IntroductionHomeopathy is a type of alternative medicine. The beneficial effects of homeopathic medicines are controversial (1). Homeopathic medicines are based on the principle that like cures like. This principle states that a disease can be treated with a substance that causes the same signs and symptoms in a healthy individual. The homeopathic medicine is prepared by diluting the substance several times. At each dilution, the solution is shaken to potentiate the drug. The final dilution will have a very low concentration of the original substance. The probability that a dose of the homeopathic medicine contains a molecule of the original substance is low. This lack of effective molecules constitutes the main argument according to which homeopathic medicines do not have a biological effect. But some studies show a beneficial effect. This abstract will discuss a meta-analysis study performed by Shang et al. Summary The study by Shang et al compared placebo-controlled trials of homeopathy and allopathy (2). The study consisted of a literature search of placebo-controlled homeopathic trials in a wide variety of databases. The authors found 110 eligible placebo-controlled trials of homeopathy that they could use in this study. Additionally, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register was used to identify placebo-controlled trials of conventional medicine. These conventional medicine avenues were compared to homeopathic trials for comparison purposes. These trial pairs were categorized by clinical topic. The results of each trial were standardized according to an odds ratio; an odds ratio less than 1.0 indicates a beneficial effect. Trial qualities were assessed by three factors: randomization, masking and data analysis. The information in middle of paper......e is not representative. Finally, Shang et al wrote in their article that they performed a "comprehensive database search", but there are other reviews that found many more leads (300-400). I think Thurneysen's criticism is valid, but he does not reject the fact that homeopathic medicine is less effective than conventional medicine. I do not believe in the effectiveness of the diluted homeopathic medicine itself. But I believe that homeopathic treatment will have beneficial effects. Homeopathy research should focus on context effects, as argued by Shang et al. I think the homeopathic practitioner could be compared to a psychologist. Both practitioners influence the mental state of their patient and this will improve their health. Homeopathic medicine is a tool of the homeopath to modify the mental state of the patient..