjustments can boost immune function with the implication that it might be helpful in preventing COVID-19. In their report, the ICA stated that: “Although there are no clinical trials to substantiate a direct causal relationship between the chiropractic adjustment and increased protection from the COVID-19 virus, there is a growing body of evidence that there is a relationship between the nervous system and the immune system” and “The observation that those who use chiropractic regularly and do not become ill with cold, flu, or other community shared illnesses is frequent within the profession and should not be ignored”.
Such misleading information is obviously unethical, irresponsible and dangerous. It prompted some chiropractors to do the research and find out what evidence exists that chiropractic might affect the immune system. They have now published their findings in a paper; here is its abstract:
Background
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) posted reports claiming that chiropractic care can impact the immune system. These claims clash with recommendations from the World Health Organization and World Federation of Chiropractic. We discuss the scientific validity of the claims made in these ICA reports.
Main body
We reviewed the two reports posted by the ICA on their website on March 20 and March 28, 2020. We explored the method used to develop the claim that chiropractic adjustments impact the immune system and discuss the scientific merit of that claim. We provide a response to the ICA reports and explain why this claim lacks scientific credibility and is dangerous to the public. More than 150 researchers from 11 countries reviewed and endorsed our response.
Conclusion
In their reports, the ICA provided no valid clinical scientific evidence that chiropractic care can impact the immune system. We call on regulatory authorities and professional leaders to take robust political and regulatory action against those claiming that chiropractic adjustments have a clinical impact on the immune system.
It is not often that I praise the actions of chiropractors, I know. But today, I unreservedly applaud the above-quoted paper.
WELL DONE, AND THANK YOU.
(And while we are on the subject, may I encourage the authors to carry on their good work and do similar assessments of the rest of the hundreds of false claims made by so many of their colleagues day-in, day-out?)
President Trump is not the only head of government who has discovered his talents as a scientist saving the world from the corona-virus pandemic. It has been reported that shipments of a herbal tea are being sent to neighbouring countries by the President of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina (below having a sip of his herbal drink). He claims that his tea is a powerful remedy against the corona-virus and hopes to distribute across West Africa and beyond.
Baptised ‘Covid-Organics’, the tea is derived from artemisia, a plant containing artemisinin which has efficacy in malaria treatment. Artemisia is cultivated in Cameroon, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia – all in high-altitude regions and regions with a pronounced cool periods. The tea reportedly also contains other indigenous herbs, such as ravintsara. Ravintsara is derived from the Cinnamomum camphora tree which is a native of Madagascar. This species of tree is different from the Asian camphor species; its leaves have a very different chemical composition.
‘Covid-Organics’ is being marketed after being tested on fewer than 20 people over a period of three weeks.
After Equatorial Guinea on Thursday, Guinea-Bissau is the second country to take delivery of the potion that Andry Rajoelina claims cures Covid-19 patients within 10 days.
The World Health Organisation has said that the herbal tea’s effects have not been tested, and there are no published scientific studies of the potion.
Embalo’s chief of staff Califa Soares Cassama told reporters that part of Saturday’s shipment was to be passed along to the other 14 members of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas). He said that he will test the potion from Madagascar on leading government members, including the premier. (Some readers of this blog might feel that the same should have been done in the US when Trump seemed to promote disinfectant for the corona-virus infection.)
Back in Madagascar, unarmed soldiers have been going from door to door in the capital Antananarivo handing out Covid-Organics. When launching the distribution last month, Rajoelina said two people had already been cured thanks to the potion, and added: “We can change the history of the entire world.”
Personally, I wonder whether a potion against hubris would not also be needed in these desperate times.
Bach-Flower Remedies (BFRs) are often confused with homeopathics. Like them, they contain no active molecule; unlike them, they are not potentised nor used according to the ‘like cures like’ assumption. Both have in common that they are as popular as implausible.
Few studies have tested BFRs; my own systematic review of controlled clinical trials was published in 2010:
Bach flower remedies continue to be popular and its proponents make a range of medicinal claims for them. The aim of this systematic review was to critically evaluate the evidence for these claims. Five electronic databases were searched without restrictions on time or language. All randomised clinical trials of flower remedies were included. Seven such studies were located. All but one were placebo-controlled. All placebo-controlled trials failed to demonstrate efficacy. It is concluded that the most reliable clinical trials do not show any differences between flower remedies and placebos.
Now a new study has emerged. This trial from the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, DY Patil University – School of Dentistry, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, compared the effects of Bach Flower Therapy (BFT) and music therapy (MT) on the dental anxiety in paediatric patients. A total of 120 children (aged 4-6 years) were selected and randomly allocated to one of three groups:
- BFT group: Children from this group were administered orally four drops of “rescue remedy” diluted in 40 mL of water 15 min before the treatment. Children were asked to wear headphones without playing any music during the dental treatment
- MT group: Children from this group were provided with a headphone, and Indian classical instrumental music (Raag Sohni played by Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma on santoor) was played during the scheduled dental treatment. Children were also given 40 mL plain water to drink 15 min before the treatment
- Control group: Children from this group were given 40 mL plain water 15 min before the treatment. During the treatment, children were asked to wear the headphone without playing any music.
All children received oral prophylaxis and fluoride treatment (no further details provided). Dental anxiety was evaluated using
- North Carolina Behavior Rating Scale (NCBRS), the primary outcome measure,
- Facial Image Scale (FIS),
- and physiological parameters.
Significantly better behaviour was seen in children from the BFT group as compared to the control group (P = 0.014). FIS scores measured postoperatively did not show significant differences among the groups.
Children from the BFT and MT groups showed a significant decrease in the pulse rates intraoperatively from the preoperative period. Intraoperative systolic blood pressure in children from the MT group was significantly lower than both the BFT and the control groups. Diastolic blood pressure significantly increased in the control group intra-operatively, whereas other groups showed a decrease.
The authors concluded that the results of this study demonstrate significant effects of both single dose of BFT and exposure to MT, on reduction of dental anxiety in children aged between 4 and 6 years.
I find these findings most puzzling (like all BFRs, Rescue Remedies do not contain a single active molecule that could explain them) and strongly recommend that we wait until we have an independent replication before accepting these results as trustworthy.
Dr. Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, a cardiologist at the Kansas City Heart Rhythm Institute in the US, has started a trial of prayer for corona-virus infection. The study will involve 1000 patients with COVID-19 infections severe enough to require intensive care. The four-month study will investigate “the role of remote intercessory multi-denominational prayer on clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients,” according to a description provided to the National Institutes of Health.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Male or female greater than 18 years of age
- Confirmed positive for COVID-19
- Patient admitted to Intensive Care Unit
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients admitted to ICU for diagnosis that is not COVID-19 positive
(Not giving informed consent is not listed as an exclusion criterion!)
Half of the patients, randomly chosen, will receive a “universal” prayer offered in five denominational forms, via:
- Buddhism,
- Christianity,
- Hinduism,
- Islam,
- Judaism.
The other 500 patients in the control group will not be prayed for by the prayer group. All the patients will receive the standard care prescribed by their medical providers. “We all believe in science, and we also believe in faith,” Lakkireddy claims. “If there is a supernatural power, which a lot of us believe, would that power of prayer and divine intervention change the outcomes in a concerted fashion? That was our question.”
The outcome measures in the trial are
- the time patients remain on ventilators,
- the number of patients who suffer from organ failure,
- the time patients have to stay in intensive care,
- the mortality rate.
On this blog, we have seen many other ‘corona-quacks’ come forward with their weird ideas. I ask myself why we give them not the opportunity to test their concepts as well? Why do we not spend our resources testing:
- homeopathy,
- chiropractic,
- ultraviolet blood irradiation,
- dietary supplements of all kinds,
- essential oils,
- TCM,
- cow dung and urine,
- dozens of herbal remedies,
- colloidal silver?
In my recent book, I included a short review of the literature on prayer as a medical intervention. This is what I wrote:
- Prayer can be defined as the solemn request or thanksgiving to God or other object of worship.
- Intercessory prayer is practised by people of all faiths and involves a person or group setting aside time for petitioning god on behalf of another person who is in need. Intercessory prayer is organised, regular, and committed. Those who practise it usually do not ask for payments because they hold a committed belief.
- The mechanisms by which prayer might work therapeutically are unknown, and hypotheses about its mode of action will depend to a large extent on the religious beliefs in question. People who believe in the possibility that prayers might improve their health assume that god could intervene on their behalf by blessing them with healing energy.
- These assumptions lack scientific plausibility.
- Numerous clinical trials have been conducted. Most of them fail to adequately control for bias, and their findings are not uniform.
- A systematic review of all these studies is available. It included 10 trials with a total of 7646 patients. The authors concluded that the findings are equivocal and, although some of the results of individual studies suggest a positive effect of intercessory prayer, the majority do not and the evidence does not support a recommendation either in favour or against the use of intercessory prayer. We are not convinced that further trials of this intervention should be undertaken and would prefer to see any resources available for such a trial used to investigate other questions in health care.[1]
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19370557
Lakkireddy says he has no idea what he will find. “But it’s not like we’re putting anyone at risk,” he says. “A miracle could happen. There’s always hope, right?”
Personally, I have a pretty good idea what he will find. I also find Lakkireddy not all that honest and think his assumptions are deeply mistaken:
- Lakkireddy cites an extensive list of references; however, the Cochrane review (usually the most reliable and independent source of evidence) that arrived to the conclusions I quoted above, he somehow ‘forgot’ to mention.
- As the review-authors tried to indicate, further trials of prayer are a waste of resources.
- There are many much more promising interventions to be tested, and by conducting this study, he is diverting research funds that are badly needed elsewhere.
- The study seems to have several ethical problems, e.g. informed consent.
- Contrary to Lakkireddy’s belief, he will harm in more than one way; apart from wasting resources, his study undermines rational thought and public trust in clinical research.
PERSONALLY, I FIND THIS PROJECT DESPICABLE!
