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
