Literary Research on Influenza
In order to develop the background and foundation needed to support the influenza treatment trials, we have been conducting literature research and publishing review papers on the subject of controlled trials in influenza.
The first review we wrote, which is currently submitted to the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and under review, aimed to provide structured guidelines for future CAM influenza studies based on a thorough review of consistent and standard design elements present in the controlled-trial design of conventional antiviral influenza therapies. We systematically chose a selection of high-quality, influenza antiviral controlled trials, reviewed the design elements, and summarized the standards across studies to show the consistency and acceptable range within these study design elements. We found that the standardized elements from influenza antiviral trials can be considered and mirrored in future CAM studies, with the hopes that in so doing CAM therapies might be looked at on similar grounds as conventional medicines in terms of potential usefulness and benefit in the treatment of influenza. A pre-publication electronic version of this document is available.
Download PDF pre-publication version of "Influenza Treatment Trial Methodology in CAM"
The second, related review, currently in submission to Homeopathy, presents a critical evaluation of methodological quality in controlled trials on homeopathic treatment of influenza. It includes a short summary of the prevalence, quality, and most commonly cited shortcomings of homeopathic controlled trials in general based on large meta-analyses looking at study quality and results across research areas, reviews on research within specific diagnostic categories, and the available reviews and primary studies on influenza treatment trials. It then compares the specific methodological designs in homeopathic influenza treatment trials, on a point by point basis, to pharmaceutical trials on influenza antiviral drugs. The goal of the evaluation is to highlight frequently cited problems in homeopathic trial design, suggest possible improvement for future studies, and make specific recommendations for homeopathic influenza trials based on a comparison to standardized antiviral trials.
Download PDF pre-publication version of "Homeopathic Trial Design in Influenza Treatment"