Forum sulle
Medicine non convenzionali
DECLARATION
OF THE LIGA MEDICORUM HOMEOPATHICA INTERNATIONALIS
The
Liga Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis1 hereby publicly and officially
expresses its views regardingh the recent unsigned report published by the
British journal The Lancet which states that Homeopathy lacks any curative
power by printing the affirmation that "doctors should be honest with their
patients and tell them the truth about Homeopathy's inability to provide
therapeutic benefits." Such unfounded studies result from the meta-analysis
work published in the same issue of the referenced journal.2
As a
response to this article the LMHI publishes the following statement:
Evaluating homeopathy or scientific studies concerning Homeopathy requires
the understanding of the following prerequisites:
In
regard to the published Lancet article, the LMHI wants to clarify the
following:
1) Any
work that aims at demonstrating the evidence of Homeopathy based on clinical
trials designed to prove efficacy of a particular homeopathic medicine
exclusively over a specific disease will fail in his intention because it
ignores the intrinsic homeopathic principles. Therefore the works included
in the meta-analyses which have been used to publish the Lancet article lack
of any foundation.
2) As
a careful synthesis, the weakness of the published study lies in the
exclusion of a great part of the literature from the statistical evaluation,
the utilisation of a unilateral base for applying qualitative criteria, and
the arbitrary choice of the works to be considered. Such procedure is not in
accordance with the epidemiology: the application of a typical meta-analysis
calculation to very few studies which are considerably different from each
other, nevertheless.3 In effect, the conclusions of this analysis are based
on only 8 anonymous, clinical trials. These studies are not referenced, no
information is given out them and 93 % were excluded.
3) It
was based on this study that does not respect the homeopathic principles,
which were
criticised by analysts who consider it inaccurate despite the
epidemiological precepts, that
the Swiss government has recently banned the refunding of expenses related
to homeopathic treatment to its citizens. Even though studies conducted by
the Swiss government have demonstrated over seven years that homeopathic
care was superior to conventional methods, that life quality rate
significantly improved with Homeopathy, and that the level of satisfaction
with the patient-doctor relationship was significantly higher in homeopathic
treatments, and that health related costs were reduced by 50% with the
application of Homeopathy, Homeopathy was excluded from the health budget.
This exclusion is the result of a misjudgment of Homeopathy in an
application disregarding its principles.
4) In
view of the above, the LMHI raises serious concerns about the meta-analysis
of homeopathy by Shang et al. as well as in regard to the Lancet article
itself, because not only does the article reflect disregard towards the most
important homeopathic principles, but also tries once more to rely on "selective
analyses and biased reports" which are considered today as no longer up-to-
date in the scientific world.
5)
Additionally, the LMHI wants to make an appeal to the international
scientific community simply to maintain respect and faithfulness to the
homeopathic principles. When clinical trials are organized with the aim of
demonstrating the efficacy of Homeopathy, this should be done with the
assistance of qualified professionals capable of conducting such works in
conformity with the homeopathic field that is represented by the patient
with illnesses rather than of the illnesses of patients. In the light of
modern anthropology and common sense, the use of a single meta-analysis. To
declare "the end of Homeopathy" would be considered unscientific and
dogmatic. Homeopathic medicine is spread all over the world and is fully
official in 15 countries. Physicians and researchers are applying and
investigating it with significative results. In any case, the last word
rests with the patients.
Comitatus Executivus Ligae Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis
Dr.
Corrado Giovanni Bruno - President
Dr. Ulrich Fischer - Prime Vice-President
Dr. Carles Amengual I Vicens - Immediate Past-President
Dr. Jose Matuk Kanan - General Secretary
Dr. Thomas Peinbauer - Treasurer
Dr. Fernando David Francois-Flores - Secretary for Archives
Dr. Gloria André Feighelstein - Secretary for Dentistry
Dr. Leopold Drexler - Secretary for Education
Dr. Sandra M. Chase - Secretary for Newsletter
Dr. Amarilys Toledo Cesar - Secretary for Pharmacy
Dr. Carmen Maria Sturza - Secretary for Public Relations
Dr. Matheus Marim - Secretary for Research
NOTE
1 "The
Liga Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis, LMHI, is an international
medical
homeopathic association founded on September 10, 1925 under the terms of the
Civil Laws of Switzerland, with headquarters in the city of Geneva and
representatives in 56 countries.
2 "Are
the clinical effects of homeopathy placebo effects? Comparative study of
placebo-controlled trials of homeopathy and allopathy,” Lancet 2005;
366:726-732 2005, by authors "Shang A,Huwiler-Müntener K, Nartey L, Jüni P,
Dörig S, Sterne JAC, Pewsner D, Egger M.".
3
Prof. Dr. Paolo Bellavite, Professor of General Pathology at University of
Verona (Italy)
