{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,20]],"date-time":"2025-07-20T03:49:40Z","timestamp":1752983380210},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2012,10,1]],"date-time":"2012-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1349049600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BMC Complement Altern Med"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Difficulty in controlling attention can lead to mental fatigue in the healthy population. We identified one trial reporting a benefit in patients\u2019 attention using a homeopathic formula preparation. One component of the preparation was potassium phosphate, widely available off the shelf as <jats:italic>Kali phos<\/jats:italic> 6x for cognitive problems. The aim of this exploratory trial was to assess the effectiveness of <jats:italic>Kali phos<\/jats:italic> 6x for attention problems associated with mental fatigue.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>We recruited student and staff volunteers (University of York) with self-reported mental fatigue, excluding any using homeopathy or prescribed stimulants, or with a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome. In a triple blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 86 volunteers were randomized to receive <jats:italic>Kali phos<\/jats:italic> 6x or identical placebo 10 minutes before taking a psychological test of attention (Stroop Colour-Word Test). One week later they were crossed over and took the other preparation before repeating the test.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>We found no evidence of a treatment effect in a comparison of <jats:italic>Kali phos<\/jats:italic> 6x with placebo (<jats:italic>Kali phos<\/jats:italic> minus placebo\u2009=\u2009\u22121.1 (95% CI \u22123.0 to 0.9, P\u2009=\u20090.3) Stroop score units, Cohen effect size\u2009=\u2009\u22120.17) even when allowing for a weak period effect with accuracy scores in the second period being higher than those in the first (P\u2009=\u20090.05). We observed a ceiling effect in the Stroop test which undermined our ability to interpret this result.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>\n              <jats:italic>Kali phos<\/jats:italic> 6x was not found to be effective in reducing mental fatigue. A ceiling effect in our primary outcome measure meant that we could not rule out a type II error. Thorough piloting of an adequate outcome measure could have led to an unequivocal result.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Current Controlled Trials<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>ISRCTN16521161<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/1472-6882-12-167","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2012,10,1]],"date-time":"2012-10-01T17:22:02Z","timestamp":1349112122000},"update-policy":"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Homeopathy for mental fatigue: lessons from a randomized, triple blind, placebo-controlled cross-over clinical trial"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Michael Emmans","family":"Dean","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Raj","family":"Karsandas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"J Martin","family":"Bland","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Debbie","family":"Gooch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hugh","family":"MacPherson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2012,10,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"1142_CR1","volume-title":"Homeopathy for attention deficit\/hyperactivity disorder or hyperkinetic disorder, in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews","author":"M Heirs","year":"2007","unstructured":"Heirs M, Dean ME: Homeopathy for attention deficit\/hyperactivity disorder or hyperkinetic disorder, in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007"},{"key":"1142_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"758","DOI":"10.1007\/s00431-005-1735-7","volume":"164","author":"H Frei","year":"2005","unstructured":"Frei H, Everts R, von Ammon K, Kaufmann F, Walther D, Hsu-Schmitz SF: Homeopathic treatment of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled crossover trial. 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