Does a homeopathic ultramolecular dilution of Thyroidinum 30cH affect the rate of body weight reduction in fasting patients? A randomised placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial

Objective: To test whether an ultramolecular dilution of
homeopathic Thyroidinum has an effect over placebo on weight
reduction of fasting patients in so-called ‘fasting crisis’.
Design: Randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel
group, monocentre study. Setting/location: Hospital for internal
and complementary medicine in Munich, Germany. Subjects: Two
hundred and eight fasting patients encountering a stagnation or
increase of weight after a weight reduction of at least 100 g/day
in the preceding 3 days. Intervention: One oral dose ofThyroidinum
30cH (preparation of thyroid gland) or placebo. Outcome Measures:
Main outcome measure was reduction of body weight 2 days after
treatment. Secondary outcome measures were weight reduction on days
1 and 3, 15 complaints on days 1–3, and 34 laboratory findings on
days 1–2 after treatment. Results: Weight reduction on the second
day after medication in the Thyroidinum group was less than in the
placebo group (mean difference 92 g, 95% confidence interval 7–176
g, P=0.034). Adjustment for baseline differences in body weight and
rate of weight reduction before medication, however, weakened the
result to a non-significant level (P=0.094). There were no
differences between groups in the secondary outcome measures.
Conclusions: Patients receiving Thyroidinum had less weight
reduction on day 2 after treatment than those receiving placebo.
Yet, since no significant differences were found in other outcomes
and since adjustment for baseline differences rendered the
difference for the main outcome measure non-significant, this
result must be interpreted with caution. Post hoc evaluation of the
data, however, suggests that by predefining the primary outcome
measure in a different way, an augmented reduction of weight on day
1 after treatment with Thyroidinum may be demonstrated. Both
results would be compatible with homeopathic doctrine (primary and
secondary effect) as well as with findings from animal research.