Table 1.
Demographic data for 32 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of individualised homeopathy
| # | First author | Year | Category | Condition | Participants’ demographics | Study setting | Potency ≥12C/ 24D | Funding source | Free of vested interest a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A01 | Andrade | 1991 | Rheumatology | Rheumatoid arthritis | Patients with active RA and fulfilling at least three pre-defined criteria | Rheumatic disease outpatient clinic, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil | Mixed | None stated | U |
| A05 | Bell | 2004 | Rheumatology | Fibromyalgia | Fibromyalgia patients | Private clinic in the USA | Mixed | External (government) | Y |
| A06 | Bonne | 2003 | Mental disorder | Anxiety | Adults aged 18–65 years, of either sex, suffering from anxiety as defined by standard psychometric criteria | Department of Psychiatry, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel | Y | None stated | U |
| A07 | Brien | 2011 | Rheumatology | Rheumatoid arthritis | Adults formally diagnosed with RA for at least 2 years, who had relatively stable disease but some disease activity on entry | Rheumatology outpatient departments at three hospitals, UK | U | National Institute of Health Research; Samueli Institute, USA; Southampton Complementary Medicine Research Trust; Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation; Dreluso Pharmazeutika GmBH; National Health Service Fund for Science | Y |
| A09 | Cavalcanti | 2003 | Dermatology | Uraemic pruritus | Dialysis for more than 6 months, moderate to severe pruritus, absence of other causes for pruritus | Haemodialysis centres, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil | Mixed | None stated | U |
| A10 | Chapman | 1999 | Neurology | Brain injury | Patients with mild traumatic brain injury | University medical school in the USA | Y | External (government; foundation; hom pharm providing all meds) | N |
| A11 | de Lange de Klerk | 1994 | Respiratory infection | URTI | Children aged 1.5–10 years, with at least three upper respiratory tract infections in the past year or with two such episodes plus otitis media with effusion at the time of entry examination | Paediatric outpatient department of university hospital, Amsterdam, Netherlands | Mixed | Dutch Ministry of Welfare, Cultural Affairs, and Public Health | Y |
| A13 | Fisher | 2006 | Dermatology | Eczema | Adults aged 18–65 years, of either sex, with planned treatment for dermatitis at the RLHH | Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital (RLHH), London, UK | Mixed | None stated | U |
| A14 | Frass | 2005 | Surgery and anaesthesiology | Sepsis | Patients with severe sepsis | Intensive Care Unit at a university hospital in Austria | Y | None stated | U |
| A16 | Gaucher | 1994 | Tropical disease | Cholera | Patients with cholera, in a state of dehydration requiring parenteral treatment | University of San Marcos, Lima, Peru | U | None stated; several acknowledged, including employee of hom pharm company | U |
| A18 | Jacobs | 1993 | Gastroenterology | Childhood diarrhoea | Children aged 0.5–5 years, with history of acute diarrhoea | Participants’ homes, Leon, Nicaragua | Y | Boiron Research Foundation, Norwood, Pennsylvania, USA, | U |
| A19 | Jacobs | 1994 | Gastroenterology | Childhood diarrhoea | Children with a history of acute diarrhoea | Nicaragua | Y | External, including hom pharm that might have provided the remedies for the trial | U |
| A20 | Jacobs | 2001 | Ear, nose and throat | Otitis media (acute) | Patients with acute otitis media | Children’s clinic in the USA | Y | External (hom pharm—all remedies—research grant) | N |
| A21 | Jacobs | 2000 | Gastroenterology | Childhood diarrhoea | Children with a history of acute diarrhoea | Nepal | Y | External (hom research foundation) | U |
| A22 | Jacobs | 2005b | Obstetrics and gynaecology | Menopause post breast cancer | Women with history of carcinoma or stage I–III breast cancer who had completed all surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment and who averaged at least three hot flushes per day for previous month | Private medical clinic, Seattle, USA | U | External (charity); meds donated by hom pharm | N |
| A23 | Jacobs | 2005a | Mental disorder | ADHD | Children, aged 6–12 years, meeting DSM-IV criteria for ADHD | Private homeopathic clinic in Seattle, USA | U | External (government); meds donated by hom pharm | N |
| A24 | Jansen | 1992 | Gastroenterology | Proctocolitis | Active proctocolitis (proven by endoscopy and histology) | Outpatient dept, Maria Hospital, Tilburg, Netherlands | Y | None stated | U |
| A25 | Kainz | 1996 | Dermatology | Warts | Children aged 6–12 years, with common warts on the back of hands | Department of Dermatology, University of Graz, Austria | Mixed | Firma Spagyra, Groding, Austria: ‘kindly provided’ homeopathic medicines and placebos. Otherwise, none stated | N |
| A26 | Katz | 2005 | Mental disorder | Depression | Adults, aged 18–80 years, of either sex, suffering from major depressive episode of moderate severity as defined by DSM-IV | Lower Clapton group practice, east London, UK | U | Homeopathic Research Committee; Blackie Foundation Trust. Verum and placebo homeopathic medicines donated by Laboratoires Boiron | N |
| A30 | Naudé | 2010 | Mental disorder | Insomnia | Insomnia sufferers (identified through local advertising) | South Africa | Mixed | None stated | U |
| A31 | Rastogi (a) | 1999 | Immune disorder | HIV | Adults aged 18–50 years, of either sex, with positive antibody reaction to HIV-1 or HIV-2 or both confirmed by repeat ELISA and/or Western blot | Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy, Mumbai, India | Mixed | None stated | U |
| A31 | Rastogi (b) | 1999 | Immune disorder | HIV | Adults aged 18–50 years, of either sex, with positive antibody reaction to HIV-1 or HIV-2 or both confirmed by repeat ELISA and/or Western blot | Regional Research Institute for Homoeopathy, Mumbai, India | Mixed | None stated | U |
| A32 | Sajedi | 2008 | Neurology | Cerebral palsy | Children aged 1–5 years, with mild to moderate spasm due to cerebral palsy | Saba Clinic (Developmental Disorder Center), Tehran, Iran | U | Internal | U |
| A33 | Siebenwirth | 2009 | Dermatology | Eczema | Adults aged 18–35 years with at least a 1-year history of atopic dermatitis (>20% of skin surface) | Klinik und poliklinik für Dermatologie und Allergologie am Biederstein, Munich, Germany | Mixed | The study medications gifted by Deutsche Homöopathie-Union (DHU). Funded by Karl und Veronica Carstens-Stiftung | N |
| A34 | Steinsbekk | 2005 | Respiratory infection | URTI | Children, under 10 years old, who had been to a medical doctor for URTI | In children’s own homes, recruited mainly from those previously diagnosed with URTI when attending a hospital casualty department | Y | External: Norwegian Research Council. Homeoden Belgium made the medicines | U |
| A35 | Straumsheim | 2000 | Neurology | Migraine | Adults aged 18–65 years, of either sex, diagnosed according to International Headache Society classification criteria | Arena Medisinske Senter, Oslo, Norway | Mixed | DCG Farmaceutia (Gotenborg): supplied all homeopathic medicines. Norwegian Research Council | N |
| A36 | Thompson | 2005 | Obstetrics and gynaecology | Menopause post breast cancer | Women who attended oncology centre for breast cancer, did not have metastatic disease, were not on any other treatment and experiencing more than three hot flushes per day | Outpatient department of an NHS homeopathic hospital, UK | Y | External (charity; hom pharm—‘provided’ all remedies, presumably via hospital pharmacy dept) | U |
| A37 | Walach | 1997 | Neurology | Headache | Patients diagnosed according to the International Headache Society classification criteria | Germany | Mixed | Homeoden (Gent) and Gudjons (Augsburg): supplied homeopathic medicines | U |
| A38 | Weatherley-Jones | 2004 | Mental disorder | Chronic fatigue syndrome | Adults with chronic fatigue | Two outpatient departments in UK | U | External (charity) | Y |
| A39 | White | 2003 | Allergy and asthma | Childhood asthma | Children, aged 5–15 years, with diagnosis of asthma and prescription for beta agonist and/or corticosteroid inhaler issued within previous 3 months | Five general practices in market towns in Somerset, UK | U | External, including hom pharm that provided all remedies | N |
| A40 | Whitmarsh | 1997 | Neurology | Migraine | Adults aged 18–60 years, of either sex, with definite diagnosis of migraine by pre-defined criteria | Princess Margaret Migraine Clinic, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK | Y | Nelsons Ltd; Homeopathic Medical Research Council; Blackie Foundation Trust | U |
| A41 | Yakir | 2001 | Obstetrics and gynaecology | Premenstrual syndrome | Women aged 20–50 years, with diagnosis of PMS according to pre-defined criteria; symptomatology corresponding to one of five homeopathic medicines | Gynaecology outpatient clinic, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel | Y | Dolisos Laboratories; Deutsche Homeopathie Union; named individuals | N |
The complete bibliographic details for the studies included are found in Additional file 4. Y yes, U unclear, N no, RA rheumatoid arthritis, URTI upper respiratory tract infection. aVested interest: support (direct, through research sponsorship; indirect, via gifted medicines) from a company that provided homeopathic medicines for the trial.