Early Winners, 1995-1997
The first Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg Prize was awarded in 1995 to Professor Ryszard Matusiewicz, M.D., of the Department of Internal Medicine of Gorchowski Hospital, Warsaw. Dr. Matusiewicz conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 40 asthmatic patients, all of whom required corticosteroid therapy. In addition to their standard medication, some of the patients received Engystol N while others took a placebo. The Engystol group experienced improvements in pulmonary function and were able to reduce their corticosteroid dosages significantly.
In 1996 the prize was shared between two contestants. Dr. Karl-Heinz Ricken of Saarlouis received the award for successful use of a combination of antihomotoxic medications in treating not only digestive disorders but also Helicobacter pylori infections of the gastric mucosa. The other prizewinners, chemist and pharmacist Dr. Alessandro Orlandini of the University of Brescia (Italy) and his two coauthors, also demonstrated noteworthy achievement, clinically confirming the protective effect of Zeel on cartilage cells.
In 1997 there were three prizewinners, including our first winner in the field of veterinary medicine. Professor Heinrich Enbergs of the University of Bonn’s Institute of Domestic Animal Anatomy, Physiology, and Hygiene confirmed the stimulating effects of suis-organ products and Traumeel on white blood cells. Professor Emilia Torbicka of the Pediatric Department of Warsaw Medical Academy successfully used Engystol to achieve significant improvement in symptoms in children with severe viral infections. Symptomatic improvement was also reflected in increases in phagocytosis in comparison to initial levels.
Stomatitis Prophylaxis with Traumeel
The most clinically significant work was that of the 1997 prizewinner, Dr. Menachem Oberbaum of the Pediatric Department of the Institute for Research in Complementary Medicine of the Shaare Zedek Center, Jerusalem. Dr. Oberbaum used Traumeel solution (ampules) as a mouthwash in pediatric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Almost ninety percent of these patients developed massive damage to the oral mucosa (stomatitis). The consequences are often so severe that the children can neither eat nor drink, and chemotherapy must be discontinued. Dr. Oberbaum was the first to discover that the use of Traumeel to treat chemotherapy-induced stomatitis produces rapid and lasting positive effects and causes no side effects. His completed study was even published in the US journal Cancer.
1998-2001: Breaking New Ground in Diabetes, Herpes
In 1998 the prize went to South America. Yosette Osorio Diaz, a dentist, and physician Fernando Fajardo Marino (both of Bogota, Columbia) proved that Traumeel can be used effectively in root-canal treatments to prevent common adverse consequences.
One year later, diabetologist Angelika-Regine Dietz received the prize for a study demonstrating significant improvement in peripheral diabetic neuropathies under treatment with Lymphomyosot. Since relieving strain on the nerves is a consequence of improved conditions in the intracellular matrix (connective tissue), Dr. Dietz’s study is of fundamental importance to homotoxicology.
The 2000 prizewinner shifted the focus to basic research. Dr. Bernadette Glatthaar-Saalmüller , a biologist at the Tübingen Biotechnology Center, proved in laboratory tests that Euphorbium compositum Nasal Spray inhibits both respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV) and – in an interesting discovery – the herpes simplex type 1 virus (HSV 1).
In 2001, the Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg Prize was again split between two contestants. The first winner was Olga J. Maiko, M.D., of the Medical Academy of Orenburg, Russia. In 80 patients with advanced osteoarthritis of the knee, Dr. Maiko achieved significant improvement in symptoms by administering Zeel in addition to NSAIDs. The second portion of the prize went to a team of surgeons (Drs. Ignacio Ordiz, Jorge Egocheaga, and Miguel del Valle) of the University of Oviedo, Spain. They achieved very good results (including some complete recoveries and in some cases eliminating the need for surgery) by treating severe sports injuries with antihomotoxic medications. 158 athletes were included in the study. The physicians used an injection mixture of equal parts of Traumeel and Zeel, supplemented with Spascupreel in cases of muscle injuries.
In 2002, for the first time in six years, no prize was awarded.
Recent winners: 2003 and 2004
Beginning in 2003, the original award was expanded to include a main prize and an advancement award. The advancement award went to Dr. Besik Shamugiya of Kiev’s City Hospital #9. Dr. Shamugiya is an acknowledged expert in the field of infectious diseases and specializes in viral hepatitis. In an observational study, Dr. Shamugiya administered antihomotoxic medications (including Engystol and Hepar compositum) to viral hepatitis patients. In patients receiving the adjuvant homeopathic therapy, the infection took a significantly milder course than in a reference group receiving only the standard therapy.
The main award for 2003 went to a team from the Institute of Pharmacy at the University of Leipzig consisting of Drs. Karen Nieber and Wolfgang Süß and pharmacist Franziska Schmidt. The team developed a test system to prove the efficacy of homeopathic dilutions of belladonna. This test model allowed the researchers to document significant effects of solutions of varying levels of potentization.
The 2004 Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg Prize for outstanding research in the field of homeopathy (especially homotoxicology), was awarded to Professor Heinrich Enbergs, DVM, of the University of Bonn for his fundamental work on the mode of action of the homeopathic combination medication Engystol. The prize is bestowed annually by the International Physician’s Society for Homotoxicology during Medical Week in Baden-Baden.
In in vitro experiments, Enbergs proved that application of Engystol N increases interferon-gamma production in human peripheral mononuclear cells. Because interferon-gamma, the primary immunological cytokine, plays a central role in immunological defense mechanisms, this finding could explain the efficacy of Engystol N in diverse infectious diseases.
The advancement prize was awarded to Professor Fani Martinova of Bulgaria, whose study of 33 subjects confirmed that the homeopathic combination medication Engystol (tablets) stimulates immune responses in clinically healthy individuals. Martinova concluded that Engystol is suitable for use in preventing contagious diseases such as viral upper respiratory infections.
A special prize was awarded to Dr. Antonello Arrighi. The Italian scientist’s study of 111 patients with hay fever yielded proof that therapy with homeopathic combination medications – Luffeel comp. Nasal Spray, Lymphomyosot, and Euphrasia-Heel (eye drops marketed in Italy) – was equivalent in efficacy to standard allopathic therapy (cetirizine, fluticasone, azelastine, and betamethasone).
Research as an Incentive to Further Research
The Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg prize demonstrates that promising, interesting, and – above all – original research is possible in the field of homeopathy. As the publication of Dr. Oberbaum’s study in the journal Cancer indicates, this research is also beginning to appear in eminently reputable international publications. In science, it seems, all that really counts is science, and homeopathy is now able to offer just that!
