Comment on Monami et al. “Alternative treatment or alternative to treatment? A systematic review of randomized trials on homeopathic preparations for diabetes and obesity”

Excerpt

As we are currently conducting a literature overview of clinical studies with homeopathic medicines and interventions (HOM) [1, 2], we read the short communication of Monami et al. [3] with interest. In our search, we found six studies investigating HOM for obesity and seven studies questioning the effect of HOM in diabetes mellitus type II. Out of these 13 studies, 1 study on diabetes mellitus [4] and 6 studies on obesity [5‐10] formally meet the inclusion criteria mentioned by Monami and colleagues. Further, another randomized controlled trial investigates the effects of individualized homeopathic treatment on the effect on blood glucose levels in diabetes mellitus type II [11]. Therefore, we would like to invite the authors to consider this available literature and to process the data into a comprehensive review. By all means, we agree with the authors’ opinion, that homeopathy should not be used as an alternative treatment in potentially dangerous chronic diseases. However, the available literature should be analyzed accurately with the help of a homeopathic expert to inquire about the potentially supportive clinical effects of HOM in the investigated conditions. …