[Omeo33] Art 0787 - Homeopathy, 2007, 96 (4), 233-242

[Gino Santini]

Expectations and effectiveness of medical 
treatment and classical homeopathic treatment for 
patients with hypersensitivity illnesses-One year 
prospective study
Laila Launsø, Inge Henningsen, Jonas Rieper, 
Henriette Brender, Finn Sandø and Anne Hvenegaard

Objective - To describe and compare 
characteristics of adult patients who received 
treatment for hypersensitivity illnesses by 
general practitioners (GPs) and classical 
homeopaths (CHs) over a period of 1 year and 
examine the statistical predictors of 
self-reported treatment outcomes.
Material and methods - We conducted a survey on 
151 Danish adult patients with hypersensitivity 
illnesses, who chose treatment from one of 13 GPs 
or one of 10 CHs who participated in the project. 
The treatments were given as individual packages 
in the naturalistic clinical setting. Patients 
completed questionnaires at start of treatment, 
after 6 months and a year after start of 
treatment. Response rates for the first, second 
and third questionnaire were respectively 68%, 
98%, 95% for the GP patients and 82%, 98%, 94% 
for the CH patients.
Results - Patients seeking CH treatment in this 
study are significantly different in gender and 
education from patients seeking GP treatment. We 
did not find significant differences in terms of 
occupational training, occupation, sickness 
absence due to hypersensitivity illnesses, 
diseases other than hypersensitivity illnesses, 
symptoms severity due to hypersensitivity 
illnesses before treatment and expectation of the 
ability of the treatment to alleviate symptoms. 
Eighty-eight percent of GP and 21% of CH patients 
were continuing treatment after 1 year. 
Regression analysis showed that the only 
significant independent variables to explain the 
probability of obtaining very positive effect or 
cure for GPs and CHs were that the patients were 
in 'maintenance treatment', and had high 
expectation before treatment of the ability of 
the treatment to relieve their symptoms.
Conclusion - In this study self-reported very 
positive effect of GP treatment and very positive 
effect and cure of CH treatment are associated 
with the patients' high expectation of the 
treatment and continuation of maintenance 
treatment.

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