Clinical Effect of Reflexology and Homeopathy Added to Conventional Asthma Management

NCT ID: NCT01426061

Last Updated: 2011-08-30

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

98 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2006-05-31

Study Completion Date

2009-10-31

Brief Summary

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There is a lack of scientific evidence that homeopathy and reflexology is effective treatment of asthma. Systematic reviews have found that many clinical trials testing homeopathy and reflexology have major flaws, such as small number of participants, lack of control groups or inadequate allocation concealment.

The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of reflexology and individualised homeopathy as an adjuvant treatment in asthma. In order to address this issue, the investigators conducted an investigator-blinded, randomized, controlled parallel group study.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Asthma

Keywords

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Complementary and alternative medicine Reflexology Homeopathy Asthma Randomized controlled trial

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Investigators

Study Groups

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Reflexology plus conventional treatment

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Reflexology plus conventional treatment

Intervention Type OTHER

Patients in the reflexology group received reflexology treatment in addition to usual care of asthma.Patients received treatments weekly for four to six weeks, followed by two treatments for one month. Treatments were then given monthly until the end of the study.

Homeopathy plus conventional treatment

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Homeopathy plus conventional treatment

Intervention Type OTHER

Patients in the homeopathy group received homeopathic treatment in addition to usual care of asthma.Homeopathic treatment was decided on an individual basis by the homeopath and prescribed as an oral treatment. Patients received homeopathic product with potency between C30 (dilution by a factor 10030 =1060) and M10 (dilution by a factor 100010 =1030). The number of homeopathy sessions attended was six to twelve during one year.

Conventional treatment

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

Conventional treatment

Intervention Type OTHER

Patients in the conventional treatment group received usual care of asthma. This treatment was monitored and adjusted as usual by the patient's general practitioner.

Interventions

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Reflexology plus conventional treatment

Patients in the reflexology group received reflexology treatment in addition to usual care of asthma.Patients received treatments weekly for four to six weeks, followed by two treatments for one month. Treatments were then given monthly until the end of the study.

Intervention Type OTHER

Homeopathy plus conventional treatment

Patients in the homeopathy group received homeopathic treatment in addition to usual care of asthma.Homeopathic treatment was decided on an individual basis by the homeopath and prescribed as an oral treatment. Patients received homeopathic product with potency between C30 (dilution by a factor 10030 =1060) and M10 (dilution by a factor 100010 =1030). The number of homeopathy sessions attended was six to twelve during one year.

Intervention Type OTHER

Conventional treatment

Patients in the conventional treatment group received usual care of asthma. This treatment was monitored and adjusted as usual by the patient's general practitioner.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) ≥60% predicted
* A history of bronchial asthma for minimum 6 months prior to baseline
* An objective measure of abnormal variation in bronchial calibre(The objective measure were defined as at least one of the following)

1. a positive bronchodilator reversibility test, defined as increase in FEV1≥10% after 400 µg inhaled salbutamol;
2. a positive methacholine test, defined as a PD20 of \<1000 μg;
3. a positive test for exercise induced asthma defined as a fall in FEV1\>15% after a standardised 6 min exercise test; and
4. a positive peak expiratory flow (PEF) variability , defined by ≥3 days or 2 consecutive days with a differences between morning and evening PEF of \>20% during a 2-week period.

Exclusion Criteria

* Hospitalization for asthma within 3 months,
* Asthma exacerbation during the last month,
* Changes in asthma medication within 30 days of screening
* A smoking history \> 10 pack-years and smoking within the last year.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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GCP-unit at Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Danish Classical Homeopathy Society

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Danish Reflexologist Association

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Aarhus

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Ayfer Topcu

M.D.

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Ronald Dahl, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Department of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus C

Locations

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Department of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital of Aarhus

Aarhus, , Denmark

Site Status

Countries

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Denmark

References

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Ng TP, Wong ML, Hong CY, Koh KT, Goh LG. The use of complementary and alternative medicine by asthma patients. QJM. 2003 Oct;96(10):747-54. doi: 10.1093/qjmed/hcg121.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 14500861 (View on PubMed)

Jonas WB, Kaptchuk TJ, Linde K. A critical overview of homeopathy. Ann Intern Med. 2003 Mar 4;138(5):393-9. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-138-5-200303040-00009.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 12614092 (View on PubMed)

McCarney RW, Linde K, Lasserson TJ. Homeopathy for chronic asthma. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;2004(1):CD000353. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD000353.pub2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 14973954 (View on PubMed)

Ernst E. Is reflexology an effective intervention? A systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Med J Aust. 2009 Sep 7;191(5):263-6. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb02780.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19740047 (View on PubMed)

Brygge T, Heinig JH, Collins P, Ronborg S, Gehrchen PM, Hilden J, Heegaard S, Poulsen LK. Reflexology and bronchial asthma. Respir Med. 2001 Mar;95(3):173-9. doi: 10.1053/rmed.2000.0975.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11266233 (View on PubMed)

Lewith GT, Watkins AD, Hyland ME, Shaw S, Broomfield JA, Dolan G, Holgate ST. Use of ultramolecular potencies of allergen to treat asthmatic people allergic to house dust mite: double blind randomised controlled clinical trial. BMJ. 2002 Mar 2;324(7336):520. doi: 10.1136/bmj.324.7336.520.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11872551 (View on PubMed)

White A, Slade P, Hunt C, Hart A, Ernst E. Individualised homeopathy as an adjunct in the treatment of childhood asthma: a randomised placebo controlled trial. Thorax. 2003 Apr;58(4):317-21. doi: 10.1136/thorax.58.4.317.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 12668794 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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20040206

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id