Geraghty, J · Homeopathy : the journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy · 2002 · DOI
This study looked at three young people with ME/CFS that developed after a viral infection, and tried treating them with homeopathic remedies based on a specific system of selecting remedies. The researchers describe how they chose three different phosphate-based homeopathic medicines and claim that patients experienced improvement, though the study is very small and doesn't use a comparison group.
ME/CFS treatment options are limited, and this study represents an attempt to explore complementary approaches for post-viral cases in young people. Understanding different treatment attempts, even those from alternative medicine traditions, can inform patient education and highlight the need for rigorous clinical trials in this severely under-researched area.
This study does not prove that homeopathic remedies are effective for ME/CFS. Case reports without control groups, blinding, or objective measures cannot establish causation—patients may have improved due to natural recovery, placebo effect, or supportive care rather than the remedies themselves. No evidence is presented that the improvement was greater than what would be expected without treatment.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Geraghty, J (2002). Homeopathic treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: three case studies using Jan Scholten's methodology.. Homeopathy : the journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy. https://doi.org/10.1054/homp.2002.0009
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-geraghty-2002-homeopathic-treatment,
author = {Geraghty, J},
title = {Homeopathic treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: three case studies using Jan Scholten's methodology.},
journal = {Homeopathy : the journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy},
year = {2002},
doi = {10.1054/homp.2002.0009},
note = {PubMed: 12371465},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/geraghty-2002-homeopathic-treatment},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/geraghty-2002-homeopathic-treatment
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