Two interesting studies showing how effective homeopathy is in treating mercury toxicity and chronic disease in elderly patients:

1. Beringhs-Bueno A, Moreira HM, Pascalicchio VDAAAE. Mercury Intoxication: High Dilution as Mercury’s Chelating Agent. International Journal of High Dilution Research, 2006, 5, 16. In this study, which adds to similar work done previously, Brazilian researchers sought to determine what influence the homeopathic potencies of mercury may have on people intoxicated with this heavy metal. 52 people suffering from mercury toxicity were randomly assigned to receive either a homeopathic potency of mercury (Merc sol) or placebo. Quality of life (SF36) and pathogenetic symptom assessment, blood, urine and hair levels of mercury were recorded before the start of the study, and again at 30 and 60 days. On analysis it was found that when compared to controls, the use of the homeopathic potency of mercury was associated with increased urinary excretion of mercury, reduced hair levels of mercury as well as an improvement in pathogenetic symptoms and associated quality of life.

2. Teut M, Ludtke R, Schnabel K, Willich SN, Witt CM. Homeopathic treatment of elderly patients – a prospective observational study with follow-up over a two year period. BMC Geriatr. 2010 Feb 22;10(1):10. [Epub ahead of print]. This cohort study was conducted on a group of 3981 people who’d been treated by homeopathic physicians in Germany and Switzerland. Data was analysed on patients 70 years of age or older suffering from a chronic illness (mostly hypertension and sleeping disorders) who’d seen the physician for the first time. Over a 2 year period, the progress of the homeopathic therapy was monitored and measured using both patient and practitioner assessed complaint severity scale and quality of life (SF-36) scale at baseline, 3, 12 and 24 months. At the end of the observation period, the homeopathic treatment was associated with a significant reduction in both patient and physician assessed symptom severity.