Systematic review of placebo-controlled trials evaluating individualised homeopathy (‘Mathie Plus’)
What is this project about?
The most recent systematic review of Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) of Individualised Homeopathy against placebo (IH) was conducted by Mathie et al. in 2014 . This study found that homeopathic medicines, when prescribed during individualised homeopathic treatment, are 1.5- to 2.0-times more likely to have a beneficial effect than placebo. During the ~decade since publication of this seminal study, numerous additional placebo-controlled RCTs of IH have been published, making an update warranted. The ‘Mathie Plus’ project aims to provide such an update, providing a current assessment of the efficacy of individualised homeopathy compared to placebo for treatment or prevention any health condition in humans.
Research Group
- Associate Professor Jennifer Hunter, Health Research Group Pty. Limited; and The University of Sydney. Australia.
- Professor L Susan Wieland. Georgetown University School of Medicine; and Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field. USA
- Dr Kate Templeman. Health Research Group Pty Limited; and Western Sydney University. Australia.
- Dr Esther van der Werf. Homeopathy Research Institute, London, UK.
Why is this project important?
Homeopathy is a widely used form of Traditional Complementary and Integrative Medicine. Individualised Homeopathy involves a personalised prescription, selected according to the patient’s specific presenting symptoms, usually following a consultation with a qualified practitioner. As this is the most common type of homeopathic treatment delivered by practitioners in clinical practice, evaluating the current evidence for efficacy of this therapeutic approach is a high priority.
