“There is no scientific evidence that homeopathy works”
We’ve heard that time and time again. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that its true.
Homeopathy has long been subject to the skepticism of pundits in the health industry. Perhaps the most commonly used argument refuting homeopathy is that “there is no scientific evidence that homeopathy works”. Because homeopathy is a relatively new field, it is true that there aren’t very many studies. However, there has been a number that has drawn positive conclusions.
Many people believe that every randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing homeopathy has yielded negative results. In reality, there are a number of abstracts posted by organizations such as, The US National Library of Medicine, that provide conclusive evidence in favor of homeopathy. These RCTs have shown that homeopathic medicines can, and have, successfully treated; diarrhea in children, ear infections (otitis media) in children, depression, UTIs, hay fever (allergic rhinitis), influenza, vertigo, and chronic conditions in general practice.
According to the most recent studies on homeopathy we could find, Near the end of 2014, 189 RCTs underwent homeopathic treatments for 100 different medical conditions. 104 of the papers were placebo-controlled and yielded the following results:
• 41% were positive (43 trials) – finding that homeopathy was effective
• 5% were negative (5 trials) – finding that homeopathy was ineffective
• 54% were inconclusive (56 trials)
Now here is an analysis that comes from 1016 systematic reviews of RCTs of conventional medicine.
• 44% were positive – the treatments were likely to be beneficial
• 7% were negative – the treatments were likely to be harmful
• 49% were inconclusive – the evidence did not support either benefit or harm
When comparing the percentages, you’ll notice that the studies have yielded almost identical results. However, it’s important to keep the numbers in mind. The first study for homeopathy tests a sample size of only 104 RCTs, while the second one for conventional medicine has a much bigger pool of 1016 which makes it much more representative of the sample population. This illustrates the need for further research and funding in homeopathy, however, no one can argue that there is no scientific evidence that says homeopathy works.
Although still unknown and unexplored, homeopathy is proven to be a viable alternative to conventional medicine, and at the very least, something worth exploring further.