The second international conference on homeopathic research
(Omeomed '97) took place in Urbino, Italy, September 25-28, 1997.
The conference took place at the university in Urbino. The
information provided was obviously so earth shaking that Italy
experienced a major earthquake during the conference (the center
of the earthquake, near Assisi, was less than 100 miles away from
Urbino).
The speakers at the conference primarily came from Italy,
though there were also speakers from Israel, England, Germany,
Austria, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, India, Portugal, and Slovenia.
The topics included clinical studies, laboratory studies, and
investigations into potential mechanisms of action of homeopathic
medicines.
Of special interest were the following presentations...
An Italian researcher, E. Felisi, conducted a preliminary
placebo-controlled, double-blind study on patients with breast
cancer who underwent radiation treatment. Patients were given
Belladonna 7CH and X-Ray 15CH. The results showed that those
given the homeopathic medicines had less redness and less burning
pains, but not less swelling. An attendee at the conference
noted that Apis would probably have been a better remedy for
preventing swelling, heat, and redness than Belladonna.
An Indian researcher, N.C. Sukul, observed the influence of
Nux Vomica 30C in the treatment of mice who were intoxicated with
ethanol as a sleep-inducing agent. The researcher found that
giving Nux Vomica 30C (made with 90% ethanol) reduced the sleep
inducing effects of ethanol, while Nux Vomica 30C (made with 100%
ethanol) and Nux Vomica 30C (90%) which was injected, rather than
given orally, had no effect.
A team of Italian researchers, led by C. Cardella, observed
the effects of homeopathic diluted weed-killer on lentils'
sprouting. The researchers found that, based on a total of 68
observations, those lentils that were given a 8CH of the weed-
killer had a tendency to sprout in greater numbers than those
lentils given a placebo.
A different group of Italian researchers, led by M. Brizzi,
conducted a similar type of research. They tested the effects of
Arsenicum 23x to 45x on wheat seeds which had been subjected to
arsenic poisoning. The researchers noted that 40x and 45x had
particularly beneficial effects on the wheat seed growth. Of
special interest was the observation that potentized water also
had an effect on wheat growth on seeds that were poisoned but not
on seeds that were not poisoned. This study and a select number
of previous studies from other researchers have observed an
effect from potentized water, suggesting that there is something
beneficial of simply potentizing water.
An Israeli reseacher, M. Oberbaum, conducted a preliminary
clinical trial of children suffering from chemotherapy-induced
stomatitis (the inflammatory damage of the oral mucous
membranes). The researcher tested a popular German and American
combination remedy commonly given for "trauma" and
"inflammation." This study was observational and was not
randomized or double-blinded. It observed the effects on 27
children, aged 6 to 18. The benefit from the homeopathic
medicine was considerable, and the researcher recommended that a
larger and controlled trial be conducted.
The most significant clinical study presented at the
conference was on the homeopathic treatment of chronic headaches.
Conducted to a high level of sophistication, the German
researcher, H. Walach, conducted a randomized placebo-controlled,
double-blind trial with the aid of one of Vithoulkas' leading
students/practitioners in Germany (Wolfgang Springer, MD). One
unique feature of this trial was that all six homeopathic physicians involved in the study had to agree to the accuracy of the
homeopathic prescription in order for a patient to be admitted
into the experiment. Initially, 139 patients were interviewed,
and 101 patients were admitted into the trial as those who homeo-
paths agreed upon the prescription. The first phase of the trial
was 12 weeks, and the second phase was 12 months.