Research - Thyroxine
Highland Amphibians and extremly diluted thyroxine
Aim: To document an international multicentre research project (pdf) including inter-laboratory and independent repetition of experiments on the effect of highly diluted thyroxine on the metamorphosis of highland amphibian larvae. Research papers (see links) were published in peer reviewed, mostly PUBMED / MEDLINE listed journals, with impact factors up to 4.5.
Methods: Thyroxine was used because this hormone plays a key role in amphibian metamorphosis. Starting from a dilution of 10-4 parts by weight of tetra-iodo-thyronine sodium pentahydrate, the substance T30x was obtained by 26 successive steps of tenfold dilution in pure water, followed by vigorous agitation and was tested versus analogously prepared water (W30x). Grass frog rana temporaria were taken from alpine biotopes and were treated with T30x or W30x from the 2-legged stage on by adding 3microL of probes per animal to the basin water at intervals of 48h. Two end-points were considered: first, entry into the 4-legged stage, and second, tail reduction. All experiments were performed blind.
Experiments were performed since the early 1990s by the initial team (P. C. Endler, based at that time at Graz University (pdf) and W. Scherer-Pongratz at the Graz Boltzmann Institute (pdf)) and by independent researchers (R. van Wijk from Utrecht University (pdf), H. Lassnig from the Federal Institute of Veterinary Medical Investigation Graz (pdf), C. Zausner-Lukitsch from Vienna University (pdf), G. Bach of KIKOM, Bern University (pdf) and B. Harrer from Patienteninformation fuer Naturheilkunde Berlin (pdf)). A total of 22 sub-experiments were performed, each involving 60–100 animals per group, 15 by the initial team and 7 by the 5 independent researchers.
Results: Independent Metaanalysis (pdf) shows that in most sub-experiments – the sole exception being two performed and reported by the initial team themselves – a trend was found of T30x-animals being slower (up to 6 h within 3 days) than W30x-animals. Pooled T30x values obtained by the initial team were 10.4% smaller than W30x values (100%) (p < 0.01 and d > 0.8), and pooled T30x values from the 5 independent researchers were 12.4% smaller (p < 0.01 and d > 0.8), i.e. differences between groups were statistically highly significant and the effect size was large in either case. Analogously, the number of animals entering the juvenile stage with reduced tail was smaller for T30x than for W30x. For details, see Experiments 1990 (pdf), Repetition 2002 (pdf), Repetition 2010 (pdf), Repetition 2012 (pdf).
Conclusion: A metamorphosis hormone diluted beyond Avogadro’s limit using a process of stepwise dilution and agitation according to instructions of homeopathy produced a clear trend of metamorphosis inhibition. This was observed by and raw data (zipped pdf and xls) were made accessible by 7 researchers from Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Annotation: Similarly, experiments on climbing activity (pdf) of highland frogs were repeated within the team (pdf). A detailed account of the difficulties when using lowland animals (pdf), a bibliometric survey on the international state of repetition of fundamental research experiments (pdf), backstage report (pdf) and an anthology “Ultra High Dilution” (pdf) have been published previously. The authors are interested in an open-minded interdisciplinary discussion of results and research strategies.
References:
Endler P.C., Pongratz W., van Wijk R., Kastberger G., Haidvogl M. Effects of highly diluted succussed thyroxin on metamorphosis of highland frogs. Berlin J Res Hom 1991; 1: 151-160.
Zausner C., Lassnig H., Endler P.C., Scherer W., Haidvogl M., Frass M., Kastberger G., Lüdtke R. Die Wirkung von "homöopathisch" zubereitetem Thyroxin auf die Metamorphose von Hochlandamphibien. Ergebnisse einer multizentrischen Kontrollstudie. Perfusion 2002; 17: 268-276.
Interuniversitäres Kolleg. Pilotversuch zur unabhängigen Wiederholung einer Studie zur Metamorphose von Amphibienlarven und homöopathisch verdünntes Thyroxin (10e-30) durch G. Bach, Kollegiale Instanz für Komplementärmedizin der Universität Bern. Bericht an das Amt der Steiermärkischen Landesregierung, Fachabteilung 10 A. Graz, 2010.
Harrer H. Replication of an experiment on extremely diluted thyroxine and highland amphibians. Homeopathy 2013; 102: 25-30.
Source : Froghom.net
Link to Source
Replication of an experiment on extremely diluted thyroxine and highland amphibians
Bernhard Harrer*
Patienteninformation fuer Naturheilkunde e.V., Brunnenstr. 147, D-10115 Berlin, Germany
Introduction: The purpose of this study was to reproduce an experiment with diluted thyroxine and amphibians. A detailed account of the difficulties of this line of research has been published by the initial team (Endler and Scherer-Pongratz). One experiment which has been reported reproducible by the initial team and independent researchers is the effect of extremely diluted agitated thyroxine (T30x) versus analogously prepared water (W30x) in amphibians from biotopes above the tree line (highland amphibians).
Methods: (A) The author replicated the experiment. Rana temporaria were taken from an alpine biotope and the methods given in the original protocols were followed. Animals were treated from the 2-legged stage on. (B), the author reanalyzed the results reported by the initial team and by independent researchers (van Wijk, Lassnig, Zausner-Lukitsch, Bach, Harrer).
Results: (A) In the author’s own experiment, there was a clear trend of T30x animals developing
more slowly (i.e. up to 6 h within 3 days) thanW30x animals. This is in line with
the previous experiments. Due to small numbers of animals, the differences in the frequency
of larvae reaching the 4-legged stage and the stage with reduced tail were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The effect size was large (d > 0.08). (B) In the analysis of all available data with regard to the 4-legged stage, pooled T30x values from the initial team were 10.1% smaller than W30x values (100%) and pooled T30x values from the 5 independent researchers were 12.4% smaller (p < 0.01 and d > 0.08). Analogously, the number of animals entering the juvenile stage with reduced tail was smaller for T30x
than for W30x.
Source : Homeopathy (2013) 102, 25e30.
Link to Full Article
Highland amphibians – Recalculation of data from 1990 to 2010 on the effects of extremely diluted thyroxine
Gerhard Lingg and Peter Christian Endler
Interuniversity College for Health and Development Graz / Castle of Seggau
ABSTRACT
Experiments on amphibian metamorphosis can vary considerably in duration. The authors had set themselves the task of defining a generally applicable pooling method for metamorphosis experiments. The problem of artificial differences in variability when comparing and pooling data from several experiments was approached by normalization with respect to time based on the development of both test and the control animals. The range from 0% to 100% over which the fraction of four-legged animals progresses in the course of an experiment is divided into 10%-intervals and the 10% reference points are mapped on a corresponding scale. Each measurement is then assigned to the point on the time scale to which it is closest. In this way each reference point is assigned a value giving the number or percentage of four-legged animals at that point on the scale. Subsequent analysis was then based on the individual values for the test and control groups that corresponded to the joint 10% reference point. Normalization respect to time was done on the assumption that differences in metamorphosis speed attributable to treatment would override differences in duration between experiments. The results of experiments performed over the course of two decades (1990 - 2010) on highland Rana temporaria treated with a homeopathically prepared high dilution of thyroxine (“30x”) are presented in full detail based on this normalization method. Differences found between treatment groups thus calculated were in line with those obtained with other pooling methods. Thyroxine 30x does slow down metamorphosis in inert highland amphibians. This was observed by five researchers in 20 sub-experiments, and it seems to be the most reliable bio-assay found in amphibian research on homeopathy so far. When experiments were performed with highland animals pretreated by hyperstimulation with molecular thyroxine, slowing down of metamorphosis was again observed (by three out of four researchers) in most of 10 sub-experiments.
Source : .Int J High Dilution Res 2011; 10(37): 311:324
Link to Full Article_