Homeopathy (2016) -, 1e7

Ó 2016 The Faculty of Homeopathy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.homp.2016.01.002, available online at http://www.sciencedirect.com

ORIGINAL PAPER

Hay fever & homeopathy: a case series

evaluation
Vinita Pandey*
Health Zone Clinic, 30 Wimbledon Hill Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 7PA, UK

Background: Seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever) is common and can considerably
reduce the quality of life of sufferers. Despite the wide everyday application and prom-
ising results with homeopathy, scientific evidence of its effectiveness for most ailments
is scarce.
Aim: The assessment of the clinical effectiveness of homeopathic remedies in the alle-
viation of hay fever symptoms in a typical clinical setting.
Methods: We performed a clinical observational study of eight patients in the treat-
ment of hay fever symptoms over a two-year period (2012 and 2013) using Measure Your-
self Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP) self-evaluation questionnaires at baseline and
again after two weeks and four weeks of homeopathic treatment. The individualized pre-
scription e either a single remedy or multiple remedies e was based on the totality of
each patient’s symptoms.
Results: The average MYMOP scores for the eyes, nose, activity and wellbeing had
improved significantly after two and four weeks of homeopathic treatment. The overall
average MYMOP profile score at baseline was 3.83 (standard deviation, SD, 0.78). After
14 and 28 days of treatment the average score had fallen to 1.14 (SD, 0.36; P < 0.001) and
1.06 (SD, 0.25; P < 0.001) respectively.
Conclusions: Individualized homeopathic treatment was associated with significant
alleviation of hay fever symptoms, enabling the reduction in use of conventional treat-
ment. The results presented in this study can be considered as a step towards a pilot
pragmatic study that would use more robust outcome measures and include a larger
number of patients prescribed a single or a multiple homeopathic prescription on an
individualized basis. Homeopathy (2016) -, 1e7.

Keywords: Hay fever; Homeopathy; MYMOP questionnaires

Introduction with the arrival of grass and tree pollen and finishes with
moulds in October.2
Seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever) is common and is The symptoms range from sneezing, rhinorrhoea,
known to affect up to 30% of adults and 40% of children obstruction of the nasal passages to conjunctival and
at some time in their lives.1 This causes significant health pharyngeal itching, and lachrymation.1 These symptoms
burden to the individuals as well as the impairment of qual- may lead to loss of sleep and reduced ability to concentrate.
ity of life.1 It is reported that the economic burden posed by The use of antihistamines and steroidal nasal spray in giv-
allergic rhinitis has almost doubled since 2000.1 For most ing symptomatic relief is useful; unfortunately long term
sufferers, the hay fever season starts in the early spring use has potential side effects and may not be beneficial to
everyone.3 The use of antihistamines may reduce rhinor-
rhoea and sneezing but may cause sedation and drowsi-
ness.3 Common side effects of steroidal nasal spray
*Correspondence: Vinita Pandey, Health Zone Clinic, 30 Wimble- include nose/throat dryness, crusting and bleeding of the
don Hill Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 7PA, UK. nose, increased thirst/urination.4 Prolonged use of this
E-mail: [email protected]
Received 11 August 2015; revised 6 January 2016; accepted 11 medication in higher doses may cause further side effects
January 2016 such as extreme tiredness, headaches, vision problems.4

Please cite this article in press as: Pandey V, Hay fever & homeopathy: a case series evaluation, Homeopathy (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.homp.2016.01.002
 Hay fever & homeopathy
V Pandey
2
Furthermore, in a general practice setting these measures of being easily prescribed and trialled clinically, it is un-
were reported to be only partially effective in more than clear whether a more traditional, individualized approach
40% of patients.5 might achieve better results.
Considering the side effects associated with conven- Another group, L€ udtke & Wiesenauer 1997, assessed the
tional treatment and for the patients who fail to respond efficacy of a single remedy Galphimia glauca in the treat-
to these measures, there is a demand for an alternative ther- ment of pollinosis.13 This meta-analysis reviewed seven
apy that would alleviate hay fever symptoms, with fewer randomized double-blind placebo controlled trials and
side effects.6 four non-placebo-controlled trials. They found that the
Homeopathy is a form of holistic medicine based on the overall rate of improved eye symptoms was about 1.25
principle of ‘like cures like’, in which a substance given in times higher in the verum group than in the placebo
small doses will cure the same symptoms of illness they are group.13 Similar results for soothing of nasal symptoms
known to cause in high doses.7 In the context of hay-fever, were reported in most trials.13
homeopathic treatment can be divided into at least five Another approach to treat pollinosis using a homeopath-
types, depending on the way of prescribing.8 ic combination remedy was tested by Wiesenauer and
Isopathic prescription uses a known allergen in homeo- Heidl 1999.14 This study group found that during an
pathic dilution to treat the symptoms of allergy.9 average treatment of 61 days, 23 of 35 patients experienced
Clinical prescription aims at treating the disorder using improvement in the severity of symptoms. The combina-
symptoms of the ailment.10 For example, local symptoms tion remedy used in this study was Apis mellifica D6 +
of allergy are looked at and a remedy is prescribed.6 Acidum formicicum D6 + Thryallis glauca D6 + Cardio-
Constitutional prescription aims to bolster the entire spermum halicacabum D4.14
constitution of the patient. A detailed description of the pa- A non-comparative pilot study was carried out by Goos-
tient’s physical, mental and emotional symptoms are taken sens et al., 2009 to evaluate the effect of individualized ho-
into account and a specific single remedy is prescribed. As meopathic prescription in the treatment of hay fever.8 In
a result different people receive different prescriptions for this study, the patients completed the Rhino-
the same ailment, as their constitution is different.8 conjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) in
Miasmatic prescription targets the inherited or ac- the treatment of hay fever. The mean RQLQ score at base-
quired weakness which in turn causes a predisposition to- line was 3.40 (SD, 0.98). After three and four weeks of ho-
wards a pattern of illness.7 This method involves meopathic treatment the scores had fallen significantly to
prescribing a nosode (remedies from the product of dis- 1.97 (SD, 1.32) and 1.6 (SD, 1.28) respectively.8
eases or diseased tissue) or a specific remedy that is known We performed a clinical observational study of all eight
for its affinity towards a particular miasm (for example, patients, presenting with hay fever symptoms, who visited
mercury and nitric acid are well known anti-syphilitic rem- Health Zone Clinic, Wimbledon, London over a two-year
edies).7 The treatment is hence directed towards the under- period (2012 and 2013) using Measure Yourself Medical
lying miasm in order to cure a chronic disease.11 Outcome Profile (MYMOP) self-evaluation questionnaires.
Complex prescription uses two or more remedies The prescription was tailored to the totality of each patient’s
simultaneously, either in alteration or as a combined for- symptoms and either a single remedy or a multiple prescrip-
mula. This method may encompass the use of isopathic, tion was prepared on an individualized basis.
therapeutic, constitutional and miasmatic remedies simul-
taneously in one prescription as one remedy may not cover
all the symptoms of the disorder in a patient.7 The more the Materials and methods
prescription was tailored to suit the individual patient, bet- Participants
ter results were obtained, as reported by Ellis Barker and
In all, eight consecutive patients visited Health Zone
J.H. Clarke.7 While constitutional prescription uses a sin-
Clinic, Wimbledon (2012, 2013) with hay fever symptoms.
gle remedy, complex prescription involves using two or
The same patients visited the clinic in 2013 as well. These
more remedies.10
patients came to the clinic because their symptoms were
Reilly et al. reported evidence showing improvement
highly bothersome and not completely relieved by the
with homeopathy over placebo in patients with hay fever,
use of antihistamines and the steroidal nasal sprays. The
asthma and perennial rhinitis, using principal inhalant
symptoms of hay fever affected their level of concentration
allergen (isopathy).9 Taylor et al. conducted an overview
and wellbeing. These patients were looking for an alterna-
and pooled analysis of the four trials and showed clear
tive treatment to bring some relief to their suffering.
benefit with the homeopathic intervention as compared to
The study was carried out from the first week of May and
the placebo.12 The study was carried out for a month,
the hay fever clinic was run one day of every week. At the
and each day the recruited patients measured their nasal
start of study each patient’s history and hay fever symp-
air flow and recorded symptoms such as blocked, runny
toms were recorded (baseline assessment).
or itchy nose, sneezing or eye irritation.12 On average,
over the last two weeks after randomization, patients who
received homoeopathy had a 28% improvement in nasal Evaluation and outcomes
inspiratory peak flow as compared with 3% among those All patients who visited the hay fever clinic were asked
in the placebo group. Although isopathy has the advantage to complete the MYMOP. The MYMOP is a patient

Homeopathy
Please cite this article in press as: Pandey V, Hay fever & homeopathy: a case series evaluation, Homeopathy (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.homp.2016.01.002
 Hay fever & homeopathy
V Pandey
3
generated outcome measure. MYMOP has been used in a be explained by a general decline in the anti-allergic pre-
large number of smaller evaluation studies involving both scriptions in the months of June and July compared to
orthodox and complementary practitioners for a range of May over the two-year period of 2012 and 2013. Most pa-
ailments.15 A reduction in MYMOP score is an indication tients visited our clinic in the month of May 2012 and 2013.
of improvement of the patient’s condition.15 Anti-allergic medications prescribed were the oral antihis-
Using a 7 point score (0e6), where 0 indicated no symp- tamines and steroidal nasal spray. The antihistamines pre-
toms and 6 indicated maximum symptom, patients scored scribed in the years 2012 and 2013 were: Desloratadine,
their two most troublesome symptoms, activity of daily Neoclarityn, Cetirizine, Levocetirizine, Mizolastine, Fexo-
living that is limited/prevented by this ailment and their fenadine. The nasal sprays prescribed in the conventional
overall feeling of wellbeing.16 MYMOP scores were docu- clinic for the same period were: Rhinolast, Azelastine, Be-
mented at baseline (1st appointment), 14 days (2nd clometasone, Budesonide, Flixonase, Dymista, Nasonex,
appointment) and 28 days (3rd appointment) during the Mometasone, Sodium Cromoglycate.
treatment period with homeopathy.
All patients reported Symptom 1 as the individual symp-
toms of the eyes (ranging from itching, redness, tears and Study timeline
swelling). Symptom 2 was reported consistently as the in- The study took place over the hay-fever seasons of
dividual symptoms of nose (sneezing, blockage, rhinor- 2012e2013.
rhoea). Each patient scored these symptoms for severity In 2012, the 1st appointments took place from 3rd of
over the past week. Individual participants reported the May until the 7th of June. The second and third appoint-
following day-to-day activities were affected: doing home- ments followed after 14 days and 28 days respectively.
work, reading, playing sports, driving, going for a walk, In 2013, the 1st appointments took place from 2nd of
going to the gym, doing home maintenance, office work. May until the 23rd of May. The second and third appoint-
Wellbeing was rated as the general feeling of wellbeing ments followed after 14 days and 28 days respectively.
during the past week. Final follow-ups were made over the phone in late
An improvement of 1 on the MYMOP scale is consid- August or September to enquire whether the patients suf-
ered to be a meaningful change.17 Paired t-tests were per- fered from any relapses in the interim period. No question-
formed between baseline and 14 days of treatment, and naire was used in the telephonic consultation and only hay
between baseline and 28 days of treatment. fever symptoms were noted if present.
Each appointment consisted of an assessment and a
consultation. All appointment dates are shown in Figure 1.
Homeopathic medication and prescription
Remedies were given in the form of round sucrose pills
(diameter 3.5 mm) that had been impregnated with a medi- Results
cated potency of a specific remedy. All the medicated po-
tencies were purchased from Helios, London. Sample
The prescription was tailored according to the totality of In all, eight consecutive patients visited Health Zone
symptoms of each patient. If all the symptoms were Clinic to receive treatment for hay fever symptoms in the
covered by a single remedy, a single remedy only was months of April to July 2012, and followed-up again in
used. In most cases two or more remedies were prescribed 2013. These were mainly children and middle-aged
to cover the entire symptoms picture. women. Patients were between 9 and 50 years of age.
The mean age of patients was 34.2 years (SD, 15.9) and
Conventional medication 5 out of 8 were females.
All the patients who visited the Health Zone Clinic were
taking conventional medicines to control their symptoms MYMOP scores
and had felt only modest improvement with this treatment. At the baseline assessment all the patients reported high
They all reported continuing suffering with hay fever MYMOP scores which improved within one month of ho-
symptoms despite taking conventional medicines and meopathic treatment (see also Figure 1). All the patients at
were looking for an alternative solution to alleviate their baseline assessment reported suffering with hay fever
misery. The conventional medication and the dosage symptoms all the way until September/October in the
were noted for each patient in each consultation (i.e. base- past. Telephonic consultation in late August/September
line, after 14 days and 28 days respectively). confirmed these patients did not have any relapse in the
interim period (Figure 1).
Conventional clinic data The mean MYMOP scores for the eyes, nose, activity
Five conventional clinics in London were approached: and wellbeing had improved significantly after 14 and 28
one clinic provided us with their data. A conventional days of homeopathic treatment. The overall average MY-
clinic was approached for total number of anti-allergic pre- MOP profile score at baseline was 3.83 (SD, 0.78). After
scriptions which they issued from 1st March to 30th of 14 and 28 days of treatment the overall average score
September in the years 2012 and 2013 on a monthly basis. had fallen to 1.14 (SD, 0.36) (P < 0.001) and 1.06 (SD,
This was done in order to ascertain whether the data could 0.25) (P < 0.001) respectively.

Homeopathy
Please cite this article in press as: Pandey V, Hay fever & homeopathy: a case series evaluation, Homeopathy (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.homp.2016.01.002
 Hay fever & homeopathy
V Pandey
4

Figure 1 Timings of the assessments: Hay fever season every year lasts from April to October in the UK. The patients visited Health Zone
Clinic in year 2012 are represented by while the same patients in 2013 are represented by . 1st appointment (baseline assess-
ment) is represented by red dot while 2nd and 3rd appointments are represented by dark green dots . Telephonic consultation for
each patient in late August/September is represented by light green dots . (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend,
the reader is referred to the web version of this article).

Results are shown in detail for the mean MYMOP scores For our eight hay fever patients’ symptoms, the
for the eyes, nose, activity and wellbeing in Table 1 and following types of homeopathic prescriptions were used:
presented graphically in Figure 2. Hay fever symptoms constitutional (25% of cases); clinical + constitutional
and history of individual patients are listed in Table 4. (12.5%); clinical + miasmatic (50%); constitutional +
miasmatic (12.5%). Thus in 75% of cases we used a
Homeopathic medication
In the past we tried using single remedies only; however
we then experienced relapses or only temporary improve-
ment in patients. We saw in many cases that a single rem-
edy was not able to cover all the symptoms presented. Thus
over the years we have used multiple remedies to yield
clinical results as suggested by anecdotal evidence.7

Table 1 MYMOP profile, showing mean scores (standard

deviation, SD) for the Eyes, Nose, Activity and Wellbeing of all
consecutive eight patients who visited the Hay Fever Clinic.
P < 0.001 at 14 days (2nd appointment) and 28 days (3rd
appointment) vs baseline (1st appointment). *** indicates a
statistically significant difference (P < 0.001)

1st 2nd 3rd

Appointment Appointment Appointment
mean (SD) mean (SD) mean (SD)

Eye symptoms 3.69 (0.87) 1.12 (0.34)*** 1.06 (0.25)***

Nose symptoms 4.06 (0.85) 1.12 (0.34)*** 1.06 (0.25)*** Figure 2 Average MYMOP scores (SD) for the Eyes, Nose, Ac-
Activity 3.75 (0.68) 1.12 (0.34)*** 1.06 (0.25)*** tivity and Wellbeing Symptoms at baseline (1st appointment ),
Wellbeing 3.81 (0.75) 1.18 (0.4)*** 1.06 (0.25)*** 14 days (2nd appointment ) and 28 days (3rd appointment ).
Average MYMOP 3.83 (0.78) 1.14 (0.36)*** 1.06 (0.25)*** *** indicates a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) at 14
profile score and 28 days vs baseline.

Homeopathy
Please cite this article in press as: Pandey V, Hay fever & homeopathy: a case series evaluation, Homeopathy (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.homp.2016.01.002
 Hay fever & homeopathy
V Pandey
5
Table 2 Remedies prescribed to individual patients Clinic in the month of May. After 14 days of treatment
Patient 1st Prescription 2nd Prescription
with homeopathic remedies patients reported improvement
and reported either reducing or stopping their conventional
1 Euphrasia 200c Silica 1M medication. Meanwhile, the total number of anti-allergic
Silica 1M medications prescribed by the conventional clinic
2 Allium cepa 30c Psorinum 30c
Psorinum 30c increased over the same period both in 2012 and 2013.
3 Allium cepa 30c Psorinum 30c
Psorinum 30c Tuberculinum 30c
Tuberculinum 30c Discussion
4 Sulphur 30c Sulphur 30c
Tuberculinum 30c Tuberculinum 30c We found that homeopathy treatment was associated
5 Allium cepa 30c + Allium cepa 30c +
Euphrasia 30c + Euphrasia 30c +
with statistically significant improvement in hay fever
Sabadilla 30c Sabadilla 30c symptoms in patients assessed by MYMOP scores. All
Carcinosin 30c Carcinosin 30c these patients felt meaningful improvement in their hay fe-
6 Gelsemium 30c Carcinosin 30c
Carcinosin 30c
ver symptoms within one month of homeopathic treatment,
7 Natrium muriaticum 30c Nat mur 30c whereas in the past years they had all reported to be
8 Kali phosphoricum 30c Kali phos 30c suffering through to September/October. One limitation
of this study is that we do not know the severity of pollen
seasons in previous years. However, we do have a conven-
multiple-remedy prescription. The remedies used are listed
tional clinic’s data as a comparator to check whether their
in Table 2.
anti-allergic prescriptions also declined in the correspond-
ing period to that of our study: there is no historical evi-
Conventional medication dence from that clinic that fewer anti-allergic
All the patients reported using conventional medication prescriptions were issued in June and July 2012 and 2013
to control their hay fever symptoms at baseline assessment. as compared to May 2012 and 2013. Most patients visited
The name and dosage of the medication was noted down. Health Zone Clinic in the month of May and felt improve-
The patients reported high MYMOP scores and their well- ment in their hay fever symptoms within two weeks of
being was poor at baseline assessment. All the patients at treatment with homeopathic remedies.
2nd and 3rd appointment reported either reducing or stop- In the UK pollen season separates into three main sec-
ping conventional medication as they felt relief associated tions: Tree Pollen e late March to mid-May; Grass Pollen
with homeopathic treatment (Table 3). The patients were e mid may to July; and Weed Pollen e end of June to
not actively encouraged by the homeopath to change their September.18 It is possible that in this study symptoms
use of conventional medicines and were told that the re- showed alleviation because the natural ‘peak’ symptom
sponsibility to control the conventional medicines lay period had passed. However, the fact that all the patients
with the GP. had reported suffering with hay fever symptoms
throughout previous summers indicates they were all
Conventional clinic data allergic to more than one type of pollen. Due to limited re-
As can be seen from Figure 3, there is no historical evi- sources, the patients did not have their allergen/s identified,
dence that the total number of prescriptions declined in the which further confounds the interpretation of our study.
months of June and July 2012 and 2013 as compared to This study is about homeopathy practice in a ‘real-
May 2012 and 2013. Most patients visited Health Zone world’ clinical setting using a simple tool (MYMOP

Table 3 Conventional medicines used by individual patient at baseline (1st appointment), 14 days (2nd appointment), 28 days (3rd
appointment). Each patient reported either stopping or reducing conventional medication as they felt alleviation of their hay fever symptoms with
homeopathy

Patient Baseline 14 days 28 days

1st Appointment 2nd Appointment 3rd Appointment

1 5 ml Cetirizine twice daily 5 ml Cetirizine once/twice a week None

Beclometasone 100 mg,
two puffs via aerochamber
twice a day
2 Cetirizine 10 mg once daily Cetirizine 10 mg once/twice a week None
3 Cetirizine 10 mg once daily Cetirizine 10 mg once/twice a week. Cetirizine 10 mg once/twice a week
Salbutamol inhaler twice daily Salbutamol reduced, as and when needed Salbutamol reduced, as and when needed
4 5 ml Cetirizine twice daily 5 ml Cetirizine once/twice a week None
5 Cetirizine 10 mg once daily Cetirizine 10 mg once daily Cetirizine 10 mg 3e4 times in a week
Beconase nasal spray, Beconase nasal spray, two times daily Discontinued nasal spray
three times daily
6 Cetirizine 10 mg once daily Cetirizine 10 mg once/twice a week None
Beconase nasal spray, Beconase nasal spray reduced, as and when needed
three times daily
7 Cetirizine 10 mg once daily None None
8 Cetirizine 10 mg once daily Cetirizine 10 mg once/twice a week. None

Homeopathy
Please cite this article in press as: Pandey V, Hay fever & homeopathy: a case series evaluation, Homeopathy (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.homp.2016.01.002
 Hay fever & homeopathy
V Pandey
6
Table 4 History and Hay Fever Symptoms of individual patients

Patient History Hay Fever Symptoms

1 Sickly child, lack of will power, timid, chilly; Symptom 1: Blood red eyes, watery eyes, swelling of
in colds and coughs Pulsatilla helps. the eyes, right eye worse.
Symptom 2: Runny nose, violent sneezing worse at night,
obstruction of the nose at night.
Activities affected: Doing homework, reading, playing.
2 Recurring colds, suffers from hay fever Symptom 1: Itchy eyes, watery eyes.
every year, chilly person, offensive sweat, Symptom 2: Runny nose, violent sneezing, stuffy nose at night.
has suffered from migraine since the age Activities affected: Office work, household work, reading.
of 16 years.
3 Every year comes down with hay fever, Symptom 1: Itchy eyes, watery eyes.
asthmatic complaints, weak chest; Symptom 2: Runny nose, violent sneezing, stuffy nose at nights.
colds go into the chest. Activities affected: Office work, driving, reading.
4 Child with recurring colds and coughs; Symptom 1: Burning in eyes, itchy, watery eyes.
does not like taking baths; weak chest, Symptom 2: Frequent sneezing, blocked nose.
colds go into chest, night coughs. Activities affected: Doing homework, reading, playing.
5 Fastidious person, various allergies, Symptom 1: Very itchy eyes, watery eyes.
chronic fatigue. Symptom 2: Frequent sneezing, runny nose, stuffy nose
at night, unable to sleep.
Activities affected: Household work, going for a walk.
6 Fastidious, caring; every year comes Symptom 1: Itchy eyes, red and watery eyes, heavy
down with hay fever; suffers from flu a eyelids; eyes red, sore, aching.
few times every year, fatigue. Symptom 2: Frequent violent sneezing, stuffy nose at
nights, runny nose with thin discharge.
Activities affected: Household work, going for a walk,
reading, going to gym.
7 Dry skin; symptoms worse in the sun; Symptom 1: Eyes itch and burn. Watery eyes.
grief, lost husband (Never Been Well Since). Symptom 2: Violent sneezing, profuse nasal discharge
like egg white; symptoms worse in the morning.
Activities affected: Doing household work, reading, going for walks.
8 Nervous, anxious patient, suffers Symptom 1: Itchy eyes, watery eyes, eyes burn sometimes.
from migraines. Symptom 2: Itchy nose, violent sneezing, worse at 2:00 am.
Activities affected: Doing household work, socialising, going for walks.

questionnaire) for evaluating the effects of individualized tailored to the totality of symptoms and either a single rem-
homeopathic remedies in the control of hay fever symp- edy or a multiple prescription was prepared on an individ-
toms. The patients reported no aggravation during the ho- ualized basis. It is not possible to derive any meaningful
meopathy treatment. All the patients who were on extrapolations regarding the types of homeopathy used
medication before starting homeopathy reported reducing from this one small study. As regards efficacy, due to the
or being able to stop their conventional medication since observational study design we cannot exclude other inter-
it seemed to be no longer required in association with ho- pretations such as the placebo effect and regression to the
meopathic treatment. The homeopathic prescription was mean.19
Taking into account the above findings and caveats, this
study does suggest that individualized homeopathic treat-
ment has the potential of alleviating hay fever symptoms
in patients. A future clinical trial should include allergen/
s identification of all the patients while procuring contem-
porary pollen count data. Robust outcome measures such
as nasal peak-flow analysis9 and rhinoconjunctivitis scores,
as measured by a well validated disease-specific RQLQ,8
should be used in both the intervention group and the con-
trol group of a pilot pragmatic study.

Conclusion and the way forward

The evaluation suggests that individualized homeopath-
ic treatment may alleviate hay fever symptoms. This was a
small non-controlled study involving only eight patients
over a two-year period. The results should therefore be in-
Figure 3 Conventional Clinic’s Data (Shown by permission of terpreted with caution. A pilot pragmatic trial of this indi-
Dulwich Medical Centre): Total number of anti-allergic medicines
prescribed from March to September for the years 2012 and 2013. vidualized therapeutic approach, including a larger number
Total number of anti-allergic medicines prescribed in Year 2012 is of patients and using more robust outcome measures, is
represented by while year 2013 is represented by . indicated.

Homeopathy
Please cite this article in press as: Pandey V, Hay fever & homeopathy: a case series evaluation, Homeopathy (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.homp.2016.01.002
 Hay fever & homeopathy
V Pandey
7
8 Goossens M, Laekeman G, Aertgeerts B, et al. Evaluation of the
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Please cite this article in press as: Pandey V, Hay fever & homeopathy: a case series evaluation, Homeopathy (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.homp.2016.01.002