title: Interim results of a randomised controlled trial of homeopathic treatment for irritable bowel syndrome.
abstract: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition for which there is no consensus on the optimum treatment. Gastroenterology problems are some of the most common conditions treated by homeopaths, yet few trials have explored the effectiveness of individualised homeopathic treatment for IBS. A three-armed trial was conducted which compared: usual care, homeopathic treatment plus usual care and supportive listening plus usual care. The primary outcome was change in irritable bowel symptom severity score between baseline and 26 weeks, calculated using ANCOVA. An interim ANCOVA adjusted for baseline IBS severity, age and employment status found no statistically significant difference between the three arms. However, a post-hoc test comparing homeopathic treatment plus usual care to usual care alone found a statistically significant difference in favour of homeopathic treatment. In addition, 62.5 percent of patients in the homeopathic treatment arm (compared to 25.0 percent of those in the usual care arm), achieved a clinically relevant change in irritable bowel symptom severity score, which indicates a promising effect for homeopathic treatment, though these results should be interpreted with caution due to the low number of participants in the study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK. Electronic address: emily.peckham@york.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Emily J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Peckham
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Relton
authors.affiliation: Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
authors.forename: Jackie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Raw
authors.affiliation: Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
authors.forename: Kapil
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kapur
authors.affiliation: Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK.
authors.forename: Elmuhtady
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Said
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006705:Homeopathy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008419:Materia Medica / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012107:Research Design; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D008419:Materia Medica
keywords: Attention control; Homeopathy; Irritable bowel syndrome; Randomised controlled trial