O quão segura é a homeopatia?
Até o momento, já foram realizados 12 estudos relevantes avaliando a segurança do medicamento homeopático, 11 dos quais consideraram a homeopatia uma intervenção de baixo risco: Editorial2, uma auditoria3, um estudo prospectivo4, um estudo transversal5, um relatório da Organização6 e uma revisão da literatura11, todos concluíram que a homeopatia é “segura”. Além disso, cinco das seis revisões sistemáticas concluíram a favor da segurança relativa do tratamento homeopático, descrevendo os efeitos adversos como leves a moderados e transitórios.1,7,9,10,12 A sexta revisão sistemática8 é o único artigo publicado que chegou a uma conclusão negativa, significativamente diferente das outras revisões; geralmente, isso se deve a uma falha na metodologia.13,14,15,16
A revisão sistemática e a meta-análise mais recentes, que avaliaram a segurança dos medicamentos homeopáticos12, concluíram que:
“… a proporção de pacientes que apresentaram efeitos adversos foi significativamente maior quando receberam medicamentos convencionais e fitoterápicos, em comparação com os pacientes que receberam homeopatia.”
- 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
