Dutta A, Singh S, Saha S, Rath P, Sehrawat N, Singh NK. Efficacy of individualized homeopathic medicines in treatment of post-stroke hemiparesis: A randomized trial.
Explore (NY) 2023;
19:243-250. [PMID:
36115790 DOI:
10.1016/j.explore.2022.08.017]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Hemiparesis is a serious motor impairment following stroke and affecting around 65% of stroke patients. This trial attempts to study the efficacy of individualized homeopathic medicines (IHMs) in comparison with identical-looking placebos in treatment of post-stroke hemiparesis (PSH) in the mutual context of standard physiotherapy (SP).
METHODS
A 3-months, open-label, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (n = 60) was conducted at the Organon of Medicine outpatient departments of National Institute of Homoeopathy, West Bengal, India. Patients were randomized to receive IHMs plus SP (n = 30) or identical-looking placebos plus SP (n = 30). Primary outcome measure was Medical Research Council (MRC) muscle strength grading scale; secondary outcomes were Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) version 2.0, Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), and stroke recovery 0-100 visual analogue scale (VAS) scores; all measured at baseline and 3 months after intervention. Group differences and effect sizes (Cohen's d) were calculated on intention-to-treat sample.
RESULTS
Although overall improvements were higher in the IHMs group than placebos with small to medium effect sizes, the group differences were statistically non-significant (all P>0.05, unpaired t-tests). Improvement in SIS physical problems was significantly higher in IHMs than placebos (mean difference 2.0, 95% confidence interval 0.3 to 3.8, P = 0.025, unpaired t-test). Causticum, Lachesis mutus, and Nux vomica were the most frequently prescribed medicines. No harms, unintended effects, homeopathic aggravations or any serious adverse events were reported from either group.
CONCLUSION
There was a small, but non-significant direction of effect favoring homeopathy against placebos in treatment of post-stroke hemiparesis.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
CTRI/2018/10/016196; UTN: U1111-1221-7664.
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