Nursing

Are homeopathic treatments effective

Source 1: Ernst E. Homeopathy-The Undiluted Facts: Including a Comprehensive AZ Lexicon. Springer; 2016 Sep 27. The source is seen to (book) introduce an elaborate description of what homoeopathy really is, where it originates from and the principles of its use. The book also describes the production process of homoeopathic remedies and some examples. The aim of the book is to inform about the history and effectiveness of homeopathy among individuals. The book has a scope to inform on which type of patient’s, homoeopathy is effective and the way the homoeopathic medicines react on individuals. The source is chosen for the explanation of this topic because it has highlighted through various criticisms in explaining the effectiveness of homoeopathy medicine in comparison to conventional medicine through scientific information. The limitation of the book is that it does not provide much detailed and effective information about the scientific evidence and spurious arguments regarding homoeopathy. Thus, it can be concluded that, the source informs basic ideas along with supportive evidences regarding the impact of homeopathy on individuals. The book is going to act as effective evidence for me in providing proof regarding the extent of influences that homoeopathy has on individuals in improving their health.

Source 2: betterhealth.vic.gov.au. Homoeopathy. [Cited 1 March 2018]. Available from: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/homeopathy?viewAsPdf=true This source introduces details about the lack of evidence behind homoeopathy and how qualified medical scientists disagree with it by providing a review of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The aim of the study is to highlight the reasons why homeopathy is not effective to use as a medication. The scope of the source in explaining the topic is limited as it lacks effective evidences to prove its information. However, the source is useful as it would help the people to identify general reasons behind not using homoeopathy and would help the health practitioner involved in homoeopathic medicine to deliver the drug to individuals in an ethical way. The limitation of the source is that it has not provided stepwise information regarding the way homoeopathic medication is prepared so that its ineffectiveness can be properly judged. The conclusion of the study is that it informs homeopathy is ineffective for use among individuals. This source in future is going to act as evidence in providing information behind the reason why homoeopathic is not used as medication for improving health of individuals.

Source 3: Lüdtke R, Willich SN, Ostermann T. Are the effects of homoeopathy attributable to a statistical artefact? A reanalysis of an observational study. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2013;2013. In this study, patients who received homoeopathic treatment in Germany and Switzerland were followed up for 2 years to determine the effectiveness of treatments on a range of health problems. The study aims to inform how patients who take up these treatments are usually deep into their chronic problems. This is a very useful study as the method itself shows how hard it is to really know the full effect of homoeopathic treatments and how to differentiate from placebo effect. The limitation of the study is that it has used only RTM in explaining the effectiveness of homoeopathy in patients under normal care which do not provide detailed and evident information in proving the quality of life received by patients under homoeopathic care. The conclusion of the study is that homeopathic is not a medication but is used as a placebo. This source can be used in future as a secondary form of information to understand the extent of effectiveness of homoeopathy in patients under normal care setting.

Source 4: Ernst E. A Scientist in Wonderland: A memoir of Searching for truth and Finding Trouble. Andrews UK Limited; 2015 Jan 28. The Chapter 2 of this book contains information about how homoeopathy is a non-scientific method and its principles are not plausible. The information regarding the effectiveness of homoeopathy mentioned in the chapter is from real life incidences. The scope of the study is wide as it have effectively informed through real-life evidences regarding the way homeopathy is used as a placebo and why it is ineffective. This acts as strength for the chapter because it has informed why homoeopathy is not regarded as effective medicine for creating improved health intervention. The limitation of the source is that it does not provide proper information regarding the way homoeopathic medicine hinders the health of individuals. Thus, it can be concluded that homeopathy has no therapeutic impact on individuals as it is a placebo. In future, the information can be used as secondary source in identifying further truths about not using homeopathy in medical field.

Source 5: Hoffman J. Homeopathy. Canadian Pharmacists Journal: CPJ. 2012 Sep; 145(5):200. This journal is composed by a pharmacist who writes about the fact that homoeopathic remedies don't contain what they claim they do (or in concentrations that are basically zero) and can't be effective whatsoever. The aim of the source is to inform why homeopathy is so much prevalent in use. The scope of the study is wide as it effectively highlights evidences in Canada regarding what steps are taken to avoid homeopathy use among the individuals. The information that homeopathy has lack of clinical evidence and is a placebo is important because it helps to identify why homeopathy is still not regarded as effective mode of medication for treatment of individuals. The limitation of the study is that it has not highlighted the way increased use of homeopathic medication can be minimised and the way individuals are to be made aware about its ineffectiveness. The conclusion of study is that the pharmacists should not support the use of homeopathy. The study in future can be used as form of evidences from the perspective of a pharmacist regarding the reason why homeopathic medicine is not accepted as a vital drug for treatment.