Evidence map›Paper›PMID 18955271›Full record

ArticleEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM2010

Can homeopathy bring additional benefits to thalassemic patients on hydroxyurea therapy? Encouraging results of a preliminary study.

Antara Banerjee, Sudipa Basu Chakrabarty, Susanta Roy Karmakar, Amit Chakrabarty, Surjyo Jyoti Biswas, Saiful Haque, Debarsi Das, Saili Paul, Biswapati Mandal, Boujedaini Naoual and 2 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 85% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Antara BanerjeeCytogenetics and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani-741 235, Institute of Genetic Engineering, 30 Thakurhat Road, Badu, Kolkata-700 128, Directorate of Research, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Kalyani, West Bengal, India and Boiron Laboratory, 20 Rue de la Liberation, Sainte-Foy-Les-Lyon, France.
Sudipa Basu Chakrabarty
Susanta Roy Karmakar
Amit Chakrabarty
Surjyo Jyoti Biswas
Saiful Haque
Debarsi Das
Saili Paul
Biswapati Mandal
Boujedaini Naoual
Philippe Belon
Anisur Rahman Khuda-Bukhsh
University of Kalyani · INBidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya · INBoiron (France) · FRSaha Institute of Nuclear Physics · IN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Several homeopathic remedies, namely, Pulsatilla Nigricans (30th potency), Ceanothus Americanus (both mother tincture and 6th potency) and Ferrum Metallicum (30th potency) selected as per similia principles were administered to 38 thalassemic patients receiving Hydroxyurea (HU) therapy for a varying period of time. Levels of serum ferritin (SF), fetal hemoglobin (HbF), hemoglobin (Hb), platelet count (PC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), white blood cell (WBC) count, bilirubin content, alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST) and serum total protein content of patients were determined before and 3 months after administration of the homeopathic remedies in combination with HU to evaluate additional benefits, if any, derived by the homeopathic remedies, by comparing the data with those of 38 subjects receiving only HU therapy. Preliminary results indicated that there was a significant decrease in the SF and increase in HbF levels in the combined, treated subjects. Although the changes in other parameters were not so significant, there was a significant decrease in size of spleen in most patients with spleenomegaly and improvement in general health conditions along with an increased gap between transfusions in most patients receiving the combined homeopathic treatment. The homeopathic remedies being inexpensive and without any known side-effects seem to have great potentials in bringing additional benefits to thalassemic patients; particularly in the developing world where blood transfusions suffer from inadequate screening and fall short of the stringent safety standards followed in the developed countries. Further independent studies are encouraged.

Indexed as

Ceanothus AmericanusferritinFerrum Metallicumfetal hemoglobinhomeopathic remedyHydroxyureaPulsatilla NigricansThalassemia

Identifiers

PMID18955271
PMCPMC2816384
OpenAlexW2113152033

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.