Homoeopathic treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity

British Homoeopathic Journal

October 1997, Vol, 86, pp. 196-200

Homoeopathic treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity

disorder

A controlled study

JOHN LAMONT, PHI)

Abstract

43 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were alternately assigned to either placebo or homoeopathic treatment in a double blind, partial crossover study to determine the effectiveness of homoeopathy for this disorder. Medicines or placebos were given to parents or carets and were administered to children by the parent or carets. After 10 days children in the placebo group were given homoeopathic medicines. Statistical comparisons were made on the basis of parent or caret ratings of ADHD behaviour before and after treatment. Scores for subjects initially in the placebo group were compared with those initially in the homoeopathic group; and scores for subjects initially in the placebo group were compared with scores for the same subjects after they received homoeopathic medicine. Statistically significant differences were found for both comparisons, supporting the hypothesis that homoeopathic treatment is superior to placebo treatment for ADHD.

KEYWORDS: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Double blind study.

Introduction

The growing popularity of alternative medicine warrants experimental confirmation of its effectiveness. 50 of the 135 medical schools in the United States are offering courses in alternative medicine and some, such as the University of Virginia Medical School, have mandated instruction in this area.

1 Practitioners of homoeopathy have claimed success with a variety of psychiatric illnesses, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

2 ADHD is the most frequently diagnosed psychiatric condition for children, reportedly afflicting some 3-5% of children in the United States) It is now generally accepted that it is a brain disorder with a biological basis and a genetic influence? Children with ADHD may alienate, anger and exasperate peers, teachers, parents and carers and fail to learn well in school due to their impulsiveness, inattention and overactivity. They are frequently aggressive, disruptive and uncontrollable. Most of these children have been prescribed some type of stimulant medication, such as Ritalin or Cylert, or oral antihypertensives such as clonidine. These medications are often quite effective, but involve the risk of sideeffects, and most of them are not reconunended for children under the age of 6. While about 75-80% of patients properly diagnosed with ADHD respond to the first stimulant drug tried, about 20% do not or have adverse reactions P Behaviour modification and dietary changes have been found helpful in some cases. 6 Neurofeedback (using EEG biofeedback) can be effective, 7 but is lengthy and costly. A safe, effective and affordable alternative to standard medications is certainly desirable. Clinicians in the field of homoeopathy have reported good results with homoeopathic medicines in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other psychiatric disorders, 8 although experimental evidence in support of their observations has been lacking. The current study was designed to provide the first evidence of such efficacy.

Method

Subjects were children referred to me for psychological of neuropsychological testing. Each child selected for inclusion in the study was thus given an extensive battery of psychological tests resulting in a diagnosis according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV). Children meeting the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, predominantly 196