Homeopathic care of patients with spinal cord injury in Switzerland

Introduction:

Although the life expectancy of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) has improved considerably, the various secondary complications severely impair the quality of life of the affected persons. Unfortunately, the conventional therapy of these complications is often not entirely successful. Therefore, many SCI patients use complementary and alternative medicine. Until today, however, no systematic provision of homeopathic care exists. Technical problems (e.g. wheelchair access) or lack of specific medical knowledge about SCI are the major obstacles. We evaluated the current provision of homeopathic care for SCI patients in Switzerland.

Methods:

With the aid of the respective professional associations, we identified all registered homeopaths in Switzerland (physicians and non-physicians). The identified homeopaths received a standardized questionnaire.

Results:

In all, 110 homeopaths were contacted. Of those, 32 reported to have treated a total of 107 persons with SCI within the last year. 3 homeopaths accounted for more than 80% (n = 87) of the SCI patients. There is a significant demand for homeopathic (n = 50) as well as medical (n = 18) education regarding treatment of SCI patients.

Conclusions:

Merely a small subset of the approximately 8000 persons with SCI living in Switzerland receives homeopathic treatment, which is mainly provided by a few institutions. Besides structural problems, the lack of specific knowledge limits homeopathic care. To achieve the goal of a qualified care for SCI patients, a concentration on specialized centers, a close collaboration with rehabilitation centers, a continuing medical education of interested homeopaths and a systematic information for persons with SCI dealing with homeopathic treatment are needed.