Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2006; 11: 15
To evaluate the evidence for the efficacy and safety of homoeopathy for treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or hyperkinetic disorder (HKD). ADHD and HKD are some of the most common paediatric psychiatric diagnoses. A proportion of patients are unable to take medication or seek alternative treatments including homoeopathy.
Twenty-three electronic databases were searched using homoeopathy specific terms with no language restrictions. Experts in the area were also contacted for further information.
A total of 905 titles and abstracts were scanned. Four studies met inclusion criteria for efficacy and three for adverse effects and safety. Efficacy: only one randomised study reported sufficient information to allow extraction of data for analysis. No pooling was possible. No statistically significant differences between homoeopathy and placebo were found, although the study was small (n = 43) and lacked sufficient statistical power. Safety: Of the three included papers, only one included a side-effects rating scale and none reported any increased adverse events or side-effects when compared with no control or placebo homoeopathy.
The efficacy of homoeopathy for ADHD/HKD is uncertain. Future trials should be of high quality and follow the CONSORT reporting guidelines.
MKC and MED are funded by the Department of Health, Research Capacity Development Award Scheme.
