Certain homeopathic therapies appear to relieve the side effects of cancer treatments without affecting how they work, suggests a review of published research.
Dr. Sosie Kassab, a specialist in complementary cancer therapies at Royal London Homeopathic Hospital in the United Kingdom, and colleagues reviewed eight studies that included a total of 664 patients, BBC News reported.
While they were able to find only a small number of studies, the researchers said it appears that some homeopathic medicines can help alleviate the effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, further research is needed to confirm their findings, noted the Cochrane Collaboration team.
There were several problems with the studies included in the review, Edzard Ernst, a professor of complementary medicine at the Peninsula Medical School in the U.K., told BBC News.
Overall, the review "confirms plenty of previous research demonstrating the unproven nature of homeopathy," he said.