Treatment for hyperactive children:
Homeopathy and methylphenidate compared in a family setting

ADHD : Recent Research Results - Homoeopathy shown to be effective. The European Journal of Paediatrics has recently (27 July 2005) published the results of a randomised double blind placebo controlled crossover study of individualised homoeopathic treatment of children with ADHD. All children were diagnosed with a number of screening instruments to verify the diagnosis of ADHD, excluding other diagnoses.

The trial provided evidence of the effectiveness of homoeopathy in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, particularly in the areas of behavioural and cognitive functions.

The authors of the study included researchers from the Division of Paediatric Neurology of the University Childrens Hospital in Switzerland, the Department of Mathematical Statistics and Actuarial Science from the University of Berne, the Swiss Association of Homoeopathic Physicians, and the Centre for Paediatric Neurorehabilitation in Switzerland.

Findings: 115 children (92 boys, 23 girls) with a mean age of 8.3 years at diagnosis were included in the study.   Three children did not respond to homeopathy nor to MPD, and one left the study.

Interpretation: In cases where treatment of a hyperactive child is not urgent, homeopathy is a valuable alternative to MPD. The reported results of homeopathic treatment appear to be similar to the effects of MPD. Only children who did not reach the high level of sensory integration for school had to be changed to MPD. In preschoolers, homeopathy appears a particularly useful treatment for ADHD.

The purpose of this trial was to assess the efficacy of homeopathic treatment16-18 in ADHD, answering the following questions:

·What percentage of children can be sufficiently treated with homeopathy and needs no other medication? How many need MPD? And how many do not respond to these treatments at all?

·What is the effect of homeopathic treatment and MPD as rated by the CGI19-21? {Assessment scale}
·How do parents rate clinical improvement, including feedback from school?
·Time horizons: How long is needed to reach an adequate treatment effect in homeopathy?
What was the duration of homeopathic treatment in patients who finally received MPD?

Clinical improvement ratings
Clinical improvement ratings by parents in homeopathy treated children were 73%, and with MPD 65% (table 3): Most of the patients who had eventually received MPD had a treatment effect from homeopathy, but the mean clinical improvement was 43%, considerably lower than in children who stayed on homeopathy.

 The choice of the correct medication is dependent on the individuality of the symptoms, if a patient only has the ‘standard symptoms�?of ADHD and nothing peculiar, the homeopathic physician may have to make ‘therapeutic trials�?to find the correct medicine. The administration of a wrong remedy usually does not change anything, while giving the right one leads to a clear, substantial improvement within four weeks. 

Major advantages of homeopathy over MPD are the easy administration (once every day or once every second day), a continuous treatment effect over 24 hours, no side effects except for a possible short initial aggravation, and no abuse potential. For many parents this last point is the most important concern. At preschool-age, when MPD has many side effects 33, homeopathy may be the first choice, as well as for students, who do not need to have an immediate relief.

Author:  André Thurneysen, Journal Abstract: European Journal of Pediatrics,

Excerpted From:   http://www.sahp.ch/documents/Treatment_for_hyperactive_children.doc