Cancer-related fatigue has been described as a subjective feeling of physical, emotional, and/or cognitive tiredness. Fatigue is frequently identified as one of the most troublesome symptoms in pediatric cancer patients. Fatigue affects children with cancer throughout the trajectory of their disease. Treatment interventions for cancer-related fatigue have been largely unsuccessful. Homeopathy involves treatment of patients with diluted natural substances aimed at stimulating the body's healing system. In the efficacy trial literature, individualized homeopathy shows the most promise over other forms of homeopathic intervention. Individualized homeopathic treatment involves a unique yet established method of case taking. During the consultation, the homeopath asks a series of broad questions to elicit subjective symptoms related to the patient's disease, their medical history, as well as particular characteristics (physical or psychological) related to the individual. This study will recruit children receiving chemotherapy to undergo homeopathic remedies to treat their fatigue. This study hypothesizes that homeopathic treatment will effectively treat fatigue.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
9
The homeopathic remedy will be administered as either 1 globule sublingual or 0.2 mL oral (depending on chosen formulation) up to 3 times per day. The homeopath will decide which formulation will be used. Homeopathic remedies prepared according to the standards as set out by Health Canada. The caregiver or patient will be asked to administer the homeopathic remedy at least 30 minutes before or after taking other medications, food and strong smelling substances (such as camphor, mint, or coffee).
The Hospital for Sick Children
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Feasibility of recruitment
The primary objective is to determine the feasibility of recruiting patients for a study of individualized homeopathy in paediatric patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer.
Time frame: baseline
Feasibility of administration
To determine the feasibility of administering individualized homeopathy in pediatric cancer patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer by describing the proportion of participants who complete at least 10 days of treatment
Time frame: 14 days
Changes in fatigue
To describe changes in fatigue scores according to the Symptom Distress Scale (SDS) and the PedsQL Multidimension Fatigue Scale
Time frame: Change from baseline to 14 days
Changes in quality of life
To describe changes in generic and cancer specific quality of life as measured by the PedsQL Generic Core Scales and Acute Cancer Module
Time frame: Change from baseline to 14 days
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.