The Utility of the Complete Repertory in the Homoeopathic Management of Chronic Bronchial Asthma: A Case Series Study

Author

Dr. Komal Borse, Dr. Sarang Rahalkar

Abstract

 Background: Bronchial asthma is a chronic, heterogeneous airway disease, and India carries a heavy and disproportionate share of its burden. Individualised homoeopathic prescribing depends on repertorisation, yet published accounts that document the use of the Complete Repertory in asthma are scarce.

Objectives: To study the utility of the Complete Repertory in the homoeopathic management of chronic bronchial asthma; to explore the effectiveness of individualised homoeopathic medicines in this condition; and to examine whether treatment reduced asthma symptom burden, including the frequency of attacks.

Methods: A case series of 45 patients of any age and either sex with diagnosed bronchial asthma was conducted over 18 months, with patients drawn from a college outpatient department, peripheral outpatient departments and medical camps by simple random sampling. After informed consent, each case was recorded in a standard Case Record Format, analysed, repertorised with the Complete Repertory, and treated with an individualised remedy confirmed against the Homoeopathic Materia Medica. Follow-up was at 7 days and then every 15 days. Outcomes were the Asthma Control Test (ACT) score before and after treatment and a clinical rating of Improved or Not Improved. Scores were compared with a paired t-test.

Results: Of 45 patients (28 male, 17 female; age 2.5 to 75 years), the mean ACT score rose from 13.27 to 21.40, a mean gain of 8.13 points (95% CI 7.24 to 9.02; paired t = 18.44, df = 44, p < 0.001). Forty-four patients gained at least 3 points, the accepted minimally important difference. Before treatment 34 patients were poorly controlled, 11 partly controlled and none well controlled; afterwards none was poorly controlled, 3 were partly controlled and 42 were well controlled. Clinically, 43 patients (95.6%) were rated Improved and 2 (4.4%) Not Improved. Twenty-one different remedies were prescribed; Phosphorus (n = 6) and Pulsatilla (n = 5) were the commonest.

Conclusion: In this small, uncontrolled series, repertory-guided individualised homoeopathic treatment was followed by marked improvement in asthma control, and the Complete Repertory proved a workable tool for individualisation. Because there was no comparison group and follow-up was short, these findings show utility and feasibility, not causal efficacy; larger controlled studies with longer follow-up are warranted.

Keywords

Bronchial asthma; Complete Repertory; Homoeopathy; Asthma Control Test (ACT); Individualised prescribing; Clinical improvement; Frequency of asthmatic attacks

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