A new observational study revealed that three-quarters of all patients who received homeopathic treatment from a general practitioner (GP) experienced benefits. The analysis of 1,783 consultations with 14 doctors in the U.K.—10 of them National Health Service GPs—found homeopathy seemed effective for a large number of clinical conditions, most notably anxiety and depression. But there was only a loose relationship between the type of condition and the particular homeopathic remedy used to treat it because of the homeopathic practice of “individualized” prescribing. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Homeopathy(2006, Vol. 95). Study leader Dr. Robert Mathie, research development adviser at the British Homeopathic Association, said: “All the consultations in this study were undertaken in routine GP appointments. Critics of homeopathy claim that one explanation for the successful response to homeopathic treatment is extended consultation time. They suggest that patients feel better having had the opportunity to talk at length about their condition and their concerns. This study does not support such a claim as all the consultations took place in a standard 10-minute GP appointment.” In the study, doctors scored responses to homeopathic treatments from -3, indicating major deterioration, to +3, for major improvement. Positive outcomes were recorded in 75.9% of cases. Only 4.6% were scored as negative. Scores of +2 or +3 were scored in 61% of anxiety cases, 64% of cough cases, and 74% of depression cases.
—Pulse (UK), Daniel Cressey, October 12, 2006
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