Pallavi Hazra’s research while affiliated with Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata and other places

Introduction Standard management of dermatophytosis involves the use of topical antifungals in limited disease and oral therapy for more extensive cases. Despite the evidences favouring homeopathy in tinea corporis (TC) is inadequate, patients are increasingly opting for it. This trial attempts to assess the feasibility of a trial evaluating individualised homeopathic (IH) medicines in centesimal and 50-millesimal potencies in treating TC. Methods An open, randomised, pilot feasibility trial was conducted at the dermatology outpatient of D. N. De Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal, India. Patients were randomised to receive IH medicines in either centesimal potencies (n = 30) or in 50-millesimal potencies (n = 30). Primary outcome measure was intensity of pruritus on a 0 to 10 numeric rating scale; secondary outcomes were Skindex-29 and dermatology life quality index questionnaires—all measured at baseline, and after 6 and 12 weeks of intervention. Group differences were calculated on intention-to-treat (ITT) sample as well as following per protocol (PP) analysis. Results Recruitment and attrition rates were 69 and 16.7% respectively. Both ITT and PP analysis revealed that intra-group changes in both the primary and secondary outcomes to be statistically significant in both the groups (all p < 0.05, one-way repeated measure analysis of variance). There were no significant group differences over 6 and 12 weeks (all p > 0.05, unpaired t-tests); thus, indicating similar pattern of improvement in both the groups. Most frequently used medicines were Natrum sulphuricum (28.3%), Natrum muriaticum (25%), Sulphur (8.3%) and Bacillinum (6.7%). No harms, unintended effects, homeopathic aggravations or any serious adverse events were reported from either group. Conclusion An adequately powered trial exploring effectiveness of both scales in TC appeared to be feasible in future. Though the sample size was too small to arrive at any definite conclusion, both centesimal and 50-millesimal potencies of IH medicines appeared to be equally useful in improving pruritus intensity and quality of life in patients suffering from TC.

Background Hypothyroidism is one of the most common endocrinal disorders in India and its incidence is gradually increasing. A preliminary clinical trial was conducted to assess the probable role of individualised homoeopathic (IH) medicines in hypothyroidism with the assessment of hormonal titre (serum thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH] and free T4) and symptomatic improvement. Methods An open-label, prospective, single-arm trial was conducted on 40 patients suffering from hypothyroidism at the outpatient of D. N. De Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal, India, and treated with IH. Serum TSH and FT4 were considered as the primary outcomes and Zuleswki's clinical scoring (ZCS) and thyroid symptom questionnaire (TSQ) as the secondary outcomes, measured at baseline and after 3 months of treatment. Intention-to-treat sample was analysed in the end by paired t-tests. Results Total 58 patients were screened, of which 40 patients were enrolled; 4 patients dropped out, 36 patients completed the trial. Mean age was 44 years (standard deviation: 13.6), and majority of the patients were female (87.5%). Improvement in both primary and secondary outcomes was statistically significant (p <0.001, paired t-tests), TSH (mean reduction: 2.7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.9–3.6, p = 0.001), FT4 (mean increase: −0.2, 95% CI: −0.3 to −0.2, p = 0.001), ZCS (mean reduction: 3.7, 95% CI: 2.9–4.6, p = 0.001), and TSQ (mean reduction: 2.9, 95% CI: 2.1–3.6, p = 0.001). Most frequently used medicines were Sulphur (20%), Pulsatilla nigricans (12.5%), Iodium (10%), Phosphorus (10%), and Natrum muriaticum (7.5%). Conclusion This study showed promising treatment effects of IH in hypothyroidism. Randomised trials are warranted (Trial registration: CTRI/2018/11/016451; UTN: U1111–1223–2292).

Context Pre-hypertension remains a significant public health challenge and appropriate intervention is required to stop its progression to hypertension and/or cardiovascular diseases. Objective To study the effects of individualized homeopathic medicines (IH) against placebo in intervening with the progression of pre-hypertension to hypertension. Design Double-blind, randomized, two parallel arms, placebo-controlled trial. Setting Outpatient departments of D. N. De Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Patients Ninety-two patients suffering from pre-hypertension; randomized to receive either IH (n=46) or identical-looking placebo (n=46). Interventions IH or placebo in the mutual context of lifestyle modification (LSM) advices including dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) and brisk exercises. Main outcome measures Primary – systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP); secondary – Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile version 2.0 (MYMOP-2) scores; all measured at baseline, and every month, up to 3 months. Results After 3 months of intervention, the number of patients having progression from pre-hypertension to hypertension between groups were similar without any significant differences in between (all P>0.05). Reduction in BP and MYMOP-2 scores were non-significantly higher (all P>0.05) in the IH group than placebo with small effect sizes. Lycopodium clavatum, Thuja occidentalis and Natrum muriaticum were the most frequently prescribed medicines. No harms or serious adverse events were reported from either group. Thus, there was a small, but non-significant direction of effect favoring homeopathy, which ultimately rendered the trial as inconclusive. [Trial registration: CTRI/2018/10/016026; UTN: U1111-1221-8251]