Oscillococcinum

Oscillococcinum is a homeopathic remedy that is claimed to relieve the symptoms of influenza (flu). It is one of the most popular of all homeopathic remedies, particularly in France. It is unusual in that it is a proprietary preparation; the name Oscillococcinum is owned by a French company, Boiron, its sole manufacturer.

Origin

The word Oscillococcinum was coined by the 20th-century physician Joseph Roy (1891-1978), who saw military duty during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918. He believed that diseases as varied as eczema, rheumatism, tuberculosis, measles and cancer were all caused by a vibrating bacterium he claimed to have seen and named Oscillococcus. It has been known from some time that this was false: eczema and rheumatism are not caused by bacteria, and measles is caused by a virus far too small for Roy to have observed in his optical microscope.

No researcher has subsequently presented a peer-reviewed report of an independent sighting of Oscillococcus, and the consensus view amongst microbiologists tends towards the conclusion that Roy was mistaken and it does not exist.

Preparation

The ingredients of a 1 gram tube of Oscillococcinum are listed as:

• Active: Anas Barbariae Hepatis et Cordis Extractum HPUS 200CK (extract of the liver and heart of wild duck)
• Inactive: 0.85g Sucrose, 0.15g Lactose

Method

1. Fill a sterile one litre bottle with a mixture of pancreatic juice and glucose
2. Take one Barbary duck, chop off its head, extract its liver and heart
3. Add 35g (1.2oz) of the duck's liver and 15g (0.5oz) of its heart to the bottle.
4. Let the bottle stand for 40 days; the liver and heart will dissolve
5. Fill a clean glass container (of any size) with ultra-pure distilled water
6. Add one drop of the duck mixture
7. Shake vigorously ("succussion")
8. Empty the container
9. Refill the container with water
10. Repeat the steps of shaking, emptying and re-filling 200 times
11. Use the resultant water to moisten 5mg lactose tablets.

The Efficacy of Oscillococcinum

Since the repeated emptying and refilling of the glass dilutes the solution by at least 100 times, the original drop of duck is diluted by 100²⁰⁰, or 10⁴⁰⁰. This is significantly more than the number of atoms in the universe, so it is vastly improbable that even a single molecule derived from the original animal will remain. Homeopathic practitioners contend that the water has been "potentized" by the duck's tissues.

There is debate over the efficacy of Oscillococcinum. Since it is used for the relief of symptoms of flu, a self-limiting disease which lasts for a variable number of days, the best it can do is shorten the duration of those symptoms. If one takes Oscillococcinum and one's flu goes away, then it is easy to attribute this to the Oscillococcinum. However, the infection would have resolved anyway.

Various clinical trials of Oscillococcinum have been conducted. Some seem to show that Oscillococcinum can reduce the duration of the symptoms of flu. The statistical significance and the scientific rigor of these studies is debated, and in any case the placebo effect could be the result of taking Oscillococcinum.

In a recent review of the published clinical studies by A. J. Vickers and C. Smith for the Cochrane Library, the authors reported that the studies showed that Oscillococcinum possibly reduced the duration of the flu by about six hours, but has no effect on preventing flu. They concluded the data are not strong enough to make a general recommendation to use Oscillococcinum [for flu].

External links

• Boiron The French company that manufactures Oscillococcinum
• the Cochrane Library
• The True Story of Oscillococcinum
• Homeoinfo
• CSICOP Alternative Medicine and the Laws of Physics.
• Cochrane Review
• Baltimore Sun Story on Oscillococcinum as an alternative to flu shots.

References

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD001957.pub2. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001957.pub2.