Thesis (M.Tech.: Homoeopathy)--Durban University of Technology, 2008 / This study was intended to evaluate the efficacy of homoeopathic simillimum in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). The sample group consisted of women between the ages of eighteen and forty, living in the greater Durban area. PMS is a condition characterized by nervousness, irritability, anxiety, depression, and possibly headaches, oedema, and mastalgia, occurring during the 7 to 10 days before and usually disappearing a few hours after the onset of menses (Beers and Berkow, 1999:1932-1933). 75% of all women suffer from PMS to some degree (Hayman, 1996). A total of 39 participants with PMS were selected for the study on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria (Chapter 3). Participants were randomly divided into 2 groups (treatment and placebo) according to the randomisation sheet. There were 12 withdrawals from the study. 27 of the participants completed the study of which, 14 were on placebo treatment and 13 on active treatment. The treatment followed the initial consultation, which consisted of 3 powders containing either active ingredient (i.e. simillimum) or matching placebo and a 20ml bottle of liquid containing either active ingredient or placebo. Each participant was required to take one powder daily for three days from day 10 of their menstrual cycle followed by liquid treatment daily till onset of menstruation. Each participant had 3 consultations with the researcher over a 3 month period; each consultation a month apart. Menstrual Distress Questionnaires (Appendix A) were completed by the participants at each consultation. The data accumulated via the questionnaires was evaluated using non-parametric tests and analyzed statistically using the Wilcoxon’s Signed rank iv test and the Kruskal Wallis test. The results were analysed at a 95% confidence rating with p ≤ 0.05. Data was analysed using the SPSS (version 15.1 ®) for Windows ® statistical software suite. The intra-group analysis showed statistically significant changes in the subgroups of water retention (p=.020) and appetite changes (p=.010) in the Treatment Group. The Placebo Group showed statistical significant changes in the subgroups of concentration (p=.029), autonomic reaction (p=.013) and appetite changes (p=.035). The inter-group analysis failed to reveal any statistical significance. Therefore, the conclusion is that homoeopathic simillimum was not effective in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). There were clinical improvements noted by participants during the study which suggest that more research into the treatment of PMS should be conducted. Studies with a larger sample group over a longer time frame with daily outcome measures would give a better indication of the efficacy of the homoeopathic simillimum on premenstrual syndrome.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Homoeopathy)--Durban University of Technology, 2008 / The 2001 Census revealed that roughly 78% of the South African population claimed to be of a certain religious standing, namely Christian (Statistics South Africa: 2001). One can assume that many Christians are exposed to, and partake in, the growing trend of complementary medicine. Aim The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of homeopathy amongst Christian Church members in the Berea North area of Durban and assess how similar they are to the perceptions of certain Christian authors holding the view that homoeopathy is incompatible with Christianity. Methodology A survey method with self-administered questionnaires was employed. A total of 365 questionnaires were distributed and 174 completed questionnaires were returned (47.40%). The questionnaire consisted of 30 questions that were divided into 4 sections. The first section consisted of demographic questions while the remaining sections were related to the perception of homoeopathy. For most of the questions, possible alternative answers were given. A few of the questions allowed open ended answers. Data was analyzed by means of the SPSS (v.13) program. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis and interpretation. More specifically, the Chi square test was used to determine relationships between certain qualitative variables. iii Results The majority of respondents (63.2%) perceived that homoeopathy is compatible with Christianity, with more females than males agreeing with that statement. Only 10.3% said it is not, and 24.1% were undecided. A similar majority (64.9%) answered “Yes” regarding whether Christians should use homoeopathy or not. The results showed that respondents who have made use of some form of complementary medicine e.g. reflexology, herbal medicine and acupuncture, are more likely to condone the use of homoeopathy amongst Christians. The overwhelming majority of respondents categorize homoeopathy as either natural (54%) or complementary (30%) medicine. Slightly more respondents categorize it as Eastern (8%) rather than New Age medicine (5%). Only 2 respondents (1%) categorized homoeopathy as occult. The results of the study showed that slightly more than half of the respondents perceive homoeopathy as operating on scientific principles (52.9%), and only 13.2% perceive that it does not with 32.8% undecided. 92.8% of respondents have a matric or higher level of education. Despite the high education level of respondents, 47.1% of respondents indicated that they only know something about homoeopathy and 25% indicated that they have either never heard of it or have only heard of it. The majority of respondents indicated that their knowledge of homoeopathy is inadequate (69%) but showed a desire to know more about homoeopathy (72.4%). iv Conclusion The conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that the majority of Christians surveyed did not share the views of the Christian authors who regard homoeopathy as incompatible with Christianity. On the contrary, the majority supported the use of homoeopathy, and were interested to find out more about it.

Mini-dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Durban University of Technology in partial compliance with the requirements for a Master’s Degree in Technology: Homeopathy, 2008. / A survey method was employed to investigate the perceptions of nurses in eThekwini towards homeopathy. The aim of this study was to answer the following questions: What does the nursing community in the eThekwini region know of homeopathy? Does homeopathy have a role to play in a hospital setting in the context of South Africa? The study population was all nurses with 5 years experience or more working in hospitals in the eThekwini region. The sample was drawn from 6 public and 5 private hospitals and included staff nurses and professional nurses. A total of 330 questionnaires were distributed and a total of 200 questionnaires were returned (60.6%). A total of 93 nurses (46.5%) responded from the public sector and 107 nurses (53.5%) from the private sector. The study was carried out using a questionnaire as a measuring tool. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics using frequency tables and bar charts. The Pearson’s Chi Square Test was used on selected data. The majority of respondents were female (94%) and were between the ages of 26-35 and 36-45 years. Most of the respondents had been practising for 6-10 years and 11-15years. 19% of the total number of respondents had never heard of homeopathy and 10% indicated that they were quite familiar with the homeopathic profession. Of those respondents who had never heard of homeopathy, 71.1% were in the public sector and 28.9% in the private sector. Of those respondents who answered that they were quite familiar with homeopathy, 14.3% were in the public sector and 85.7% in the private sector. With regards to legitimacy of homeopathy most nurses working in the private hospitals (60.1%) perceived homeopathy to be a legitimate form of health care as compared to nurses working in public hospitals (39.9%). Generally, both groups considered communication and co-operation with homeopaths to be very poor. In total 79.49% of respondents said it would be beneficial to improve communication between the professions. The majority of respondents (70.06%) perceived that homeopathy does have a role to play in a hospital setting. Only 29.94% of respondents perceived that homeopathy had no role to play in a hospital setting. This indicates that many respondents perceive that integrated medicine is needed in a hospital setting. This study reveals that the respondents had a positive view of homeopathy in general, and were open to learning more about it, and to cooperate with homeopaths. The finding that knowledge of homeopathy is low, and communication between the two professions is poor, can be addressed through suitable publicity and education programmes.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2008. / Title from file title page. Thomas L. McHaney, committee chair; Nancy Chase, Marti Singer, committee members. Electronic text (175 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed November 6, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 161-175).

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban University of Technology, 2011. / C4 trituration provings are a somewhat controversial method of uncovering the therapeutic value of homoeopathic remedies. The key advantage of this method over traditional proving methods is that a substance can be proved in a matter of hours, rather than weeks or months. However there is a lack of research to show whether the results of the two methods are comparable. AIM The aim of this study is to establish whether symptoms elicited in a C4 trituration proving are comparable to symptoms produced in traditional provings of the same substance. If a similarity can be demonstrated – even on a single substance – it may encourage further studies to determine the extent to which C4 provings can be used in association with, or instead of, traditional provings as a means of developing homoeopathic remedies. METHOD Ten triturators were recruited from an existing group of experienced triturators to prove an unknown substance. Data were harvested from debriefing sessions and from notes kept by triturators during the sessions, and these were transcribed and converted to rubrics. An unprejudiced repertorisation was undertaken in an (unsuccessful) attempt to identify the substance before unblinding. After the substance was revealed to be Borax, the rubrics from the C4 proving were statistically compared to rubrics associated with Borax in Radar 9.0, the electronic version of the repertory Synthesis: Repertorium Homoeopathicum Syntheticum (2004), which reflects traditional provings of this substance. The statistical comparison of rubrics was performed in SPSS; a Pearson Chi-Square test was applied to establish statistical significance; and a Cramer's V test was used to determine the strength of that association. RESULT The comparison failed to find a significant correlation between the rubrics from the C4 proving of Borax and traditional provings of the same substance. At a chapter level, there were significant associations between symptoms relating to Hearing and Kidneys but, for reasons discussed at length in the report, these results must be treated with circumspection. CONCLUSION While C4 provings are faster than the traditional method, as refined by Sherr, in view of the above findings it cannot be recommended that C4 provings be considered as a means of developing homoeopathic remedies instead of traditional provings, because C4 provings would not produce a complete symptom picture. RECOMMENDATIONS Recommendations arising from the study include that the exercise should be repeated with a different substance and group of provers, preferably with confidential debriefing of participants (as opposed to group debriefing, which is the norm for C4 provings), to verify these findings.

Submitted in partial compliance with the requirements of the Master’s Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2018. / Aim: The aim of this qualitative study was to determine the homeopathic symptomatology that would arise from a homeopathic drug proving of Anthropoides paradiseus 30CH after it was administered to healthy individuals and to compare the homeopathic symptomatology with selected avian remedies. These avian remedies were Corvus Corax, Acridotheres tristis, Peregrine eagle and Geococcyx californianus. Objectives : Objective 1 The first objective was to determine the proving symptomatology of Anthropoides paradiseus 30CH. This was done as a randomized, double blind placebo controlled homeopathic drug proving in the 30th Hahnemannian potency in 30 healthy volunteers of which 6 were on placebo. Objective 2 : To perform a comparative analysis with selected existing remedies, namely Corvus Corax (Raven), Acridotheres tristis (India myna), Peregrine eagle (Peregrine eagle) and Geococcyx californianus (Roadrunner) all in the avian group. Methodology : The homeopathic drug proving of Anthropoides paradiseus 30CH, was conducted as a double-blind placebo controlled randomized trial with thirty volunteers between the ages of 18 and 75 years old. Provers had a full homoeopathic case history and physical exam performed and thereafter they received their symptom recording journals and the test drug or placebo. Twenty-four of the volunteers received the verum powders whilst the remaining six were administered a placebo (ratio of 4:1). The double-blind design was employed; neither the supervisor, researcher nor the provers themselves knew who received the verum or placebo. The provers recorded their symptoms over a 5 week period. Provers began journaling one week before taking the active drug substance or placebo in order to establish their symptom baseline, and continued recording their symptoms for four weeks after having started the active drug or placebo regime. After the 5 weeks of recording their symptoms, the provers attended a follow-up consultation. After all the journals were collected from the provers, the extraction and collation of the data was conducted, and thereafter the data was presented in Materia Medica and repertory formats. The Results: The homoeopathic drug proving of Anthropoides paradiseus produced a variety of symptoms. The main symptoms belonged to both the mental/emotional and the physical sphere. The symptoms of the mental sphere of this remedy included anxiety, disorientation, mood swings and irritability. The characteristic physical symptoms includes polyuria, polyphagia, polydipsia, headaches, muscle pain and spasms, post-nasal drip, hay-fever, and bloating. Other possible uses might be for the treatment of chest pain, nausea and abdominal cramping. The comparative analysis of the selected avian remedies, namely Falco peregrinus, Corvus corax, Geococcyx californianus and Acridotheres tristis, and Anthropoides paradiseus revealed common mental emotional themes of detachment, a drugged or floating sensation and on the physical sphere the group analysis revealed the following common symptoms: numbness, obstruction, dryness and appetite fluctuations. The conclusion : It was discovered that Anthropoides paradiseus 30CH produced symptoms that can be used in the treatment of attention deficit disorder, mood swings, anxiety, pre-diabetes, hay fever, sinusitis, muscle pain and spasms, gastroenteritis and headaches. It was also determined that the remedy, according to the correlating themes, belonged to the AIDS miasm. The conclusion of the group comparison generated the following themes and symptoms: detachment, drugged sensation, restriction, neurological symptoms, obstruction, dryness and appetite fluctuations. / M

The main aim of the diploma thesis is to compare the effectivity of homeopathy and classic chemical way of deworming of horses. In total 18 horses were included in the observation, who were all stabled on one farm. The observation took place during one pasture season. The first faecal examination was carried out for the purpose of qualitative analysis of occurrence of parasites in horses' digestive tract. Subsequently, each faecal examination was realized as a quantitative analysis using the modified McMaster technique. Faecal analysis was carried out always before and after the use of both dewormers (homeopathic and allopathic). The horses treated with homeopathic dewormer were tested more frequently. Faecal sample diagnostics showed contamination by only two types of parasites, small and large strongyles. Coprology analysis proved excellent effectivity of allopathic dewormers and zero resistance to the active substance. The homeopathic dewormer managed to keep some horses at low level infection, where EPG was below 200 (eggs per gram). The effectivity of both dewormers was realized in three cases. Faecal analysis after anthelmintic treatment was chosen in the first case. In the second case the difference between the two dewormers was analyzed after a given period of time following the application. In the third case the overall differences between both dewormers were assessed. It can be stated that the homeopathic dewormer PVB etat vermieux can be successfully used as supplementary and prophylactic treatment of horses during the year. At the same time it is important to give attention to regular faecal analysis and eventual use of allopathic dewormers after the testing. The use of homeopathy, however, is advantageous from both the ecological and health point of view.

M.Tech. (Homoeopathy) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Tech. (Homoeopathy) / The aim of this study was to produce evidence that homoeopathic medicines stimulate biological activity, that it is not psychosomatic healing, and that it has therapeutic benefits by creating an effect on living tissue, thereby providing the validity and credibility of homoeopathy as a healing science in practice. As well as to give the medical profession scientific evidence that homoeopathic medicine stimulates biological activity and has an effect on living tissue. Hypothesis one was concerned with the homoeopathically prepared Avena Sativa having an effect on the growth rate of the Zea Mays seeds. Hypothesis two was concerned with the different potencies of homoeopathically prepared Avena Sativa, namely the six x, nine x and twelve x potencies, having different effects on the growth rates of the Zea Mays seeds. A trial experiment was conducted to perfect the technique of the methodology that was to be used in the experiment. The experiment consisted of twelve groups of Zea Mays seeds (three control groups, three six x groups, three nine x groups and three twelve x groups) of the seed lot number SNK2943 SPM which were randomly selected. Throughout the experiment it was made certain that no cross contamination of the different potencies took place. Germination rolls were incubated at twenty five degrees Celsius for twenty four hours. The Zea Mays seeds, fifty per roll, were then placed on the germination rolls and placed in the incubation chamber for thirty nine hours. Twenty four hours before replant, fresh germination rolls were prepared and incubated. Seeds were then replanted on the fresh germination rolls and placed in the incubation chamber for a further forty eight hours. Twenty four hours before measurement and replant, fresh germination rolls were prepared and incubated. The length of the coelioptile and the mesocoelioptile respectively were determined with a digitiser, then replanted and placed back in the incubation chamber for a further forty eight hours. At the time of forty eight hours the length of the coelioptile and the mesocoelioptile respectively were determined with the digitiser. All data was recorded and the results were statistically analysed. The mean and standard deviations were determined for all the groups of the experiment. The correlation between the different groups was determined by the testing of a one-way analysis of variance. The average growth rate of the control group was compared with that of the different experimental groups, by means of a one-way anova. There was found to be a statistical significant difference between the control group and the six x group. The six x potency had an initial detrimental effect on the growth rate of the Zea Mays seeds, the six x group however, completely recovered from this initial detrimental effect at the time that the second measurement was taken. The average growth rate of the control group was then compared with that of the nine x and twelve x potency groups respectively, no statistical difference could be determined between these three groups. It was concluded that further research is necessary using a larger sample size, a larger number of consecutive potencies and that more measurements be taken of the seeds at closer time intervals.

M.Tech. / Thyroxine, a hormone produced by the thyroid gland, is known to be important for the growth and development of animals. A homoeopathic preparation of thyroxine added to the aquaria water of Rana temporaria tadpoles was shown to be capable of either slowing down or accelerating metamorphosis at different stages of development. In addition, ultra high dilutions of hormones (endogenous molecules) have been shown to have physiological effects on the immune system of mice. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Thyroxine 15CH on the growth and development of laboratory rats. Forty male rats at the Central Animal Services of the University of Witwatersrand were administered either the placebo or Thyroxine 15CH (20 control and 20 treatment) at 16 days of age for 30 consecutive days. Body weight and linear measurements (head-body and tail lengths) were recorded from day 16 to 100 days of age, and rectal temperatures were recorded from day 58 to 100 days of age. Thereafter, rats were euthanased and the brain, heart and liver weighed, total thyroxine blood levels were determined, and bone mineral density and percentage body fat ascertained. Each control rat was paired with a treatment rat of the same litter by initial weight readings taken on day 16 to form 20 experimental couplets. The recorded data was analysed using the ANOVA for repeated measures and paired t-test for single measurements. Statistical analyses showed no significant differences between the control and treatment groups for all parameters measured (p > 0.05). In conclusion, Thyroxine 15CH did not have any statistically significant effect on the growth and development of laboratory rats. This research does not support the underlying philosophy of homoeopathy which is the Law of Similars, nor does it give evidentiary support to the theory of analogical communication as proposed by Lagache and Bastide. However, certain theories and explanations do exist to explain why no results were found, concluding that further research needs to be conducted in this field.