Menopausal symptoms are treated daily in homeopathic practices worldwide.(1)
Menopause was a top ten complaint treated across five UK NHS homeopathic hospitals, whose data showed 73% of women experienced improved QOL scores with homeopathy,(2) and significant reduction of headaches, hot flashes, night sweats, emotional and psychological symptoms and tiredness/fatigue.(3)
Homeopathy showed a 90% reduction in hot flashes,(4) for which it is a therapy with a safe profile in menopausal women who do not want or are not able to take hormone replacement therapy, and was found to reduce hot flushes in two RCTs.(5,6)
One study also found 90% of women reported diminished or resolved physical symptoms alongside substantial psychological improvements(7) indicating homeopathy might be useful for distress during menopause.(8)
A now retracted RCT which found homeopathy an effective antidepressant for climacteric women and that homeopathy, but not fluoxetine, improved menopausal symptoms scored by Greene Climacteric Scale.(9)
The authors response to the retraction ‘‘We strenuously reject the PLOS ONE Editors’ decision to retract our work, given that all the issues they have raised would usually warrant critique in a systematic review at most, not retraction.
Our team answered all points raised during post-publication discussions in extensive detail. In the interests of transparency, accuracy and fairness, the most relevant points are summarized below, so that an objective reader can make up their own mind about the rigour of our study and whether the PLOS ONE Editors’ decision to retract our work is justified:
Claim 1 – Insufficient reporting details provided to allow for replication of the treatment used and assessment of the clinical validity of treatment choices.
All additional details requested by the Editors were provided i.e. how consultations were conducted; how the choice of medicine for each patient was made according to their clinical indications; and how dosage (either 30C or 200C) was selected according to well-established homeopathic prescribing guidelines. We also clarified that all patients were prescribed 200C, except for five patients who received a 30C prescription at the end of the observation period.
Although we understand the Editors’ curiosity regarding these details, our published study provides sufficient detail for those trained in the specific prescribing technique used (‘Individualized Homeopathic Treatment’ - ‘Classical Homeopathy’) to replicate and validate the intervention given.
Claim 2…(10)
More here… ‘‘Inexplicable retraction of a rigorous clinical trial showing homeopathy was effective for depression raises serious concerns over abandonment of the scientific process.
The Macías-Cortés 2015 study is a gold-standard placebo-controlled trial conducted in a research hospital which found both homeopathy and the anti-depressant fluoxetine to be effective treatments for women with menopausal depression.
On 23 April 2020 the PLOS ONE editors took the shocking decision to retract this high quality article from their journal, five years after publication, despite failing to provide any valid reasons for their actions...’’(11)
And here… ‘‘In April 2020 PLoS ONE retracted an original clinical research article, published in 2015, in which we demonstrated that individualized homeopathic treatment improves depression symptoms in climacteric women. The original assessment of this study was carried out by an expert in psychiatry (depression research) with close to 35 years' experience in the field of mental health…’’(12)
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A recent Individualized classical case report demonstrates homeopathy may have a role in the climacteric syndrome and comorbidities post surgical menopause.(13)
Sarah Penrose BSc(hons)Hom can be contacted at goodhealthforgreatlife.com
References
1 Macías-Cortés. 2022. Menopause is more than Hot Flashes: What is Missing in Homeopathic Research? A Narrative Review. Homeopathy. May;111(2):79-96. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34634835/
2 Thompson et al., 2008. Towards standard setting for patient-reported outcomes in the NHS homeopathic hospitals. Homeopathy. Jul;97(3):114-21. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18657769/
3 Relton and Weatherley-Jones. 2005. Homeopathy service in a National Health Service community menopause clinic: audit of clinical outcomes. J Br Menopause Soc. Jun;11(2):72-3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15970019/
4 Bordet et al., 2008. Treating hot flushes in menopausal women with homeopathic treatment--results of an observational study. Homeopathy. Jan;97(1):10-5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18194760/
5 Colau et al., 2012. Efficacy of a non-hormonal treatment, BRN-01, on menopausal hot flashes: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Drugs in R&D. Sep 1;12(3):10719. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22852580/
6 Andrade et al., 2019. Efficacy of a Homeopathic Medicine of Capsicum frutescens L. (Solanaceae) in the Treatment of Hot Flashes in Menopausal Women: A Phase-2 Randomized Controlled Trial. Homeopathy. May;108(2):102-107. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30736083/
7 Wasilewski. 2004. Homeopathic remedies as placebo alternatives--verification on the example of treatment of menopause-related vegetative and emotional disturbances. Sci Eng Ethics. Jan;10(1):179-88. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14986784/
8 Nayak et al., 2011. Management of distress during climacteric years by homeopathic therapy. J Altern Complement Med. Nov;17(11):1037-42. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22087613/
9 Macías-Cortés et al., 2015. Individualized homeopathic treatment and fluoxetine for moderate to severe depression in peri- and postmenopausal women (HOMDEP-MENOP study): a randomized, double-dummy, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. PLoS One. Mar 13;10(3):e0118440. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118440. Retraction in: PLoS One. 2020 Apr 23;15(4):e0232415. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4359147/
10 Retraction: Individualized Homeopathic Treatment and Fluoxetine for Moderate to Severe Depression in Peri- and Postmenopausal Women (HOMDEP-MENOP Study): A Randomized, Double-Dummy, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. The PLOS ONE Editors (2020) Retraction: Individualized Homeopathic Treatment and Fluoxetine for Moderate to Severe Depression in Peri- and Postmenopausal Women (HOMDEP-MENOP Study): A Randomized, Double-Dummy, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. PLOS ONE 15(4): e0232415. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232415
11 https://www.hri-research.org/resources/homeopathy-the-debate/macias-cortes-2015/
12 Macías-Cortés et al., 2020. Individualized Homeopathy for Depression in Climacteric Women: Comments on the Retraction by PLoS ONE. Homeopathy. 2020 Nov;109(4):267-270. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32777857/
13 Mahesh et al., 2020. Multimorbidity After Surgical Menopause Treated with Individualized Classical Homeopathy: A Case Report. Clinical Medical Insights Case Reports. Oct 19;13:1179547620965560. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1179547620965560?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed