Proceedings: Future Directions and Current Issues of Research
In Homeopathy, Freiburg, January 2002
A. NAME AND LOCATION:
1st European Samueli Symposium
Scientific Basis of Homeopathy
January 17-19 2002
B. SPONSORS:
SAMUELI INSTITUTE
C. SUMMARY:
The Samueli Institute, under the leadership of Harald Walach, director of the
European Samueli Institute Office, sponsored a meeting of homeopathic
researchers from Great Britain, Europe, Scandinavia and Israel January 17-19,
2002. Twenty-six published, scientific investigators from nine countries
attended. Participants reviewed the current state of homeopathy research related
to physical measures, laboratory research, clinical studies, outcomes and
practice-based studies and current theories and models to explain homeopathic
effects. The group had frank and extensive discussions about the quality of the
current data, the implications of recent studies (which have been both positive
and negative) and strategies for the advancement of science in homeopathy.
D. DETAILS:
Physical measures.
Current studies on the measurement of water memory and structure have not
provided leads. It was strongly recommended that further research on water
structure should follow specific testable theories of how water may carry
information rather than simply look for an effect. This will require experts in
water structure being involved in developing these theories and studies. The
current Samueli Institute sponsored project being conducted by David Anick at
Harvard meets these criteria.
More sensitive and dynamic measures are needed for capturing subtle energy and
perhaps oscillating effects from homeopathic remedies. A method developed in The
Netherlands and Germany called “biophotons” may meet these criteria. The method
appears to be able to measure energy exchange between single cells and as such
has shown promise in preliminary studies with homeopathic remedies and
intention. It also offers promise of providing a method for objectively
measuring the relationship between cell and organism coherence and healing
processes.
Cellular and laboratory studies.
Madeline Ennis, immunologist from the Queen’s University of Belfast, Ireland,
presented a promising model for the study of ultra-high homeopathic dilutions.
The method was originally developed in France in the mid 1980’s, and
the French participants explained how her recent work appears to have corrected
for difficulties in previous studies. This model may be useful to examine
mechanisms of how homeopathic remedies carry information, and also for its
usefulness in the treatment of allergies, autoimmune disease and the treatment
of drug reactions. We will be looking for opportunities to support research
based on this model in the future.
Clinical research.
Current clinical research in homeopathy is less promising. Several recent
placebo-controlled studies, including one presented at the conference, have been
negative. These results do not align with observations in actual practice and
there were extensive discussions as to why not and what to do about it? A well
thought out explanation for this problem was presented by Michael Hyland, a
psychologist from the University of Plymouth, England. The solution will
probably require creation of a small working group to develop a more pragmatic
study design than is normally used. Otitis media (ear infection) was suggested
as the condition to study because of its public health importance and published
evidence about its responsiveness to homeopathy. A large study requiring
extensive partnering would be needed to definitively examine this condition;
Samueli Institute could pilot such a study at relatively low cost while
identifying partner co-funders and sites to support a larger study in the
future.
It was suggested by several investigators that clinical research focusing on
documenting remedy uses, practice outcomes and patient preferences be done. It
addition, that clinical studies based on the homeopathic model of illness and
recovery (rather than the conventional model) be conducted. Some examples of
such research from Europe were discussed.
Other items.
1. The French investigators described how excessive claims by a French
researcher in the late 1980’s had a markedly negative effect on conventional
scientific opinion concerning homeopathic research in France – an effect that
persists to this day. The lesion is to conduct research with reputable
investigators who only will make conclusions consistent with their data,
repeated and verified by other laboratories and investigators and with a
willingness to progress incrementally. Attempts to do the definitive “home run”
study are fundamentally anti-thetical to scientific inquiry and have a large
potential to backfire on the investigator and the field. That is, less proof of
principle and more mechanism or meaning research is needed.
E. OUTCOME:
Papers from the conference were published as a Samueli Institute Proceedings in
August 2002.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD FROM THE ORGANIZERS iii
Harald Walach (Samueli Institute for Information Biology™)
Rainer Schneider (Samueli Institute for Information Biology™)
PROGRAM vii
PARTICIPANTS ix
EDITOR’S COMMENTS xii
CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS xiii
AGENDA
BASIC RESEARCH EFFORTS TO ELUCIDATE THE POTENTIATION PROCEDURE OF HOMEOPATHY 1
Stephan Baumgartner [Universität Bern]
OSCILLATORY EFFECTS IN A HOMEOPATHIC CLINICAL TRIAL: AN EXPLANATION USING COMPLEXITY THEORY, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE 11
Michael E. Hyland [University of Plymouth]
George T. Lewith [University of Southampton]
A CRITICAL OVERVIEW OF HOMEOPATHY 20
Wayne B. Jonas [Samueli Institute for Information Biology™]
Ted J. Katpchuk [Harvard Medical School]
Klaus Linde [Technische Universitat]
HOMEOPATHY AND THE ACTION OF MEANING THE MODEL OF PRAGMATIC INFORMATION (MPI) AND HOMEOPATHY 34
Walter von Lucadou [Parapsychologische Beratungsstelle Freiburg]
SOME CRITICAL POINTS ABOUT RESEARCH IN HOMEOPATHY. ON SOME PAPERS EDITED OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS (1982–2002) 63
Bernard Poitevin [Association Française pour la Recherche en Homéopathie]
A RANDOMIZED, PLACEBO CONTROLLED DOUBLE-BLIND STUDY TESTING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CLASSICAL HOMEOPATHIC THERAPY OF ATOPIC DERMITIS (AD) 79
Joachim Siebenwirth
A NEW AVENUE TO HEALING: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE HOMEOPATHIC SIMILAR PRINCIPLE 91
Roeland van Wijk [Utrecht University]
WHAT HAPPENS IN HOMEOPATHIC REMEDY PROVINGS? RESULTS FROM A DOUBLE-BLIND CROSSOVER STUDY OF BELLADONNA 30CH AND AN ANALYSIS BY GRADE OF MEMBERSHIP (GOM) 110
Harald Walach [Freiburg University]
SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT OF PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME BY CLASSICAL HOMEOPATHY 134
M. Yakir [Hebrew University]
S. Kreitler [Tel Aviv University]
A. Brzezinski [Hebrew University]
G. Vithoulkas [International Homeopathic Academy]
Z. Bentwich [Hebrew University]
CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS
Stephan Baumgartner
University of Bern/KIKOM
c/o Institute Hiscia
Kirschweg 9
CH-4144 Arlesheim, Switzerland
baumgartner@hiscia.chZvi Bentwich
AIDS and Clinical Immunology Center
Kaplan Medical Center
Hebrew University Hadassah Medical Center
Rehovot 76100, Israel
Bentwich@agri.huji.ac.ilAmnon Brzezinski
Department of Obstetric and Gynecology
Hadassah University Hospital
Jerusalem, 91120, Israel
amnonb@cc.huji.ac.ilRonald A Chez
Samueli Institute
Suite 300
2101 East Coast Highway
Corona del Mar, CA 92625
rchez@siib.orgMichael E. Hyland
Department of Psychology
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth, United Kingdom
PL4 8AA
mhyland@plymouth.ac.ukWayne B Jonas
Samueli Institute for Information Biology™
Suite 200
121 S St Asaph Street
Alexandria VA 22314
wjonas@siib.orgTed J Kaptchuk
Center for Alternative Medicine Research
and Education
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Harvard Medical School
330 Brookline Ave
Boston, Massachusetts 02215
tkaptchu@caregroup.harvard.eduGeorge T. Lewith
Complementary Research Unit
University of Southampton
Royal South Hants Hospital
Brintons Terrace
Off St Mary’s Road
Southampton, United Kingdom
SO14 OYG
Gl3@soton.ac.ukKlaus Linde
Department Internal Medicine II
Centre for Complementary Medicine
Research
Technische Universitat
Kaiserstr. 9
D-80801 München, Germany
Email: Klaus.Linde@lrz.tu-muenchen.deShulamit Kreitler
Department of Psychology
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv 69978,Israel.
krit@netvision.net.ilBernard Poitevin
Associatoin Francaise pour la Recherche
en Homeopathie
15, rue des Seguads
03310 Vendat France
Bernard.poitevin@wanadoo.frRainer Schneider
Institut für Umweltmedizin und
Krankenhaushygiene
Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
Hugstetter Straße 55
79106 Freiburg, Germany
rschneider@iuk3.ukl.uni-freiburg.deJoachim Siebenwirth
Humplgaßl 21
82515 Wolfrathshausen, Germany
jsiebenwirth@t-online.deRoeland van Wijk
Department of Molecular Cell Biology
Utrecht University
F.A.F.C. Wentgebouw, Sorbonnelaan 16
3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands
meluna.wijk@wxs.nlWalter von Lucadou
Parapsychologische Beratungsstelle
Hildastr. 64
D-79102 Freiburg, Germany
Email: lucadou@freenet.de
George Vithoulkas
International Homeopathic Academy
Allonisos 37005, Greece.
vithoulkas@n-skiathos.grHarald Walach
Institut für Umweltmedizin und
Krankenhaushygiene
Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
Hugstetter Straße 55
79106 Freiburg, Germany
walach@ukl.uni-freiburg.deMichal Yakir
Ruth Ben Ari Institute of Clinical
Immunology and AIDS Center
Kaplan Hospital
Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School
Rehovot 76100 Israel)
yakirm@cc.huji.ac.il