title: Homeopathy for eczema: a systematic review of controlled clinical trials.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Homeopathy is often advocated for patients with eczema.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article systematically reviews the evidence from controlled clinical trials of any type of homeopathic treatment for any type of eczema.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electronic searches were conducted in Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library with no restrictions on time or language. In addition, the bibliographies of the retrieved articles and our departmental files were hand searched. All controlled trials of homeopathy in patients with eczema were considered. Their methodological quality was estimated using the Jadad score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One randomized and two nonrandomized clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. All were methodologically weak. None demonstrated the efficacy of homeopathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The evidence from controlled clinical trials therefore fails to show that homeopathy is an efficacious treatment for eczema.
authors.affiliation: Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, Exeter EX2 4SG, UK. edzard.ernst@pms.ac.uk
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ernst
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004485:Eczema / Q000628:therapy*; D006705:Homeopathy; D006801:Humans; D016896:Treatment Outcome