M. Tech. / Insomnia is defined as inadequate sleep due to difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking up too early, and not being able to get back to sleep. In Western industrialised nations, between 30% and 40% of individuals suffer from at least occasional periods of sleep disturbance. The significance of sleep lies in its impact on the Central Nervous System as extended periods without sleep will result in disturbances in mental function. The remedy used in this study was Coffea cruda 200cH. This homoeopathic remedy is used clinically for its sedative and calming effect on the nervous system, in the homoeopathic treatment of insomnia. Although there is some research evidence that Coffea cruda has an effect on sleep in animals, there is no research on its effect on human subjects. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of a homoeopathic remedy Coffea cruda 200cH in the treatment of insomnia that is characterised with a difficulty in falling asleep. The quality of sleep was assessed in terms of duration of sleep, changes in sleep pattern, and satisfaction with sleep. This was a double blind placebo controlled study. The duration of the clinical trial lasted for four weeks. A total of thirty participants, meeting the inclusion criteria (Appendix B) were recruited via advertisements (Appendix E) in local newspapers, pamphlets and emails, sent in and around the University of Johannesburg Health Clinic, the University of Witwatersrand Sleep Unit, campuses, shopping malls and residential areas. Participants were also recruited via advertisements on a local radio station. At the initial consultation the participants were requested to sign a consent form (Appendix A). The researcher then completed the questionnaire (Appendix B) to assess suitability for the study. Participants were given a 50ml bottle of medication in liquid form, and were requested to shake the bottle and then take ten iv drops under the tongue just before going to bed, for four weeks. A homoeopathic pharmaceutical company blinded the medication. By selecting a medication, the participant automatically allocated themselves to either the experimental or control group. Participants were also given a sleep diary to be completed every morning (Appendix C). There were follow up visits with participants on the second and fourth week where the sleep diary was checked to improve compliance and a case history was taken (Appendix D). All results were compared to the initial assessment and changes were recorded. Data were analysed according to the General Linear Model: Repeated Measures, Mann-Whitney test (non-parametric test), Cross-tabulation, Fisher’s exact test and Regression Analysis. Statistical data proved that both the experimental and control groups had statistically significant results. It is unclear why the control group behaved in the same way as the experimental group. A longer trial is required to distinguish if this was purely due to the placebo effect.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:6665 |
| Date | 10 March 2010 |
| Creators | Kolia-Adam, Naseeha |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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