Le traitement homéopathique est-il sûr ?
Parmi les 12 grandes études menées sur la sécurité des médicaments homéopathiques, 11 ont démontré le faible niveau de risque de l’homéopathie : un éditorial2, un audit3, une étude prospective4, une étude transversale5, un rapport d’organisation 6, et une analyse bibliographique.11 Leur conclusion est que l’homéopathie est « sûre ». Par ailleurs, parmi six revues systématiques ), cinq reconnaissent la sécurité relative du traitement homéopathique et considèrent que ses effets indésirables sont faibles à modérés, et de nature transitoire1,7,9,10,12. Quant à la sixième revue systématique8, qui est la seule publication négative, ses conclusions sont si différentes des autres revues qu’on attribue en général cet écart à une méthodologie défectueuse.13,14,15,16
La revue systématique et méta-analyse la plus récente, évaluant la sécurité des médicaments homéopathiques12, a conclu :
“…Le taux de prévalence d’effets indésirables est significativement plus élevé chez les patients traités avec des médicaments et des substances végétales conventionnelles, que chez les patients traités à l’homéopathie.”
- Dantas F, Rampes H. Do homeopathic medicines provoke adverse effects? A systematic review. Br Homeopath J, 2000; 89 (Suppl 1): S35-8
- Kirby BJ. Safety of homeopathic products. J R Soc Med, 2002; 95:221-2
- Thompson E et al. A preliminary audit investigating remedy reactions including adverse events in routine homeopathic practice. Homeopathy, 2004; 93:203-9
- Endrizzi C et al Harm in homeopathy: aggravations, adverse drug events or medication errors? Homeopathy, 2005; 94:233-40
- Marian F et al. Patient satisfaction and side effects in primary care: an observational study comparing homeopathy and conventional medicine. BMC Complement Altern Med, 2008; 18:52
- The Safety of Homeopathy. Report prepared by the European Council for Classical Homeopathy (ECCH). Jan 2009
- Homeopathy in Healthcare: Effectiveness, Appropriateness, Safety, Costs. Gudrun Bornhöfft & Peter F. Mathiessen (Editors), 2011
- Posadzki P et al. Adverse effects of homeopathy: A systematic review of published case reports and case series.’ Int J Clin Pract, 2012; 66 :1178–1188
- Jong MC et al. Adverse drug reactions to anthroposophic and homeopathic solutions for injection: a systematic evaluation of German pharmacovigilance databases. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, 2012; 21:1295-301
- Stub T et al. Adverse effects of homeopathy, what do we know? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Med, 2016; 26: 146-63
- Habs M and Koller M. Material risks of homeopathic medicinal products: a regulatory frameworks, results of preclinical toxicology, and clinical meta-analyses and their implications. Complementary Medicine Research, 2021; 28:64-84
- Stub T et al. Adverse effects in homeopathy. A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Explore (NY), 2022; 18 :114-128
- Tournier A, Roberts ER, Viksveen P. Adverse effects of homeopathy: a systematic review of published case reports and case series – comment by Tournier et al. Int J Clin Pract, 2013; 67: 388-9
- Walach H, Lewith G, Jonas W. Can you kill your enemy by giving homeopathy? Lack of rigour and lack of logic in the systematic review by Edzard Ernst and colleagues on adverse effects of homeopathy. Int J Clin Pract, 2013; 67: 385-6
- Posadzki P, Ernst E. Adverse effects of homeopathy: a systematic review of published case reports and case series – response by Posadzki and Ernst. Int J Clin Pract, 2013; 67: 389
- Grimes DR. Can you kill your enemy by giving homeopathy? Response by D. R. Grimes. Int J Clin Pract, 2013; 67: 387
