Science proves it: Homeopathy can do significantly more than placebo!

Hamre and co-authors have evaluated the effectiveness of homeopathic therapy in a recent paper. For the first time, a systematic review of all 6 existing meta-analyses (MA) of placebo-controlled homeopathy studies for any indication was conducted.

Results:

- 5 of the 6 MA included an effect estimate for all included studies. All 5 showed significant positive effects of homeopathy compared to placebo.

- 4 MAs included an effect estimate after restriction to studies with higher methodological quality.

- In 3 of these 4 MAs the significant positive effects of homeopathy were maintained, in 1 MA the positive effect was now not significant.

- The methodological quality of the homeopathy studies was similar to that of other clinical studies with the same design, from a comparable time period and assessed according to the same criteria.

- The quality of the overall evidence for positive homeopathic effectiveness in this systematic review was also similar to systematic reviews of other interventions from a comparable time period and graded using the same assessment tool (GRADE).

- Criticisms of the study were found to be inaccurate.

- The results are consistent with laboratory experiments with partially reproducible effects of homeopathic medicines in physico-chemical, in vitro, plant-based and animal-based test systems.

Hamre HJ, Glockmann A, von Ammon K, Riley DS, Kiene H. Efficacy of homoeopathic treatment: Systematic review of meta-analyses of randomized placebo-controlled homoeopathy trials for any indication. Syst Rev. 2023 Oct 7;12(1):191. doi: 10.1186/s13643-023-02313-2. PMID: 37805577; PMCID: PMC10559431.