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Oscillococcinum

Oscillococcinum is a brand name for a homeopathic product manufactured by the company Boiron. Similar homeopathic products can also be found from other manufacturers. Homeopathic products are extreme dilutions of active ingredients. They are often so heavily diluted that they no longer contain any active ingredients. Homeopathic preparations are not subject to the same standards of safety and efficacy as conventional medicines. Oscillococcinum is used for flu symptoms.

How does Oscillococcinum work?

Oscillococcinum is a homeopathic product. Homeopathy is a medical system that was developed in the 19th century by a German doctor named Samuel Hahnemann. Its basic principles are that "like is treated with like" and "amplification by dilution". In homeopathy, for example, influenza would be treated with an extreme dilution of a substance that would normally cause influenza if taken in high doses. A French doctor discovered Oscillococcinum while investigating the Spanish flu in 1917. But he was wrong that his "Oscillococci" was the cause of the flu. Homeopaths believe that more diluted preparations are more effective. Many homeopathic preparations are so highly diluted that they contain only very small amounts of active ingredients or no active ingredients at all. Therefore, homeopathic products are not thought to act like drugs or to interact with other drugs or have harmful side effects. All possible benefits of homeopathic products are controversial and cannot be explained by current scientific methods. Dilutions of 1 to 10 are marked with an "X". A 1X dilution is therefore a 1:10 dilution or one part active ingredients in ten parts water. 3X = 1:1000; 6X = 1:1,000,000. Dilutions of 1 to 100 are marked with a "C". A 1C dilution is therefore a 1:100 dilution and a 3C dilution is 1:1,000,000. 24X or 12C dilutions or stronger dilutions contain less than 1 molecule of active ingredient per dose. Oscillococcinum is a 200C dilution.

How effective is Oscillococcinum?

There is not enough scientific data to make a statement about the effectiveness of Oscillococcinum for influenza. There is no reliable evidence that taking Oscillococcinum can prevent flu. However, there is evidence that Oscillococcinum can help people suffering from flu symptoms to overcome them more quickly, although the time difference is only 6 to 7 hours. The reliability of these results is also questionable due to flaws in the study design. Further scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of Oscillococcinum in this application.

Safety and side effects

Oscillococcinum appears to be safe and harmless. It is a homeopathic preparation, which means that it does not contain any active ingredients. Most experts believe that Oscillococcinum has neither positive effects nor negative side effects.

Precautions and warnings

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: This product has not been studied in pregnant or breastfeeding women. However, it is a homeopathic product that does not contain measurable amounts of active ingredients. For this reason, it is not expected to have any beneficial or harmful effects.

Interactions

At the present time there is no information on interactions of Oscillococcinum with medications or supplements.

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of Oscillococcinum depends on various factors such as age, state of health and others. At the present time, there is insufficient scientific data to be able to make a statement about appropriate dosage ranges for Oscillococcinum. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.

References

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  2. Ernst, E. A systematic review of systematic reviews of homeopathy. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2002;54:577-82.
  3. Ferley JP, Zmirou D, D'Adhemar D, et al. A controlled evaluation of a homoeopathic preparation in the treatment of influenza-like syndromes. Br J Clin Pharmacol 1989;27:329-35.
  4. Guo R, Pittler MH, Ernst E. Complementary medicine for treating or preventing influenza or influenza-like illness. Am J Med 2007;120:923-9.
  5. Linde K, Hondras M, Vickers A, et al. Systematic reviews of complementary therapies - an annotated bibliography. Part 3: homeopathy. BMC Complement Altern Med 2001;1:4.
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  7. Neinhuys JW. The True Story of Oscillococcinum. HomeoWatch 2003. http://www.homeowatch.org/history/oscillo.html (Accessed April 21, 2004).
  8. Papp R, Schuback G, Beck E, et al. Oscillococcinum in patients with influenza-like syndromes: a placebo-controlled double-blind evaluation. British Homoeopathic Journal 1998;87:69-76.
  9. van der Wouden JC, Bueving HJ, Poole P. Preventing influenza: an overview of systematic reviews. Respir Med 2005;99:1341-9.
  10. Vickers AJ, Smith C. Homoeopathic Oscillococcinum for preventing and treating influenza and influenza-like syndromes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2006;(3):CD001957.
  11. Vickers AJ, Smith C. Homoeopathic Oscillococcinum for preventing and treating influenza and influenza-like syndromes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2000;(2):CD001957.