Outcome and costs of homoeopathic and conventional treatment strategies: A comparative cohort study in patients with chronic disorders

"Objectives:

To evaluate the effectiveness of homeopathy versus conventional treatment in routine care.

Design

Comparative cohort study.

Setting

Patients with selected chronic diagnoses were enrolled in medical practice.

Interventions

Conventional treatment or homeopathy.

Outcome measures

Severity of symptoms assessed by patients and physicians (visual rating scale, 0–10) at baseline, 6 and 12 months and costs.

Results

The analyses of 493 patients (315 adults, 178 children) indicated greater improvement in patients’ assessments after homoeopathic versus conventional treatment (adults: homeopathy from 5.7 to 3.2; conventional, 5.9–4.4; p = 0.002; children from 5.1 to 2.6 and from 4.5 to 3.2). Physician assessments were also more favourable for children who had received homoeopathic treatment (4.6–2.0 and 3.9–2.7; p < 0.001). Overall costs showed no significant differences between both treatment groups (adults, €2155 versus €2013, p = 0.856; children, €1471 versus €786, p = 0.137).

Conclusion

Patients seeking homoeopathic treatment had a better outcome overall compared with patients on conventional treatment, whereas total costs in both groups were similar."