Respiratory System Disorders and Therapy From a New - Louis Bolk ...

Anthroposophic Medicine and Asthma
In 2001, Ecker et al compared anthroposophic asthma therapy to conventional therapy
in a small group of 38 children in in-patient and outpatient setting in two hospitals in
Germany and the Netherlands. Over the course of 12 months, the two comparable groups
had a marked improvement of their asthma symptoms. However, of the children receiving
anthroposophic medications, none needed inhalation corticosteroid treatment (ICT) and
only 7 out 19 used a ß2 adrenergic agonist inhaler intermittently, while all of the children
using conventional treatment needed ICT, and 11 out of 19 had daily ß2 adrenergic
agonist inhalers, and 6 out of 19 used them intermittently (Ecker 2001). In a prospective
two-year cohort study of 90 adults and children with asthma from German outpatient
clinics, anthroposophic treatment with medications, eurythmy therapy, and art therapy
was associated with sustained improvement of asthma symptoms, asthma-related quality
of life, and general health-related quality of life (Hamre 2009).
The effect of quality of life factors on the development of atopic disease and asthma was
recently studied at the Louis Bolk Institute in cooperation with Maastricht State University.
It showed that early antibiotic use preceded the manifestation of wheeze but not eczema
or allergic sensitization in young children (Kummeling et al 2007a,b).
Homeopathy and Asthma
Homeopathic treatment for asthma is additional to other treatments and favored by a
substantial number of patients. In an observational study in Southwest England, 1,320
patients with asthma in 27 general practices were interviewed (Shaw 2008). 14.5% of
patients (c.i.12.5% -16.6%) had received additional complementary treatment. The
three most frequently used methods were homeopathy, herbal therapy, and relaxation
techniques. In an observational study in seven homeopathic hospitals in the UK (six outpatients
departments, one in-patient clinic) asthma was the 6 th most frequently observed
diagnosis (Thompson 2008). In a Cochrane database systematic review, six randomized
controlled trials on homeopathic treatment of asthma were analyzed (McCarney 2004).
Different types of homeopathic treatment were evaluated. However, most treatments
were standardized and not individualized, as is usual in homeopathic treatment of chronic
conditions. Based on these trials, the authors conclude that the role of homeopathy
in chronic asthma is unclear. They state that there is a need for observational data to
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