Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2003; 8: 501–2
Apart from CTs or case studies of acupuncture and homoeopathy, very little is known about the long-term consequences and effects of the treatment when given by practitioners in everyday practice.
The design of the study is a prospective documentation of 5000 patients treated with acupuncture or homoeopathy in general practice. Data came from the practitioners who document diagnosis and treatment variables at each visit. Patients filled in questionnaires pre- and post-treatment and annual follow-ups. Workdays lost were provided by the insurance company launching the study. Main outcome variables were MOS SF-36 core, doctor’s rating of change of complaints and workdayslost. Long-term results concern the SF-36 scores, workdays lost and every further treatment for up to 8 years.
The SF-36 scores show stable profiles over 5 years after treatment, which were about 10% higher than pre-treatment. Work days lost reach their peak around the time of treatment but return to normal after 12–20 months. The follow-up of further treatments revealed that about 30% of homoeopathy and 10% of acupuncture patients remained users of the same treatment with the same practitioner. About half of the others did not reappear because they felt cured and another half of the patients did not reappear for various reasons (logistic reasons, unsatisfied, etc.).
Rates of long-term users of acupuncture are lower than rates of homoeopathy long-term users. However, high percentages of chronic conditions have to be borne in mind. Patients do not reappear for various reasons. Among these the most prominent reason is cure of symptoms.
