. 2003 Jan;96(1):17–22. doi: 10.1258/jrsm.96.1.17

Table 3.

Inclusion criteria, number of included trials, methods for summarizing study results and main result in three meta-analyses of placebo-controlled trials of homeopathy

	**Linde et al. (Ref. ⁴²)**	*Walach (Ref. ⁴³)*	**Cucherat et al. (Ref. ⁴⁴)**
Main differences regarding inclusion criteria	All explicitly randomized and/or double-blind trials with data suitable for meta-analysis	Only randomized trials published in non-homeopathic peer-reviewed journals listed in Medline or Embase	Only randomized trials with a predefined main outcome measure
Number of trials checked for eligibility	119	Unclear	118
Number of trials included in meta-analysis	89	36	16
Approach to summarizing effect sizes	Combined odds ratio	Standardized effect size	Combination of P values
Meta-analytic model chosen	Random effects	Random effects	Weighted sum of Zs
Main result	Significant: OR=2.45 (95% CI 2.05 to 2.93)	Not significant: g=0.259 (95% CI -0.319 to 0.837)	Significant: combined P=0.000036

OR=Odds ratio; CI=confidence interval