Effectiveness of Individualised Homoeopathic Medicine in Fibromyalgia: A Prospective Case Series

Author

Dr. Mohini Ghanghas, Dr. Ajay Valke

Abstract

 Background: Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome with widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, unrefreshing sleep and cognitive difficulty. Usual drug treatment gives only modest benefit, and many patients turn to complementary options, including homoeopathy.

Objectives: To assess whether individualised homoeopathic treatment lowers pain in fibromyalgia, measured with the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale, and to record the medicines most often prescribed.

Methods: A prospective case series of 30 patients who met the 2016 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for fibromyalgia was carried out over 18 months. Patients came from institutional and peripheral outpatient departments, camps and the investigator’s own practice and were chosen by simple random sampling. Each case was recorded in a standard format, repertorised, and treated with one individualised medicine chosen on symptom similarity and checked against the Materia Medica. Pain was scored from 0 to 10 before treatment and at the end of the study. A drop of 2 points or more was rated Improved. Scores were compared with a paired t-test.

Results: Nineteen patients (63.3%) were women, and most (76.7%) were aged 20 to 39 years. The mean pain score fell from 7.40 to 2.93, a mean reduction of 4.47 points (95% CI 3.79 to 5.14; t = 13.48, df = 29, p < 0.001). Twenty-eight patients (93.3%) were Improved and two (6.7%) were not. Seventeen different medicines were used; Rhus toxicodendron was the commonest (4 patients), followed by Arnica, Bryonia alba and Ruta graveolens (3 each).

Conclusion: Pain scores fell markedly after individualised homoeopathic treatment in this small series. Because the study had no control group and a short, variable follow-up, the result cannot be attributed to the medicines alone. Controlled studies with longer follow-up are needed.

Keywords

Fibromyalgia; Homoeopathy; Individualised prescribing; Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale; Case series; Rhus toxicodendron

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