Effects of homeopathy in reducing weight, body fat mass and percent body fat. A randomized, double-

blind, placebo controlled clinical trial

Dr. Linda Kim

Dr. Pam Swan

Dr. Robert Waters

Michael Smith

Jennifer Orlowski

What is homeopathy?Like Cures LikeLaw of MinimumsStimulate body’s own healing process

Ie. Ipecac

Effectiveness of HomeopathyA meta-analysis of placebo controlled

clinical trials demonstrated that homeopathic effects are not due to placebo alone, there was a 2.45 times greater effect than placebo

Meta-analysis of 107 controlled trials showed 76% of those studies were effective

Obesity in AdultsEstimated 97 million adults in US are

overweight or obeseOverweight defined as BMI of 25 to 29.9

kg/m² and obesity is a BMI of greater than or equal to 30 kg/m²

Risk of Obesity Hypertension Dyslipidemia Type 2 Diabetes Coronary heart disease Stroke Gallbladder disease Osteoarthritis Sleep apnea Respiratory problems Endometrial, breast, prostate, or colon cancer

What were the questions we asked?Does homeopathy promote more weight

loss than placebo?What is the short term efficacy of a

homeopathic weight loss product?

What did the treatment address?Reducing food cravingsRespond to normal satiety Improving metabolismControlling hypoglycemiaMental/emotional issuesexercise

The product we used in the studyWeight Control ™ manufactured by

Dolisos America Inc.

Homeopathics IncludedAnacardium orientaleAntimonium crudumCalcarea carbonicaGraphites IodiumNuv Vomica

Remedies and their roles in weight loss

 Sx Anacar

diumAntimonium

Calcera Graphites

Iodium Nux

vomica

Curbing Hunger X X X X X X

Improving metabolism

X X X

Hypo - glycemia X X

Over - eating X X

mood X X

Craving

sugarX

Craving

FatX X

MethodsRecruited people from Phoenix

metropolitan area Initial screening was done by phone

using inclusion/exclusion criteriaQualified 35 patient, 30 completed

Methods Inclusion:

Male/female 21-45 y.o BMI 30-39 kg/m² Confirmed menstrual period prior to

enrollment Able to comply with study requirements:

informed consent, 2 office visits, follow up monitoring, avoid other diet programs and perform exercise program

MethodsExclusion:

Pregnant, lactating, or wanting to become pregnant

Obesity of endocrine origin History of bulimia or anorexia History of alcohol or drug addiction

Methods 4 week trialTake 1 tablet 4 times per day sublingualExercise 4 times per weekWear pedometer dailyFill out daily questionersWeekly phone monitoringOffice visit 2 times

Methods: Office visitPhysical exam:

BP, pulse, respiration rate, temperature Weight, height, body measurements hip

and waist Metabolic testing with a Bod Pod {ADD

HERE}

Outcome Parameters Body weight changes

BMI, lean body mass, fat mass, percent body fat Body change measurements

Circumference of waist and hip Hip/waist ratio

Metabolic testing Respiratory exchange rate

Questionaires VAS of hunger, satiety, thirst, mood [daily] Pedometer log Quality of Life Index SF-36, defecation pattern, satisfaction w/

intervention, compliance [2 times] Hamilton Depression scale [2 times]

ResultsOf the 35 people enrolled 30 completed

the study, giving a 14% drop out rateScreened 126 patients with 230 inquires

Body Measurement changesThese were not significant between the

active group and the placebo group. There weight decreases and body

measurement changes in active group from baseline to end of treatment

This suggest a pattern of weight reduction, but not a conclusive difference

Exercise ComplianceThere was a significant change (p

< .05) noted with exercise compliance between active and placebo

Patients in active group recorded more exercise on average than placebo

Questionaires These were significant (P < .05) The daily

questionaire asking about hunger, satiety, thirst, mood and defecation should overall improvement in active group as compared to placebo

Results from SF –36 confirmed results Improvements may have been attributed to

increase incidence of exercise in active group

Depressive ScaleNo conclusive change in scale and

patient compliance between placebo and active group

Adverse EffectsNone were reportedThe only complaint reported by some

patient was amount of time required to dissolve pill

Conclusion It was not conclusively shown that this

product promoted weight loss, however the time interval may have been to short to draw a significant conclusion

It was conclusively shown that the active group did notice changes in quality of life issues, suggesting that the product may be effective at a longer interval

Future StudiesWe should do a 3 month study to

determine if weight loss would be significant at a longer time interval.

Statistical AnalysisEach body measurements were

analyzed using a mean, standard deviation, t test and Wilcoxon’s signed rank test. Confidence intervals of 95% were utilized to detect statistical significance