Research and Paywalls: Homeopathy Plus regularly reports on homeopathic research, past and present, but we can’t link to complete research papers if they are behind a journal paywall - we can only provide a summary and abstract. If you wish to access a full paper from behind a paywall, please click on the link provided for the publisher’s purchase options.
Dengue Fever & Homeopathy
Brazilians regularly use homeopathy with great results to treat and prevent dengue fever. Two recent studies confirm that it makes a safe and effective contribution to public health against this disease.
Study 1: Sao Paulo
In a 2001 study, residents in of the most highly affected area of Sao Paulo saw dengue fever levels drop by 81.5% when they were protected with a simple homoeopathic remedy. Surrounding areas that did not receive the prophylactic had no such drop.
Study 2: Rio de Janeiro
Now, another recently published study from Rio de Janeiro, reports similar success. When health officials dispensed homeopathy via health clinics, bus terminals, schools and health worker visits, they saw the incidence of disease fall by 93%. The abstract from the study says:
“Homeopathy has contributed throughout history to the control and eradication of epidemic diseases. Facing the challenge of controlling an outbreak of dengue, the Secretary of Health of the county of Macaé, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in early 2007 carried out a “Homeopathy Campaign against Dengue”. 156,000 doses of homeopathic remedy were freely distributed in April and May 2007 to asymptomatic patients and 129 doses to symptomatic patients treated in outpatient clinics, according to the notion of “epidemic genus”. The remedy used was a homeopathic complex against dengue containing Phosphorus 30cH, Crotalus horridus 30cH and Eupatorium perfoliatum 30cH. The incidence of the disease in the first three months of 2008 fell 93% by comparison to the corresponding period in 2007, whereas in the rest of the State of Rio de Janeiro there was an increase of 128%. While confounding factors were not controlled for, these results suggest that homeopathy may be an effective adjunct in Dengue outbreak prevention.” The researchers conclude, in part, by saying that indications are that homeopathy:
- can make a significant contribution to public health,
- is a low-cost treatment,
- has effectiveness supported by empirical evidence,
- can be implemented rapidly during a disease outbreak,
- helps minimise the progression and severity of diseases, and
- appears to have made a significant contribution to the control of dengue fever in Brazil.
It was also noted that symptoms were relieved from the very beginning of treatment and that if dengue fever was caught in spite of the prophylactic being given, symptoms were less severe.
Useful remedies and Dosage Instructions
The main remedies used in these studies, either singularly or in combination, were Phosphorus 30C, Crotalus horridus 30C, and Eupatorium perfoliatum 30C.
The authors noted that these remedies were appropriate for the symptoms of the epidemics being experienced but that with different symptoms, different remedies may be needed.
Doses consisted of a single two-drop dose for preventive purposes or five drops, three times a day for one week, as a treatment.
Studies
Sao Paulo Study:
- Homeopathy and Collective Health: The Case of Dengue Epidemics
- Rio de Janeiro Study: Contribution of homeopathy to the control of an outbreak of dengue in Macaé, Rio de Janeiro
