Women and complementary medicine: Eleven years of experience at a homeopathic clinic for women in a public hospital

Abstract Introduction In 2003, the Homeopathic Clinic for Women at Campo di Marte Hospital (now Cittadella della salute) was opened in Lucca, Italy. Over an 11-year period women mostly with gynaecological diseases were followed up. This paper explores the socio-demographic caracteristics, main complaints, most commonly used integrative therapies, and the clinical results of women presenting over this period. Methods An observational, longitudinal study was conducted on 1388 women consecutively examined from 2003 to 2013. The ORIDL (Outcome in Relation to Impact on Daily Living) was used to assess outcome. All patients were treated with individualized homeopathic treatment (single remedy), without excluding other integrative treatments when necessary. Results Patients mean age was 42 years, most were office workers (23.9%); 33.4% had already used conventional therapies and 38% homeopathic remedies. The most frequently observed gynaecological diseases for 750 of the cases (54%) were: menopausal disorders (21.6%) and menstrual irregularities (11.9%), and among non gynaecological diseases, psychological disorders (12.9%). A homeopathic prescription was followed by herbal therapy for 42.2% of the patients with menopausal disturbances; 402 (53.6%) women with gynaecological problems, received follow-up and 38.1% were women with menopausal disorders. An improvement was obtained in 298 (74.1%) patients; major improvement or resolution (ORIDL = +2, +3, +4) was seen in 246 (61.2%) women, 89 (66.9%) of these with menopausal disorders. Conclusion Homeopathic treatment was sometimes integrated with diet, botanicals, and psychological counselling and support in psychopathological conditions and demonstrated positive therapeutic effects, particularly for women with menopausal disorders.