CLINICAL RESEARCH IN HOMOEOPATHY

Clinical trials are experiments carried out on patients to compare the effects of treatment under highly controlled condition. RCTs have been used to investigate various different aspects of homoeopathy.

Clinical research in homoeopathy helps in generating, validating and consolidating scientific evidence of homoeopathic medication, procedures and treatment regimes. These researches may be useful in prevention, treatment of various diseases, decision making for stake holders and thus help in improving clinical care.

The aim is to carry out the evidence based trials based on modern scientific parameters without conflicting with the doctrines of homoeopathy. More emphasis is laid upon the clinical evaluation of homoeopathic medicines in disease conditions of national health importance, where no curative treatment is available in conventional medicine; endemic disease in certain parts of the country and the so called surgical diseases.

CCRH is the major body that conduct homoeopathic clinical trials in India. Clinical research has traversed a path from prospective observational studies to gold standard randomized controlled studies. Studies in various diseased conditions are taken up from time to time as per the guidance of Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). 

The NHS provides the majority of medical service according to disease categories. So for homoeopathy to be included in the range of service offered by specific departments, research needs to demonstrate that homoeopathic treatment is effective in treating specific condition.

Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, homoeopathic products are subject to the same requirements related to approval, adulteration and misbranding as other drug products. There are currently no homoeopathic products approved by FDA.

After conducting multiple trials there are needs to change the way homoeopathy research is conducted in future to ensure that meaningful results are generated from clinical trial. The three key factors for improving the clinical trial evidence based for homoeopathy are:

1. The need for larger scale trials with larger sample size
2. The use of research methods those are better suited to the task of testing homoeopathy as a complex individualised therapy.
3. To assess the value of homoeopathy across a wider range of illnesses with repetition in each condition.