Influenza takes a deadly toll, and the effectiveness of anti-viral drugs is disputed. With these facts in mind, Brazilian researchers searched for a new preventative flu treatment with a favourable safety profile.
They chose and tested homeopathy.
The researchers recruited 600 children aged 1 to 5 years old from the Brazilian public health system and entered them into a trial in which they were given either InfluBio (a conventional medicine), placebo, or a homeopathic complex (a mix of homeopathic remedies) traditionally used to treat and prevent the flu.
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Streptococcus – Derived from Streptococcus bacteria, likely targeting respiratory infections associated with streptococcal origins, which are common in children.
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Staphylococcus – Derived from Staphylococcus bacteria, included to address infections potentially linked to this bacterial family, often implicated in respiratory or systemic issues.
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Inactivated Influenza Virus – A preparation made from an inactivated form of the influenza virus, intended to stimulate a homeopathic response to flu-like symptoms or prevention.
Even though the number of infections was ‘low’ in the year following the treatments, there was a difference between the three groups of children; no-one from the homeopathic group contracted an infection while one from the InfluBio group and three from the placebo group had.
The researchers concluded: “These results suggested that the use of homeopathic medicines minimized the number of flu and acute respiratory infection symptomatic episodes in children, signalizing that the homeopathic prophylactic potential should be investigated in further studies.”
