Abs,

João

http://www.grafiteeletronico.com.br/

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. One look at this TGI graphic and you will quickly realize just how much work rational science has ahead of it.

Not surprisingly, India, in which alternative treatments are a well established means of combating illness, reported a depressing 94% of people saying they have faith in alternative remedies and a full 62% of people giving it their trust. Homeopathy is integrated into the general system of health care in India and the TGI study shows that one in ten consumers have consulted a homeopath in the last year.

Brits are the most skeptical of the practice, with 15% saying they trust homeopathy. Currently 1 in 10 Brits prefer alternative medicine, and unfortunately the market is growing year by year.

As for the USA, the research says “Over the last five years there has been a slow, but steady increase in the proportion of people in the USA who say they prefer alternative medicine to standard medicine.”, and now 18% of people in the USA trust homeopathic medicine.

What follows can only be described as a homeopathy primer, fully referenced and footnoted, from the National Center For Complementary And Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), which is funded by the National Institutes Of Health (NIH). There is a broad spectrum of information available about homeopathy, ranging from very good science based information to the very bad pseudo-science anecdotes, but I would highly recommend giving this report a thorough read if you don’t already know about the practice and theory, and even if you do know about it, give this document a review pass and see if there is anything new you can learn.

Homeopathy (”home-ee-AH-pah-thy”), also known as homeopathic medicine, is a form of health care that developed in Germany and has been practiced in the United States since the early 19th century. Homeopathic practitioners are commonly called homeopaths. This fact sheet answers some frequently asked questions on homeopathy and reviews scientific research on its use and effectiveness.

Key Points

• In homeopathy, a key premise is that every person has energy called a vital force or self-healing response. When this energy is disrupted or imbalanced, health problems develop. Homeopathy aims to stimulate the body’s own healing responses.
• Homeopathic treatment involves giving extremely small doses of substances that produce characteristic symptoms of illness in healthy people when given in larger doses. This approach is called “like cures like.”
• Various explanations have been proposed as to how homeopathy might work. However, none of these explanations has been scientifically verified.
• Research studies on homeopathy have been contradictory in their findings. Some analyses have concluded that there is no strong evidence supporting homeopathy as effective for any clinical condition. However, others have found positive effects from homeopathy. The positive effects are not readily explained in scientific terms.
• It is important to inform all of your health care providers about any therapy that you are currently using or considering, including homeopathic treatment. This is to help ensure a safe and coordinated course of care.

1. What is homeopathy?

The term homeopathy comes from the Greek words homeo, meaning similar, and pathos, meaning suffering or disease. Homeopathy is an alternative medical system. Alternative medical systems are built upon complete systems of theory and practice, and often have evolved apart from and earlier than the conventional medical approach used in the United States.^a Homeopathy takes a different approach from conventional medicine in diagnosing, classifying, and treating medical problems.

Key concepts of homeopathy include:

• Homeopathy seeks to stimulate the body’s defense mechanisms and processes so as to prevent or treat illness.
• Treatment involves giving very small doses of substances called remedies that, according to homeopathy, would produce the same or similar symptoms of illness in healthy people if they were given in larger doses.
• Treatment in homeopathy is individualized (tailored to each person). Homeopathic practitioners select remedies according to a total picture of the patient, including not only symptoms but lifestyle, emotional and mental states, and other factors.

a. Conventional medicine, as defined by NCCAM, is medicine as practiced by holders of M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degrees and by their allied health professionals, such as physical therapists, psychologists, and registered nurses. Some conventional medical practitioners are also practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine. To find out more about these terms, see the NCCAM fact sheet “What Is Complementary and Alternative Medicine?“

2. What is the history of the discovery and use of homeopathy?^b

In the late 1700s, Samuel Hahnemann, a physician, chemist, and linguist in Germany, proposed a new approach to treating illness. This was at a time when the most common medical treatments were harsh, such as bloodletting,^c purging, blistering, and the use of sulfur and mercury. At the time, there were few effective medications for treating patients, and knowledge about their effects was limited.

Hahnemann was interested in developing a less-threatening approach to medicine. The first major step reportedly was when he was translating an herbal text and read about a treatment (cinchona bark) used to cure malaria. He took some cinchona bark and observed that, as a healthy person, he developed symptoms that were very similar to malaria symptoms. This led Hahnemann to consider that a substance may create symptoms that it can also relieve. This concept is called the “similia principle” or “like cures like.” The similia principle had a prior history in medicine, from Hippocrates in Ancient Greece–who noted, for example, that recurrent vomiting could be treated with an emetic (such as ipecacuanha) that would be expected to make it worse–to folk medicine.^14,15 Another way to view “like cures like” is that symptoms are part of the body’s attempt to heal itself–for example, a fever can develop as a result of an immune response to an infection, and a cough may help to eliminate mucus–and medication may be given to support this self-healing response.

Hahnemann tested single, pure substances on himself and, in more dilute forms, on healthy volunteers. He kept meticulous records of his experiments and participants’ responses, and he combined these observations with information from clinical practice, the known uses of herbs and other medicinal substances, and toxicology,^d eventually treating the sick and developing homeopathic clinical practice.

Hahnemann added two additional elements to homeopathy:

• A concept that became “potentization,” which holds that systematically diluting a substance, with vigorous shaking at each step of dilution, makes the remedy more, not less, effective by extracting the vital essence of the substance. If dilution continues to a point where the substance’s molecules are gone, homeopathy holds that the “memory” of them–that is, the effects they exerted on the surrounding water molecules–may still be therapeutic.
• A concept that treatment should be selected based upon a total picture of an individual and his symptoms, not solely upon symptoms of a disease. Homeopaths evaluate not only a person’s physical symptoms but her emotions, mental states, lifestyle, nutrition, and other aspects. In homeopathy, different people with the same symptoms may receive different homeopathic remedies.

Hans Burch Gram, a Boston-born doctor, studied homeopathy in Europe and introduced it into the United States in 1825. European immigrants trained in homeopathy also made the treatment increasingly available in America. In 1835, the first homeopathic medical college was established in Allentown, Pennsylvania. By the turn of the 20th century, 8 percent of all American medical practitioners were homeopaths, and there were 20 homeopathic medical colleges and more than 100 homeopathic hospitals in the United States.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, numerous medical advances were made, such as the recognition of the mechanisms of disease; Pasteur’s germ theory; the development of antiseptic techniques; and the discovery of ether anesthesia. In addition, a report (the so-called “Flexner Report”) was released that triggered major changes in American medical education. Homeopathy was among the disciplines negatively affected by these developments. Most homeopathic medical schools closed down, and by the 1930s others had converted to conventional medical schools.

In the 1960s, homeopathy’s popularity began to revive in the United States. According to a 1999 survey of Americans and their health, over 6 million Americans had used homeopathy in the preceding 12 months.¹⁶The World Health Organization noted in 1994 that homeopathy had been integrated into the national health care systems of numerous countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Mexico.⁷ Several schools of practice exist within homeopathy.¹⁷

Persons using homeopathy do so to address a range of health concerns, from wellness and prevention to treatment of injuries, diseases, and conditions. Studies have found that many people who seek homeopathic care seek it for help with a chronic medical condition.^18,19,20 Many users of homeopathy treat themselves with homeopathic products and do not consult a professional.¹³

b. Items 1-13 in the references served as general sources for this historical discussion.

c. Bloodletting was a healing practice used for many centuries. In bloodletting, incisions were made in the body to drain a quantity of blood, in the belief that this would help drain out the “bad blood” or sickness.

d. Toxicology is the science of the effects of chemicals on human health.

3. What kind of training do homeopathic practitioners receive?

In European countries, training in homeopathy is usually pursued either as a primary professional degree completed over 3 to 6 years or as postgraduate training for doctors.¹⁴

In the United States, training in homeopathy is offered through diploma programs, certificate programs, short courses, and correspondence courses. Also, homeopathic training is part of medical education in naturopathy.^e Most homeopathy in the United States is practiced along with another health care practice for which the practitioner is licensed, such as conventional medicine, naturopathy, chiropractic, dentistry, acupuncture, or veterinary medicine (homeopathy is used to treat animals).

Laws about what is required to practice homeopathy vary among states. Three states (Connecticut, Arizona, and Nevada) license medical doctors specifically for homeopathy.

e. Naturopathy, also known as naturopathic medicine, is an alternative medical system that emphasizes natural healing approaches (such as herbs, nutrition, and movement or manipulation of the body). Some elements of naturopathy are similar to homeopathy, such as an intent to support the body’s own self-healing response.

4. What do homeopathic practitioners do in treating patients?

Typically, in homeopathy, patients have a lengthy first visit, during which the provider takes an in-depth assessment of the patient. This is used to guide the selection of one or more homeopathic remedies. During followup visits, patients report how they are responding to the remedy or remedies, which helps the practitioner make decisions about further treatment.

5. What are homeopathic remedies?

Most homeopathic remedies are derived from natural substances that come from plants, minerals, or animals. A remedy is prepared by diluting the substance in a series of steps (as discussed in Question 2). Homeopathy asserts that this process can maintain a substance’s healing properties regardless of how many times it has been diluted. Many homeopathic remedies are so highly diluted that not one molecule of the original natural substance remains.^12,21 Remedies are sold in liquid, pellet, and tablet forms.

6. How does the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulate homeopathic remedies?

Because of their long use in the United States, the U.S. Congress passed a law in 1938 declaring that homeopathic remedies are to be regulated by the FDA in the same manner as nonprescription, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, which means that they can be purchased without a physician’s prescription. Today, although conventional prescription drugs and new OTC drugs must undergo thorough testing and review by the FDA for safety and effectiveness before they can be sold, this requirement does not apply to homeopathic remedies.

Remedies are required to meet certain legal standards for strength, quality, purity, and packaging. In 1988, the FDA required that all homeopathic remedies list the indications for their use (i.e., the medical problems to be treated) on the label.^22,23 The FDA also requires the label to list ingredients, dilutions, and instructions for safe use.

The guidelines for homeopathic remedies are found in an official guide, the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, which is authored by a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization of industry representatives and homeopathic experts.²⁴ The Pharmacopoeia also includes provisions for testing new remedies and verifying their clinical effectiveness. Remedies on the market before 1962 have been accepted into the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United Statesbased on historical use, rather than scientific evidence from clinical trials.

7. Have any side effects or complications been reported from the use of homeopathy?

The FDA has learned of a few reports of illness associated with the use of homeopathic remedies. However, the FDA reviewed these reports and decided that the remedies were not likely to be the cause, because of the high dilutions.³

Here is some general information that has been reported about risks and side effects in homeopathy:

• Homeopathic medicines in high dilutions, taken under the supervision of trained professionals, are considered safe and unlikely to cause severe adverse reactions.²⁵
• Some patients report feeling worse for a brief period of time after starting homeopathic remedies. Homeopaths interpret this as the body temporarily stimulating symptoms while it makes an effort to restore health.
• Liquid homeopathic remedies can contain alcohol and are permitted to have higher levels of alcohol than conventional drugs for adults. This may be of concern to some consumers. However, no adverse effects from the alcohol levels have been reported either to the FDA or in the scientific literature.³
• Homeopathic remedies are not known to interfere with conventional drugs; however, if you are considering using homeopathic remedies, you should discuss this with your health care provider. If you have more than one provider, discuss it with each one.

As with all medicinal products, a person taking a homeopathic remedy is best advised to:

• Contact his health care provider if his symptoms continue unimproved for more than 5 days.
• Keep the remedy out of the reach of children.
• Consult a health care provider before using the product if the user is a woman who is pregnant or nursing a baby.

8. What has scientific research found out about whether homeopathy works?

This section summarizes results from (1) individual clinical trials (research studies in people) and (2) broad analyses of groups of clinical trials.

The results of individual, controlled clinical trials of homeopathy have been contradictory. In some trials, homeopathy appeared to be no more helpful than a placebo; in other studies, some benefits were seen that the researchers believed were greater than one would expect from a placebo.^fAppendix I details findings from clinical trials.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses take a broader look at collections of a set of results from clinical trials.^g Recent examples of these types of analyses are detailed in Appendix II. In sum, systematic reviews have not found homeopathy to be a definitively proven treatment for any medical condition. Two groups of authors listed in Appendix II found some positive evidence in the groups of studies they examined, and they did not find this evidence to be explainable completely as placebo effects (a third group found 1 out of 16 trials to have some added effect relative to placebo). Each author or group of authors criticized the quality of evidence in the studies. Examples of problems they noted include weaknesses in design and/or reporting, choice of measuring techniques, small numbers of participants, and difficulties in replicating results. A common theme in the reviews of homeopathy trials is that because of these problems and others, it is difficult or impossible to draw firm conclusions about whether homeopathy is effective for any single clinical condition.

f. A placebo is designed to resemble as much as possible the treatment being studied in a clinical trial, except that the placebo is inactive. An example of a placebo is a pill containing sugar instead of the drug or other substance being studied. By giving one group of participants a placebo and the other group the active treatment, the researchers can compare how the two groups respond and get a truer picture of the active treatment’s effects. In recent years, the definition of placebo has been expanded to include other things that could have an effect on the results of health care, such as how a patient and a health care provider interact, how a patient feels about receiving the care, and what he or she expects to happen from the care.

g. In a systematic review, data from a set of studies on a particular question or topic are collected, analyzed, and critically reviewed. A meta-analysis uses statistical techniques to analyze results from individual studies.

9. Are there scientific controversies associated with homeopathy?

Yes. Homeopathy is an area of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) that has seen high levels of controversy and debate, largely because a number of its key concepts do not follow the laws of science (particularly chemistry and physics).

• It is debated how something that causes illness might also cure it.
• It has been questioned whether a remedy with a very tiny amount (perhaps not even one molecule) of active ingredient could have a biological effect, beneficial or otherwise.There have been some research studies published on the use of ultra-high dilutions (UHDs) of substances, diluted to levels compatible with those in homeopathy and shaken hard at each step of dilution.^h The results are claimed to involve phenomena at the molecular level and beyond, such as the structure of water, and waves and fields. Both laboratory research and clinical trials have been published. There have been mixed results in attempts to replicate them. Reviews have not found UHD results to be definitive or compelling.ⁱ There have been some studies that found effects of UHDs on isolated organs, plants, and animals.¹⁵ There have been controversy and debate about these findings as well.
• Effects in homeopathy might be due to the placebo or other non-specific effect.
• There are key questions about homeopathy that are yet to be subjected to studies that are well-designed–such as whether it actually works for some of the diseases or medical conditions for which it is used, and if so, how it might work.
• There is a point of view that homeopathy does work, but that modern scientific methods have not yet explained why. The failure of science to provide full explanations for all treatments is not unique to homeopathy.
• Some people feel that if homeopathy appears to be helpful and safe, then scientifically valid explanations or proofs of this alternative system of medicine are not necessary.

h. For some examples, see references 26-29.

i. For examples of debates on UHDs and reviewers’ papers, see especially references 13, 15, and 30-33.

10. Is NCCAM funding research on homeopathy?

Yes, NCCAM supports a number of studies in this area. For example:

• Homeopathy for physical, mental, and emotional symptoms of fibromyalgia (a chronic disorder involving widespread musculoskeletal pain, multiple tender points on the body, and fatigue).
• Homeopathy for brain deterioration and damage in animal models for stroke and dementia.
• The homeopathic remedy cadmium, to find out whether it can prevent damage to the cells of the prostate when those cells are exposed to toxins.

For More Information

• NCCAM Clearinghouse

Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-644-6226 International: 301-519-3153 TTY (for deaf and hard-of-hearing callers): 1-866-464-3615

E-mail: info@nccam.nih.gov NCCAM Web site: nccam.nih.gov Address: NCCAM Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 7923, Gaithersburg, MD 20898-7923

Fax: 1-866-464-3616

The NCCAM Clearinghouse provides information on CAM and on NCCAM. Services include fact sheets, other publications, and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature. The Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals to practitioners.

• CAM on PubMed

Web site: www.nlm.nih.gov/nccam/camonpubmed.html

CAM on PubMed, a database on the Internet developed jointly by NCCAM and the National Library of Medicine, offers citations to (and in most cases, brief summaries of) articles on CAM in scientifically based, peer-reviewed journals . CAM on PubMed also links to many publisher Web sites, which may offer the full text of articles.

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Web site: www.fda.gov Toll-free: 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) Address: 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857

FDA’s mission is to promote and protect the public health by helping safe and effective products to reach the market in a timely way, and monitoring them for safety after they are in use. On homeopathy, see especially a 1996 article from FDA Consumer magazine at www.fda.gov/fdac/features/096_home.html.

References

1. Tedesco, P. and Cicchetti, J. “Like Cures Like: Homeopathy.” American Journal of Nursing. 2001. 101(9):43-9.
2. Merrell, W.C. and Shalts, E. “Homeopathy.” Medical Clinics of North America. 2002. 86(1):47-62.
3. Stehlin, I. “Homeopathy: Real Medicine or Empty Promises?” FDA Consumer. 1996. 30(10):15-19. Also available at: www.fda.gov/fdac/features/096_home.html.
4. Der Marderosian, A.H. “Understanding Homeopathy.” Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association. 1996. NS36(5):317-21.
5. Flexner, A. Medical Education in the United States and Canada: A Report to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Menlo Park, California: Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching, 1910. Available at:www.carnegiefoundation.org/elibrary/DOCS/flexner_report.pdf.
6. Linde, K., Clausius, N., Ramirez, G., Melchart, D., Eitel, F., Hedges, L.V., and Jonas, W.B. “Are the Clinical Effects of Homeopathy Placebo Effects? A Meta-Analysis of Placebo-Controlled Trials.”Lancet. 1997. 350(9081):834-43.
7. Zhang, X. Communication to the Congress of the International Homeopathic Medical Organization, Paris, France. Cited in reference 9.
8. Whorton, J.C. “Traditions of Folk Medicine in America.” Journal of the American Medical Association. 1987. 257(12):1632-5.
9. Poitevin, B. “Integrating Homoeopathy in Health Systems.” Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 1999. 77(2):160-6.
10. Ballard, R. “Homeopathy: An Overview.” Australian Family Physician. 2000. 29(12):1145-8.
11. Dean, M.E. “Homeopathy and ‘The Progress of Science.’ ” History of Science. 2001. 39(125 Pt. 3):255-83.
12. Ernst, E. and Kaptchuk, T.J. “Homeopathy Revisited.” Archives of Internal Medicine. 1996. 156(19):2162-4.
13. Jonas, W.B., Kaptchuk, T.J., and Linde, K. “A Critical Overview of Homeopathy.” Annals of Internal Medicine. 2003. 138(5):393-9.
14. European Council for Classical Homeopathy. “European Guidelines for Homeopathic Education,” 2nd ed. 2000. Available at: www.homeopathy-ecch.org/education.html.
15. Vallance, A.K. “Can Biological Activity Be Maintained at Ultra-High Dilution? An Overview of Homeopathy, Evidence, and Bayesian Philosophy.” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 1998. 4(1):49-76.
16. Ni, H., Simile, C., and Hardy, A.M. “Utilization of Complementary and Alternative Medicine by United States Adults: Results from the 1999 National Health Interview Survey.” Medical Care. 2002. 40(4):353-8.
17. Cucherat, M., Haugh, M.C., Gooch, M., and Boissel, J.-P. “Evidence of Clinical Efficacy of Homeopathy: A Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials.” European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 2000. 56(1):27-33.
18. Goldstein, M.S. and Glik, D. “Use of and Satisfaction with Homeopathy in a Patient Population.”Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 1998. 4(2):60-5.
19. Vincent, C. and Furnham, A. “Why Do Patients Turn to Complementary Medicine? An Empirical Study.” British Journal of Clinical Psychology. 1996. 35:37-48.
20. Jacobs, J., Chapman, E.H., and Crothers, D. “Patient Characteristics and Practice Patterns of Physicians Using Homeopathy.” Archives of Family Medicine. 1998. 7(6):537-40.
21. Kleijnen, J., Knipschild, P., and ter Riet, G. “Clinical Trials of Homeopathy.” British Medical Journal. 1991. 302(6782):316-23.
22. Junod, S.W. “Alternative Drugs: Homeopathy, Royal Copeland, and Federal Drug Regulation.”Pharmacy in History. 2000. 42(1-2):13-35.
23. Food and Drug Administration. “Conditions Under Which Homeopathic Drugs May Be Marketed.”Compliance Policy Guides Manual, Sec. 400.400. Available at:www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpgdrg/cpg400-400.html.
24. Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States. Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States. Southeastern, PA: HPCUS.
25. Dantas, F. and Rampes, H. “Do Homeopathic Medicines Provoke Adverse Effects? A Systematic Review.” British Homeopathic Journal. 2000. 89 Suppl 1:S35-S38.
26. Belon, P., Cumps, J., Ennis, M., Mannaioni, P.F., Sainte-Laudy, J., Roberfroid, M., and Wiegant, F.A. “Inhibition of Human Basophil Degranulation by Successive Histamine Dilutions: Results of a European Multi-Centre Trial.” Inflammation Research. 1999. 48 (Suppl. 1):S17-S18.
27. Davenas, E., Beauvais, F., Amara, J., Oberbaum, M., Robinzon, B., Miadonna, A., Tedeschi, A., Pomeranz, B., Fortner, P., Belon, P., Sainte-Laudy, J., Poitevin, B., and Benveniste, J. “Human Basophil Degranulation Triggered by Very Dilute Antiserum Against IgE.” Nature. 1988. 333(6176):816-8.
28. Lewith, G.T., Watkins, A.D., Hyland, M.E., Shaw, S., Broomfield, J.A., Dolan, G., and Holgate, S.T. “Use of Ultramolecular Potencies of Allergen To Treat Asthmatic People Allergic to House Dust Mite: Double Blind Randomised Controlled Clinical Trial.” British Medical Journal. 2002. 324(7336):520-4.
29. Bell, I.R., Lewis, D.A., Brooks, A.J., Lewis, S.E., and Schwartz, G.E. “Gas Discharge Visualization Evaluation of Ultramolecular Doses of Homeopathic Medicines Under Blinded, Controlled Conditions.” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2003. 9(1): 25-38.
30. Abbott, A. and Stiegler, G. “Support for Scientific Evaluation of Homeopathy Stirs Controversy.”Nature. 1996. 383(6598):285.
31. Maddox, J., Randi, J., and Stewart, W.W. ” ‘High-Dilution’ Experiments a Delusion.” Nature. 1988. 334(6180):287-90.
32. Benveniste, J. “Benveniste on the Benveniste Affair.” Nature. 1988. 335(6193):759.
33. Ernst, E. “A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews of Homeopathy.” British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 2002. 54(6):577-82.
34. Vickers, A.J. and Smith, C. “Homoeopathic Oscillococcinum for Preventing and Treating Influenza and Influenza-Like Syndromes.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2002. (2):CD001957.
35. Oberbaum, M., Yaniv, I., Ben-Gal, Y., Stein, J., Ben-Zvi, N., Freedman, L. S., and Branski, D. “A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial of the Homeopathic Medication Traumeel S in the Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Stomatitis in Children Undergoing Stem Cell Transplantation.” Cancer. 2001. 92(3):684-90.
36. Taylor, M.A., Reilly, D., Llewellyn-Jones, R.H., McSharry, C., and Aitchison, T.C. “Randomised Controlled Trial of Homoeopathy versus Placebo in Perennial Allergic Rhinitis with Overview of Four Trial Series.” British Medical Journal. 2000. 321(7259):471-6.
37. Jacobs, J., Jimenez, L.M., Malthouse, S., Chapman, E., Crothers, D., Masuk, M., and Jonas, W.B. “Homeopathic Treatment of Acute Childhood Diarrhea: Results from a Clinical Trial in Nepal.”Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2000. 6(2):131-9.
38. Weiser, M., Gegenheimer, L.H., and Klein, P. “A Randomized Equivalence Trial Comparing the Efficacy and Safety of Luffa comp.-Heel Nasal Spray with Cromolyn Sodium Spray in the Treatment of Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis.” Forschende Komplementärmedizin. 1999. 6(3):142-8.
39. Rastogi, D.P., Singh, V.P., Singh, V., Dey, S.K., and Rao, K. “Homeopathy in HIV Infection: A Trial Report of Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Study.” British Homeopathic Journal. 1999. 88(2):49-57.
40. Vickers, A.J., Fisher, P., Smith, C., Wyllie, S.E., and Rees, R. “Homeopathic Arnica 30x Is Ineffective for Muscle Soreness After Long-Distance Running: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.” The Clinical Journal of Pain. 1998. 14(3):227-31.
41. Weiser, M., Strosser, W., and Klein, P. “Homeopathic vs Conventional Treatment of Vertigo: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Clinical Study.” Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. 1998. 124(8):879-85.
42. Linde, K., Jonas, W.B., Melchart, D., and Willich, S. “The Methodological Quality of Randomized Controlled Trials of Homeopathy, Herbal Medicines and Acupuncture.” International Journal of Epidemiology. 2001. 30(3):526-31.
43. Ernst, E. and Pittler, M.H. “Efficacy of Homeopathic Arnica: A Systematic Review of Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trials.” Archives of Surgery. 1998. 133(11):1187-90.
44. Long, L. and Ernst, E. “Homeopathic Remedies for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review.” British Homeopathic Journal. 2001. 90(1):37-43.
45. Jonas, W.B., Linde, K., and Ramirez, G. “Homeopathy and Rheumatic Disease.” Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America. 2000. 26(1):117-23.

Appendix I.

Clinical Trials on Homeopathy Published from 1998 to 2002^j

j. Due to the large number of trials, these studies have been selected to give a representative overview of the findings published in peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals in English and indexed in the National Library of Medicine’s MEDLINE database.

Appendix II.

Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses^k of Clinical Trials of Homeopathy

k. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are defined in note g.

This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. Duplication is encouraged.

NCCAM Publication No. D183 April 2003

Feliz fin de semana a todos les desea el viejo Carranco

Stay metal!!!

Esse foi meu trabalho de conclusão de curso de Desenho Industrial (Design) na Universidade Mackenzie. Montei a programação visual de um jogo de futebol para a emissora Record. Criei a escalação dos times, o placar do jogo, tarjas de cartões amarelo e vermelho, de substituições, de estatísticas, de gol e inventei a tarja de minuto de silêncio com foto. Todo o visual foi baseado num jogo de botão.

Eu sei que eu já falei isso uma vez, mas vou repetir: "Thank God It's Friday" (do inglês, Graças a Deus é Sexta-Feira). Não sei por que, mas eu sempre tenho vontade de almoçar no T.G.I. Friday's, nas sextas-feiras (rs).

Bom, mas vamos ao assunto de hoje, né? Lembram que eu havia comentado, sobre a minha participação no SkipyCast? Finalmente, ele foi publicado.

Estão curiosos para ouvir? Então, sem mais delongas, segue o link para o SkipyCast: S02E13 - Smartaphones e BlackBerry; pois, infelizmente, não consegui fazer o player funcionar (aqui no Musashinm).

Gostaram? Não gostaram? Deixem comentários. Pode não parecer (rs), mas eu, realmente, me interesso pela opinião de vocês.

Agora, vamos a alguns assuntos relacionados ao blog. Segue o resultado de nossa primeira enquete (relacionada ao nosso podcast), que decidiu o nome do nosso podcast:

Qual o melhor nome para o nosso podcast?

1. PodCastinm - 50,00%
2. MusaCast - 5,56%
3. MusaCastinm - 16,67%
4. Outras opções? - 27,78%

Como vocês devem ter notado, o nosso podcast se chamará: PodCastinm! Enfim, muito obrigado a todos que participaram (não foram muitos, mas foram importantes), e segunda-feira tem mais uma enquete (para decidir qual será o dia oficial do PodCastinm).

No meu curso de graduação, freqüentemente os grupos de trabalho deveriam apresentar seus projetos com apresentações de slide. Não eram feitas muitas exigências quanto à estrutura da apresentação, pois um projeto bom e uma boa eloquência poderiam ofuscar as cagadas da apresentação em Power Point (e algumas vezes em .pdf). Até mesmo alguns professores não tinham lá uns bons slides pras suas aulas (mas a maioria, principalmente os especializados em design gráfico, tinham sim).

MAS

no projeto de graduação muita gente pediu penico nesse momento. Depois de se descabelar elaborando projeto, produto, referências, ajeitando normas ABNT e o diabo, ainda faltava um detalhe muito importante: a apresentação de slides.

Você já fez um bom projeto, no dia da banca escolhe sua melhor roupa, compra sapato novo (olha eu aqui), ensaia apresentação pro namorado (oi de novo), reúne seus melhores argumentos mas na hora de confirmar tudo que está no papel acaba gerando uma má impressão, tamanho é o descuido com a tal apresentação do pauer point...

Eu sei que muita gente tem uma má impressão desse programa. Quem nunca recebeu esses maravilósos .ppt na sua caixa de e-mail com mensagens de amor/amizade/piadas? Coisas que poderiam ser comunicadas no corpo de e-mail, mas recebem tratamento VIP, com direito a música de fundo, imagens distorcidas e muito mau gosto...

Mas veja você que se pessoas com extremo mau gosto conseguem operar um software para fins... ahm... de entretenimento (?), você, estudante ou corporativo, pessoa instruída, de bom gosto, garbo & elegância poderá produzir apresentações muito interessantes se seguir conselhos como os da apresentação abaixo, que também é muito boa (e bem humorada):

aqui estaria a apresentação, mas  wordpress está me sabotando,
portanto, cliquem no link abaixo. Grrrrrr.

via: http://plantabaixa.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/melhore-sua-apresentacao/

Bought some Chinese bun as well ~ thought that was a 'tausa' bun but it wasn't! It was equally delicious and its been a long time since I had one of those. Its so bright and sunny at 7pm here and will be calling back my Mom in a while.

Soyons clairs : ce qui est visé, c'est Microsoft, qui depuis de très longues années a imposé son OS Windows à l'achat d'un PC neuf. La jurisprudence avait contourné l'interdiction de vente de produits liés si l'on peut les acquérir séparément au motif que le consommateur en retirait un bénéfice. Or les temps ont changé. Beaucoup changé.

La culture informatique  s'est beaucoup répandue, avoir un ordinateur neuf et installer son OS n'est plus si effrayant que cela même si c'est toujours aussi... pénible. De plus, et c'est une donnée qui change vraiment la donne, il y a désormais plus d'un ordinateur dans de nombreuses familles. Le PC familial, voire un pour chacun des parents, l'ordinateur portable, parfois celui que papy a offert à l'aîné, sans compter les ultra-pôrtables comme l'eee PC d'Asus qui est parfait quand on ne veut que naviguer sur Internet. Comptons 2 ou 3 machines, ça fait 2 ou 3 OS. Avec des OS Linux de bonne facture et en accès gratuit (Mandriva, Ubuntu...) on peut équiper les PC secondaires sans se ruiner.

Le monde du libre s'est bien entendu mobilisé rapidement et a obtenu parfois le remboursement du prix de vente de l'OS (histoires relatées sur le bien nommé Racketiciel). Un des argûments avancés par les associations du libre pour imposer l'affichage du prix détaillé, c'est que la pratique de la vente liée est tellement ancienne que de nombreux consommateurs pensent que l'OS est... gratuit.

Mais la décision du TGI de Paris est subtile : elle souhaite l'affichage détaillé mais pas l'annulation de la vente d'ordinateur avec OS pré-installé. Toutefois, la DGCCRF avait rendu un avis en 2005 qui donne un peu d'espoir : si le prix est détaillé, dans le cas d'une vente par lots, les produits doivent être commercialisés séparément sur le même lieu de vente. On devrait donc pouvoir acheter un PC, un OS, ou les deux. 

Enfin, espérons que la loi prévaudra sur la volonté d'un membre du Gouvernement...

We have plans to go out of town after the July 4th weekend ... but my request for days off is still pending. Sort of disappointed though but there are now short of staff after Greg has left and I am afraid that its not going to be approved afterall. Well, have told Bernard and Lesley and we'll probably postponed our 'out-of-town' trip someday again!

Friday again ... and its my day off but will be working Saturday. Not much for the day and will probably be staying home and read the book entitled "Live What You Love" by Bob & Melinda Blanchard. Lesley has read the book (I think) and it shows you to stop procrastinating and instead create a passionate and fulfilling life with the author's 5-step signature guide!

Anna's kompis kom hit i tisdags kvall. Kul att traffa en svensk icke-AP for once :P Var ett tag sen! AT har sin pojkvan har, needless to say sa var det vaaaldigt glada att se varandra igen ;) Haha..

Jag strugglar med lite olika problem, forsoker ta stod pa de andra, men det ar svart ibland. Vissa saker kan man/vill man inte forklara. Jaja. Later som jag ar varsta deprimerad. Men det ar jag inte. Bara lite. Haha. Nej, jag ar ledsen for att Isabell ska aka, o en grej till, men that's about it.

Kanns fortfarande konstigt att det dar hande i Paris. Usch. Far rysningar i kroppen varje gang jag tanker pa det :S Pratat med de andra som ocksa kande henne. Vi sager alla samma sak.

I tisdags var jag o spelade minigolf med Des, Linda, Saray och Ibell. Hade sjukt kul! Maste def. goras om!! Igar blev det Starbucks (for omvaxlings skull) ;) Var ett stort gang; jag, Anna, EmmO, Jeannette, Jenny, Lyddie och Tanja. Dum-Jenny som jobbar dar vagrade lata oss ta ut stolar, fast alla andra som jobbar dar brukar saga att det ar ok.. Dumma unge! Hon kom ut och sa till Michael och hans kompis ocksa. Sa jakla daligt. Sa gor man inte at stammisar! Som tur va hade Anna en extra stol i bakluckan sa vi tog ut den.

Jag ar kompis med han den skalliga igen. Haha. Nu ar han san glad varje gang jag pratar med honom. Yay :D Fan att jag inte ska komma ihag hans namn...

Just nu regnar det utanfor. Resten av veckan har vi haft 27 grader och gatt i short och linne. Usch, varfor ska det regna for? Vi har kunnat varit ute pa kvallarna till elva tiden. Jaja..

Juste, i mandags akte vi med till Hans match ocksa. Det var kul. Han ar sjukt snabb! Ibell o jag satt o diskuterade under hela matchen. Intressant. :P Tyvarr hann jag inte ata innan vi stack dit sa jag blev lite putt mot slutet. Blev dubbla portioner efterat. Haha. Varfor ska min pasta vara sa liten pa TGI? Mmm.. Laxpasta. Love it!

Nej, nu ska jag hoppa in i duschen! Take care!

A grande merda de estudar e trabalhar é a falta de tempo. Projetos profissionais/de graduação comem a maioria do tempo que passamos fora do trabalho ou facudade. E como ficam os projetos pessoais/hobbies?

Agora nesse último ano de faculdade tenho que apresentar o TGI e quero desenvolver um trabalho que além de satisfazer as expectativas da banca, me deixe contente com meu esforço e dedicação.

Não tenho jogado video game, nem jogado RPG, nem colecionado mangás, assisto poucos filmes, o portifólio está jogado às traças...  Não ter um hobby ou escape pode deixar a gente maluco nessas horas. Atualmente meus projetos pessoais têm sido dormir, comer e namorar. As únicas coisas que tenho tempo, elevadas à condição de projeto, porque na verdade são necessidades básicas. Só pra não pirar...

Mas o pior de tudo MESMO, é tomar vários baldes de água fria nos projetos não-pessoais que você tem se dedicado. Surge a dúvida: estou perdendo meu tempo?

First off, we have the release of the new SexBox 3600!

I think we can pretty much leave the rest to your imagination. Or if that's too much effort on a Friday night read more here.

Next, Gizmodo and sister site the Consumerist have uncovered the conspiracy that is Monster Cables! Apparently they are insanely overpriced (with an up-to 80% markup price) for the same quality as any other cable. So bear that in mind when you're looking for some cables! More can be found here.

That's all for this week, so I leave you with this masterpiece of a video. Enjoy your weekend!

First off, Super Smash Bros Brawl was finally released yesterday across Japan. Having received a perfect score in the famous Japanese magazine Famitsu (10/10 from all four reviewers), this is certainly something to look forward to America and Europe. Meanwhile, we can enjoy all the spoilers of secret characters. I for one am disappointed that Captain Falcon STILL hasn't been announced, and sincerely hope he's an unlockable character. The Smash Bros site will continue to update, now providing information on secret characters and other tips.

In other slightly less exciting news, yesterday a couple of cut cables in the Mediterranean put a lot of Asia's internet out of service, particularly Egypt, the Middle East and India. Many of the Internet Providers in Asia reported a 50% cut n bandwidth, which was disastrous for some companies and businesses. Although this probably won't affect many of our readers, it certainly puts a lot of things into perspective; how a little problem in Europe can screw over much of Asia. As of Friday though, this problem has begun to subside a little.

Finally, although not really technology related, Iron Maiden begun their grand 'Somewhere Back in Time 08' world tour today, setting off in their brand new plane 'Ed Force One', named after their mascot 'Eddie'. This plane, a first for any band, will ferry the band, crew, roadies, and all the gear for the live show, to all of their concerts. For some, this is just cool. For others, it's a greener and more practical approach to things, as it only involves a single plane rather than hundreds of different planes and buses. Not only that, it's flown by the band's lead singer, Bruce Dickinson! How about that! For more information, check this site out, and for Bruce's Friday Night Rock Show, check here (may only be for UK residents).

And now I leave you with an awesome british beatboxer. Enjoy!

However, as much as it allows us to look forward to all the fun the weekend will bring, it is also a moment where we can look back on what the week has given us, and therein lies the point of these weekly posts. Every Friday from now on, I will endeavour to summarise as best I can what has happened in the Underground world of technology and perhaps bring certain other things to your attention, whether they will shock you or amuse you.

Perhaps the biggest thing this week was the CES, which stands for Consumer Electronics Show. If you're still confused, think of E3 but for general technology. This year's show brought to our attention the world's largest LCD screen and also the Optimus keyboard, which has finally come out of development hell to ship in 2 months (if it's not delayed...) with a huge price tag of $1500! However, this particular keyboard is probably worth it, considering just how awesome it is.

For a little more on CES, check out this article.

Technically this didn't happen this week and so is quite old news, but nonetheless for those who still haven't heard, three Texans attempted to sue Microsoft over a weekend of Xbox Live outages for $5 million. Naturally, as we all know that the Internet is serious business, this has been the source of much debate and argument. Should Microsoft face the price for a faulty service? Should these people just shut up and get a life? Read more here.

And news just in, Darth Vader and Yoda have been confirmed for Soul Calibur IV, for the PS3 and the Xbox 360 respectively! This is no hoax my friends, and is certainly a very interesting decision for a series that has already seen some major cross-overs in the form of Link, Spawn and Heihachi. See the trailer below!

And so with that, I'm off. So far you are being left with a hot picture every week, and so I will try and leave you with a humourous video every week. Seeing as CES was the main event this week, I leave you with this video of the guys at Gizmodo wreaking havoc with the monitors at CES. Enjoy!

• EVG  - Eaton Vance Short Duration Diversified Income Fund
• RTH - Retail Holders

Both of these look somewhat promising, although I would be cautious with any CFK picks.  By their very nature they could be great potential gainers, but you could also lose your shirt.  It's a crap shoot!  With that said, if you want to buy EVG it could have formed a recovery and looks good.  On the other hand, RTH has taken quite a long correction and I wouldn't touch it until it rises above $96.00 and shows more life.

RSI's other engine for stocks had the following selections:

• DO - Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc.
• ENR - Energizer Holdings Inc.
• FSTR - L.B. Foster Co.
• LAYN - Layne Christensen Co.
• TGI - Triumph Group, Inc.
• WGOV - Woodward Governor Co.

Four of these picks DO, ENR, FSTR, & WGOV were recently mentioned so I won't discuss them. Layne Christensen is involved with water and wastewater.  Certainly an area with great future potential.  Triumph Group is in the aerospace products and services business.  Good area too.  Both the stocks have had a strong day today, so use your judgement as to an entry price.

I know you must think I'm going quixotic, but at a special request I have modified RSI for Mutual Funds.  I know it sounds crazy, but here it goes  .....  some people prefer to invest in mutual funds, so I have bent the system around to accommodate them.  Unlike stocks and ETFs, mutual funds don't have trading volume.  Thus I had to strip out volume from the engine.  I'm still mulling over the results and I will report on this in the future.  For today there are no picks.

bom medo apreensão tensão stress caos mental = tgi = Troço Grande que Incomoda = Tegeba

em fim fiz uma pintura a dedo totalmente descompromissada pra relaxar... tenho feito isso no final de cada dia e tenho gostado de fazer ehehe e é bom para pegar o pensamento da pintura hehehe