Are the Effects of Homeopathy Attributable to a Statistical Artefact? A Reanalysis of an Observational Study

<table class="table-group" width="800px"><tr class="fig-image" id="a"><td><img alt="612890.fig.001a" src="https://static.hindawi.com/articles/ecam/volume-2013/612890/figures/612890.fig.001a.jpg"/></td></tr><tr class="fig-caption"><td align="center"><table><tr><td><b>(a) </b>RTM adjusted effects on MCS</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr class="fig-image" id="b"><td><img alt="612890.fig.001b" src="https://static.hindawi.com/articles/ecam/volume-2013/612890/figures/612890.fig.001b.jpg"/></td></tr><tr class="fig-caption"><td align="center"><table><tr><td><b>(b) </b>RTM adjusted effects on PCS</td></tr></table></td></tr></table>

<table>RTM adjusted effects on (a) MCS and (b) PCS under various scenarios for the mean in the target population (<svg height="7.9499998" id="M126" style="vertical-align:-0.1638pt" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 9.625 7.9499998" width="9.625" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
<g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,7.675)"><path d="M536 404q0 -17 -13.5 -31.5t-26.5 -14.5q-8 0 -15 10q-11 14 -25 14q-22 0 -67 -50q-47 -52 -68 -82l37 -102q31 -88 55 -88t78 59l16 -23q-32 -48 -68.5 -78t-65.5 -30q-19 0 -37.5 20t-29.5 53l-41 116q-72 -106 -114.5 -147.5t-79.5 -41.5q-21 0 -34.5 14t-13.5 37
q0 16 13.5 31.5t28.5 15.5q12 0 17 -11q5 -10 25 -10q22 0 57.5 36t89.5 111l-40 108q-22 58 -36 58q-21 0 -67 -57l-19 20q81 107 125 107q17 0 30 -22t39 -88l22 -55q68 92 108.5 128.5t74.5 36.5q20 0 32.5 -14t12.5 -30z" id="x1D465"></path></g>
</svg>-axes show possible values for <i>μ</i> in a reasonable range, and the <svg height="12.175" id="M127" style="vertical-align:-3.56265pt" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 9.9624996 12.175" width="9.9624996" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
<g transform="matrix(.017,-0,0,-.017,.062,7.675)"><path d="M556 393q0 -39 -36 -106q-42 -78 -185 -279q-47 -66 -81 -108t-117 -135l-112 -26l-8 22q150 90 251 219q-6 136 -39 340q-8 53 -21 53q-6 0 -27 -19.5t-38 -42.5l-16 26q80 111 127 111q23 0 35 -28t20 -90q18 -137 27 -263h2q142 200 142 279q0 24 -14 48q-4 7 5 26
q13 28 43 28q18 0 30 -15.5t12 -39.5z" id="x1D466"></path></g>
</svg>-axes show the respective RTM adjusted effects; thick line: estimated effect, thin lines: 95% confidence intervals).</table>

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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Figure 1

Figure 1: Are the Effects of Homeopathy Attributable to a Statistical Artefact? A Reanalysis of an Observational Study 