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A systematic review of homoeopathy for the treatment of fibromyalgia

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Abstract

Homoeopathy is often advocated for fibromyalgia (FM) and many FM patients use it. To critically evaluate all randomised clinical trials (RCTs) of homoeopathy as a treatment for FM, six electronic databases were searched to identify all relevant studies. Data extraction and the assessment of the methodological quality of all included studies were done by two independent reviewers. Four RCTs were found, including two feasibility studies. Three studies were placebo-controlled. None of the trials was without serious flaws. Invariably, their results suggested that homoeopathy was better than the control interventions in alleviating the symptoms of FM. Independent replications are missing. Even though all RCTs suggested results that favour homoeopathy, important caveats exist. Therefore, the effectiveness of homoeopathy as a symptomatic treatment for FM remains unproven.

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Acknowledgements

There are no conflicts of interest to declare. We would like to thank Helen Coelho with help in designing the study and Leala Watson for administrative assistance.

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Correspondence to Rachel Perry.

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Supported by grants from The Laing Foundation, Schwabe, Pilkington and GSK

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Perry, R., Terry, R. & Ernst, E. A systematic review of homoeopathy for the treatment of fibromyalgia. Clin Rheumatol 29, 457–464 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-009-1361-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-009-1361-2

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