The homoeopathic treatment of recurrent headaches

Abstract

The purpose of this placebo controlled study was to determine the efficacy of Similimum treatment on the treatment of recurrent headaches with reference to the patient's response and perception to treatment in'order to determine the effectiveness of the treatment methods and the management of recurrent headaches in patients. Thirty patients with recurrent headaches were admitted onto the study if they suffered from recurrent headaches at least one or more a month. Patients were recruited by means of advertising in local newspapers, shopping centres and libraries. After an initial consultation which included a detailed case history and physical examination, a double blind, random procedure assured that thirty patients were allocated to one of the two experimental groups ( i.e. fifteen in each group ). One of the groups received Similimum treatment and the other received placebo treatment for a period of three months. Treatment commenced one week after the initial consultation, in order to allow for time to evaluate the case and to prescribe the remedies accurately. The patients were seen regularly during the three-month period ( every two weeks) to evaluate their progress. The patients were given two questionnaires, one describing their headache characteristics and the other their perception changes towards their headaches. The questionnaire describing their headache characteristics (Appendix A) was filled in at the initial consultation and this information was used to select each patient's simillimum remedy, these characteristics tended to stay the stay the same throughout the study.