‘Are Randomised Control Trials really required?’

Interview with Dr. R.K. Manchanda, Director-General, Central Council for Research in Homeopathy.

Is the lack of evidence of the effectiveness of homeopathy worrying the homeopathy establishment?

In India, it is true that we haven’t had many RCTs (Randomised Control Trials) and what we have been doing is more observational studies. But there is a fundamental difference in homeopathy’s approach; homeopathy treats the person in the disease, not the disease in the person. This makes RCTs a bit difficult, because the practitioner’s and patient’s attributes matter much more. A negative outcome of RCTs is not tantamount to disproving homeopathy. I have myself conducted RCTs which have shown the effectiveness of homeopathy —in the treatment of warts for example — but these RCTs were dismissed by the Australian review. Among the homeopathic community there is now a feeling whether scrutiny through RCTs is really required.

Given the questions over its effectiveness, should homeopathy have official sanction for the treatment of serious diseases?

In our hospitals, there is testing and treatments for HIV/ AIDS, but the patients are taking standard Anti Retroviral Treatments, and homeopathy is united into the treatment. Homeopathy is being used and is effective against multi drug-resistant tuberculosis. It has a valuable role in alcohol de-addiction.