Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to global health. Classical homeopathy may have a role to play in alleviating this burden. The objective of this study was to curate data on the treatment effect of classical homeopathy for COVID-19 in a real-world scenario to guide future scientific investigations.

Methods

Classical homeopaths from the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy (IACH) were asked to provide details on cases they treated by filling out a standardized questionnaire. COVID-19 cases were defined according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria as suspected/probable/confirmed cases, with intervention provided being either stand-alone classical homoeopathy or combined with conventional therapy for COVID-19. Cases were followed up with main outcomes being ‘improved’, ‘not improved’ or ‘progressed’ post-treatment. Details of the homeopathic remedies used and main symptoms at the presentation were gathered. Factors associated with main outcomes were investigated with correlational and regression analyses.

Results

367 patients (male 166, female 201) met eligibility criteria (mean age 42.75 years). The mean follow-up period was 6.5 (standard deviation, SD=5.3) days. 255 were confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 61 probable and 51 suspected cases, respectively. The most used remedy was Arsenicum album. Over 73% of COVID-19 patients (and about 79% of severe cases) improved under classical homeopathic treatment. The number of remedies required per individual was negatively correlated to improvement (P< 0.01). Fever, the most common symptom at presentation (74.4%), was associated with an increased likelihood of improvement (P<0.01). Improvement was negatively associated with advanced age, but not associated with sex (P<0.01).

Conclusions

This study suggests that classical homeopathy was associated with improvement in COVID-19, including severe cases. Despite limitations from study design and data sources, our findings should prompt further studies on the role of classical homeopathy in the management of COVID-19.

Citation:

Mahesh S, Hoffmann P, Kajimura C, Vithoulkas G, International Academy of Classical Homeopathy (IACH) COVID Collaborators. COVID-19 cases treated with classical homeopathy: a retrospective analysis of International Academy of Classical Homeopathy database. Journal of Global Health Reports. 2023;7:e2023027. doi:10.29392/001c.77376

As part of the International Academy of Classical Homeopathy (IACH) special issue at Hpathy.com, March/2023, this case was presented, alongside with a few other ones selected.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to healthcare and the available solutions are unsatisfactory. Classical homeopathy may have a role to play in alleviating this burden. Covid cases treated with homeopathy was curated with the intention to provide basic information for further studies. The results are promising although far from being definitive. 367 patients considered were for statistical analysis, the mean age of the participants was 42.75 years, and males and females were 166 and 201 respectively. The mean follow-up period was 6.5 (SD 5.3) days, with a median of 1 homeopathic remedy used per case. 192 patients were diagnosed by RT–PCR, 111 by the WHO clinical criteria and 64 via retrospective antibodies. According to the WHO criteria, 255 were confirmed cases, 61 were probable cases, and 51 were suspected cases. It was seen that 73.8% of covid patients improved under homeopathic treatment, even those among severe disease 78.6%. Correlational analyses showed that presence of fever was associated with more likelihood of improvement and increasing age and a greater number of homeopathic remedies required in a case were associated negatively with improvement. However, it was seen that severe cases were more likely to improve under homeopathic treatment. 

Citation:

Mahesh, S.; Hoffmann, P.; Kajimura, C.; Collaborators, I.C.; Vithoulkas, G. Database of COVID-19 Cases Treated with Classical Homeopathy. Preprints 2023, 2023010235 (doi: 10.20944/preprints202301.0235.v1).