Homeopathy in cancer

Is it safe?

Adverse effects

Highly diluted remedies are unlikely to cause serious adverse effects. The most serious risk is indirect: if homeopathic remedies replace conventional cancer treatment, this can cause adverse outcomes including premature deaths. In this context, it is important to realise that, according to one German survey 14, cancer patients seek homeopathic treatments much more frequently from providers who are not physicians than from physicians.

Contraindications

None known

Interactions

None known

Warnings

Do not use as a replacement for conventional cancer treatment.

References

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Ernst E. The heresy of homoeopathy. Br Homeopath J 1998; 87:28-32.
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Witt CM, Bluth M, Albreacht H, Weisshuhn TE, Baumgartner S, Willich SN. The in vitro evidence for an effect of high homeopathic potencies. A systematic review of the literature. Compl Ther Med 2007; 15(2):128-138.
Baumgartner S, Wolf M, Skrabal P, Bangerter F, Heusser P, Thurneysen A et al. High-field 1HT1 and T2 NMR relaxation time measurements of H2O in homeopathic preparations of quartz, sulfur, and copper sulfate. Naturwissenschaften 2009; 96:1079-1089.
Thomas-Schoemann A, Alexandre J, Mongaret C, Azibi S, Dauphin A, Goldwasser F et al. [Use of antioxidant and other complementary medicine by patients treated by antitumor chemotherapy: a prospective study]. [French]. Bulletin du Cancer 2011; 98(6):645-653.
Clerici CA, Veneroni L, Giacon B, Mariani L, Fossati-Bellani F, Clerici CA et al. Complementary and alternative medical therapies used by children with cancer treated at an Italian pediatric oncology unit. Pediatric Blood & Cancer 2009; 53(4):599-604.
Langler A, Spix C, Edelhauser F, Kameda G, Kaatsch P, Seifert G et al. Use of homeopathy in pediatric oncology in Germany. Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine: eCAM 2011; 2011:867151.
Ernst E. A systematic review of systematic reviews of homeopathy. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2002; 54:577-582.
Kassab S, Cummings M, Berkovitz S, Van Haselen R, Fisher P. Homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments. Cochrane Database of Syst Rev 2009; 2: CD004845.
Pommier P, Gomez F, Sunyach MP, D'Hombres A, Carrie C, Montbarbon X. Phase III randomized trial of Calendula officinalis compared with trolamine for the prevention of acute dermatitis during irradiation for breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 2004; 22:1447-1453.
Oberbaum M, Yaniv I, Ben-Gal Y, Stein J, Ben-Zvi N, Freedman LS et al. A randomized, controlled clinical trial of the homeopathic medication TRAUMEEL S® in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced stomatitis in children undergoing stem cell transplantation. Cancer 2001; 92:684-690.
Frenkel M. Homeopathy in cancer care. Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine 2010; 16(3):12-16.
Rostock M, Naumann J, Guethlin C, Guenther L, Bartsch HH, Walach H et al. Classical homeopathy in the treatment of cancer patients--a prospective observational study of two independent cohorts. BMC Cancer 2011; 11:19.

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