KEY NOTE

Abstract:
Background:
The use of complementary and alternative medicine has increased worldwide over the past decade. The aim of this study was to evaluate a possible influence of homeopathy on global health status and subjective wellbeing when used as an add-on to conventional cancer therapy.
Design:
In this pragmatic randomized controlled trial, 410 patients, who were treated by standard anti-cancer therapy, were randomized to receive or not receive classical homeopathic add-on therapy. The study was performed at the Medical University Vienna, Department of Medicine I, Clinical Division of Oncology.
Main outcome measures: The main outcome measures were global health status and subjective wellbeing as assessed by the patients. At each of three visits (one baseline, two follow-up visits), patients completed two different questionnaires.
Results:
373 patients yielded at least one of three measurements. The improvement of global health status between visits 1 and 3 was significantly stronger in the homeopathy group (p=0.005) when compared with the control group. A significant group difference was also observed with respect to subjective wellbeing (p<0.001) in favor of the homeopathic as compared with the control group. Control patients showed a significant improvement only in subjective wellbeing between their first and third visits. Conclusion: Results suggest that the global health status and subjective wellbeing of cancer patients improve significantly when add-on classical homeopathic treatment is administered.                                                                                            Biography:
Dr.Michael Frass, MD, Professor of Medicine, Specialist in Internal Medicine, Homeopathy, Senior Intensivist. Head, Outpatient Unit 2014 to 2019: Homeopathy in malignant Diseases, Division of Clinical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine I, Medical University Vienna, Austria. Vice President ”Doctors Association for Classical Homeopathy”, President “Austrian Umbrella Association for Medical Holistic Medicine”, Chairperson of WissHom: Scientific Society for Homeopathy. Invention, development, and evaluation of the Esophageal Tracheal Combitube (CombitubeTM, produced by Covidien, Mansfield, Massachusetts, USA). The Combitube is included as a Class IIa device in the Guidelines of the American Heart Association (AHA).