INTRODUCTION:The different mechanisms: A. of the interaction between the molecular mother substance and the solvent water or ethanol B. of the storage of molecule-specific information in the solvent. C. the physiological basis of the sensitivity of the living organism towards an ultra high dilution (UHD). D. the mechanism of the interaction of the test dilution with the organism are largely unknown. Several ideas have been postulated, and experiments to test them carried out in physics and in biology.METHOD:The authors revisited a 1994 contribution on 'preliminary elements of a theory on UHDs' and updated it with regard to more recent literature and research findings.RESULTS:Although the experimental basis can still be questioned in most cases, remarkable fundamental observations have been made to explain the effects of UHDs. For some topics in question, it appears that information specific properties of the diluted substance to be transferred is stored by means electromagnetic fields. The interaction between the UHD and the organism seems to be electromagnetic in nature. The transmission of information from (bio-)molecules to the UHD is of special interest. Again, electromagnetic actions and vector potential fields appear to be implicated.CONCLUSION:The mechanisms of information storage and transfer in UHDs are far from fully understood, but progress has been made at experimental and theoretical levels.

Objective: To scrutinize repeatability of measurements of galvanic skin response (GSR) using a complementary therapy device. Methods: GSR diagnosis is closely related to the Chinese system of acupuncture points. These are assumed to show increased electrical conductivity that is super influenced by the (stressed or weak) state of related organs and organ systems including the vagal / simpatico system. GSR techniques apply a constant voltage. For the device used here, a "biophoton therapy device", a circuit includes a brass electrode that is held in one hand of the test person, and a style electrode for contact with his or her other hand. When the organism is exposed to external influences, skin conductivity may change within split seconds (increase or decrease). Here, it was aimed to transfer information from test substances into the circuit. Paracetamol® was dissolved in water, and both this test probe and control water were put into quartz glass vials. Following a sequence unknown to the tester, the vials were inserted into the input quartz-glass beaker of the device. A decrease in skin conductivity due to the information from Paracetamol ® is assumed to be measurable at the acupuncture point "TW-1D-lefthand-pituitary gland". Repeated measurements with breaks for recovery were carried out. Three sub studies consisted of 5 unblinded and 10 blinded tests each. Depending on the sub study, one to five different tested volunteers and testers were involved. Data were analyzed blind using a two-way analysis of variance with treatment (i.e. test or control) and sub study as independent variables and the frequency of diagnosed indicator drops as the dependent variable. Furthermore, frequency of diagnosed indicator drops was compared to the frequency of non drops both for the test and the control probe in four field tables. In a random distribution, one would expect about 50% in each of the four fields. Results: A significant main effect for treatment group was observed over all three studies (p .05), indicating that there were no differences between the three sub studies. In addition, no interaction effect between the variables treatment group and sub study was found (p>.05). This means that (a) the significant overall difference between treatment groups holds for each sub study in the same way and (b) the non-difference between sub studies holds both for intoxication and non-treatment. In terms of the pooled results of all three substudies the test probe was correctly detected in 77.5% of cases, with 22.5% false positive results. In reverse, the neutre control was correctly diagnosed in 68.6%, with 31.4% false negative results. Conclusion: Results suggest that information from substances can influence biological systems and that measurements of electric skin conductivity, as used for diagnostic purposes, are repeatable under standardized and blind conditions.

-Austrian general practitioners in the medical profession were the subject of a survey based upon the Maslach Burnout Inventory and supplementary items (Tirol, 95 respondents). The term "burnout" refers to emotional and physical exhaustion, apathy, cynicism, a reduced sense of work satisfaction and social withdrawal, which – apart from internal factors – may be caused by work overload, a lack of ―control‖ options, i.e. selfdetermination, inadequate financial compensation, a breakdown of social community, absence of fairness or conflicting values. The boundary between the concepts of burnout and depression is hard to demarcate. The former originated in the field of psychoanalysis but was subsequently expanded through insights from sociology. More than one third (35.8%) of respondents considered themselves to be at risk for burnout, with 27.2% showing elevated values for emotional exhaustion, 3.2% for depersonalisation and 10.0% for cynicism. The average values lay outside of the range which might warrant therapeutic intervention, however. The study did not reveal any noteworthy correlations based upon either age or gender (p > 0.05). Medical professionals licensed under the national health insurance plan tended to evidence higher degrees of burnout than did professionals practicing outside this framework (―physicians of choice‖), as did those practicing in smaller communities. Availment of supervision services and participation in depthpsychologically oriented Balint groups had a favourable effect on the degree of burnout (10% lower values for cynicism, p < 0.01; 10%; 6.5% higher values for personal accomplishment, p < 0.01). The results were compared with other studies about general practitioners and studies about other occupational groups. Specifics of physician burnout are presented and discussed including various prevention measures and treatment. It seems necessary to facilitate and implement further study, using standardized as well as larger sample sizes. In order to find sustainable methods to fight burnout, long-term surveys are considered to be indispensable. This article is based on an initial study report published in German in the Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift [1]. The authors thank the WMW for their permission to publish the present expanded version of this report. The research work was carried out at the Interuniversity College Graz, Castle of Seggau, Austria within the framework of a study program focusing on group analysis [2,3]. Keywords--burnout, stress, depression, general practitioner, prevention, treatment

Whether different homeopaths performing a repertorisation and selecting a remedy for one and the same patient would come to analogous conclusions, and whether a respective research protocol can be standardized. Homeopathic repertorisation, i.e. the technique of finding a suitable homeopathic remedy, starts with observing a patient's symptoms. These symptoms are then compared with existing databases which were compiled by testing a remedy for its effects on healthy subjects (remedy proving). By matching the symptoms of their patient with the symptoms reported to have been provoked in healthy subjects homoeopaths are able to narrow down the number of candidate remedies (a) to a few or, in the ideal case, (b) to the one best fitting remedy (the similimum). The outcome is influenced by the therapist's experience and the quality of the databases used. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or to what degree different persons performing a repertorisation for one and the same patient come to analogous conclusions. Homeopathy students were asked to study video-documented case-takings. As a rule 8 students each studied 5 case-takings. Each student independently (a) performed his or her own repertorisation to narrow down the number of candidate remedies and (b) finally selected one single remedy. A computer-assisted repertory (Radar) comprising 4497 possible remedies was used. Inter-rater reliability was expressed in terms of Cohen's kappa (0=no agreement, 1=full agreement). In each of the 5 cases a list of the 10 highest-ranking remedies was generated from the students’ repertorisations. The first-ranking remedy was selected on average by 70% of the students, the second by 57%, 3rd: 45%, 4th: 31%, 5th: 28%, 6th: 22%, 7th: 22%, 8th: 19%, 9th: 15%, 10th: 13% (selection of more than one remedy was permitted). Cohen's kappa for the students’ inter-rater reliability was 0.33/0.24/0.43/0.33/0.22, giving an arithmetic mean of 0.309. When students were asked to select a single remedy for each of the 5 cases the first-ranking remedy was selected by 48%, 2nd: 35%, 3rd: 7%, 4th: 7%, 5th: 2%, 6thff: 0% (selection of only one remedy permitted). Inter-rater reliability was 0.21/0.24/0.43/0.38/0.31, giving a mean of 0.312. The experimental design presented here should be further investigated by experienced homeopaths.

Researchers at the interuniversity college for health and development Graz/Castle of Seggau, showed in a model with seeds (Triticum aestivum), that homeopathic gibberellic acid (GA3) D30 is able to influence the growth length of the seeds, which had been measured after 7 days. The inhibition or the stimulation of the growth length correlated to the time period in which the researches had been done (winter, spring or autumn). Is it possible to recognize the long-term effects from homeopathic gibberellic acid on the growth length, in very early stages, by studying coherence effects with biophoton emission measurings? The biophoton emission from Triticum aestivum was measured in dry and wet conditions for different time periods. For wet conditions 4 different trigger solutions were chosen: gibberellic acid (GA3) D30, water D30, gibberellic acid (GA3) molecular and water molecular. The homeopathic agents were ultra-high dilutions above the Avogadro number to prevent molecular interactions. In total 64,000 measuring points on the different samples were corrected by the background signal and evaluated. The trigger solutions showed significantly different photon emission patterns during early development. The results back the hypothesis, that the effects of homeopathic agents on biological systems may be recognized in very early stages by biophoton coherence measurings. The observations of the present data showed similarities with the growth length experiments, which had been done in the same time period. The wheat seed model which showed some fluctuations, has to be refined, and might thus be an interesting model for studying coherence interactions in relation to homeopathic agents. Further research is required to make the model more stable, to define his boundaries and to increase the amount of data.

"Kohärenzempfinden" (SOC) meint eine Lebensorientierung, die das Gefühl von Verstehbarkeit, Handhabbarkeit und Bedeutsamkeit der eigenen Tätigkeit sowie ein Gefühl von Zuversicht einschließt, wobei Anforderungen als Herausforderungen gesehen werden. Positiv korreliert sind psychisches Gesundheitsbewusstsein und Stressbewältigung, negativ Ängstlichkeit, Depressivität und Neurotizismus. Allgemeinmediziner/innen mit Zulassung durch die Gebietskrankenkasse in der Steiermark wurden mittels des 29-Item-Fragebogens zum Sense of Coherence nach Antonovsky befragt; die Rücklaufquote lag bei 78,3 %. Der SOC von 29,9 % der Ärzt/innen ist als "gering", von 59,9 % als "gut ausgeprägt" und von 10,2 % als "rigide" (im Sinne eines nicht authentischen Selbstbildes) zu bezeichnen. Insgesamt liegt der Wert bei 5,30 ± 0,56 (Likertskala = absolut 153,8 ± 16,2; gut ausgeprägt) und damit etwa im Bereich der Vergleichswerte anderer, insbesondere helfender Berufe und etwas über einer Normstichprobe. Keine signifikanten Zusammenhänge zeigten sich mit Alter oder Geschlecht (p > 0,05). Die Verstehbarkeit nimmt mit der Dauer der Tätigkeit in der Praxis zu (p < 0,05).

GRUNDLAGEN: "Burnout" meint emotionale und körperliche Erschöpfung, Gleichgültigkeit, Zynismus, verringerte Leistungszufriedenheit und sozialen Rückzug, bedingt – neben inneren Faktoren – durch Arbeitsüberlastung, Mangel an Kontrollmöglichkeit, unzureichender Belohnung, Zusammenbruch der Gemeinschaft, Fehlen von Fairness und widersprüchlichen Werten. Burnout ist nur unscharf von Depression abzugrenzen. METHODIK: Allgemeinmediziner/innen in Tirol wurden mittels des Maslach Burnout Inventory und ergänzender Items befragt; die Rücklaufquote betrug 41,3 %. ERGEBNISSE: Über ein Drittel (35,8 %) halten sich für "Burnout-gefährdet", 27,2 % zeigen erhöhte Burnout-Werte für emotionale Erschöpfung, 3,2 % für Depersonalisation und 10,0 % für Zynismus. Die Mittelwerte liegen allerdings außerhalb jener Bereiche, die eine Intervention nahe legen würden. Keine signifikanten Zusammenhänge zeigten sich zu Alter oder Geschlecht (p > 0,05). Ärzt/innen mit Kassenvertrag zeigen tendenziell schlechtere Werte gegenüber Wahlärzt/innen. Die Inanspruchnahme von Supervision wirkt sich deutlich günstig aus. SCHLUSSFOLGERUNGEN: Die Daten legen nahe, dass die Burnout-Problematik bei Ärzt/innen in Österreich weiterhin thematisiert und dass entsprechende Supervision angeboten werden sollte.

Background: The term. burnout. refers to emotional and physical exhaustion, indifference, cynicism, a reduced sense of work satisfaction, and social withdrawal, which - apart from internal factors - are contingent upon work overload, a lack of. control. options, i.e., possibilities in self-determination, inadequate financial compensation, breakdown of social networks, absence of fairness, and conflicting basic values. The boundaries between the notions of burnout and depression are porous.Methods: General practitioners in Tirol were the subject of a survey using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and supplementary items in a questionnaire; the return rate was 41.3 %.Results: Over a third of participants (35.8 %) reported that they were. in danger of burnout.; 27.2% indicated high burnout values for the categories of emotional exhaustion, 3.2% for depersonalization, and 10.0% for cynicism. The mean values were outside of the range which might warrant therapeutic intervention. The study did not reveal any noteworthy correlations based upon either age or gender (p > 0.05). Medical professionals licensed under the national health insurance plan tended to show greater burnout than professionals practicing outside the public plans. GPs who took part in supervisory services reported significantly less burnout.Conclusions: The data suggests that the topic of burnout in the medical profession in Austria continues to merit study and discussion and that the provision of supervision might be a relevant option.

To standardise a statistical approach to comparing relative differences in homoeopathy research. Betti et al. (1997) and Brizzi et al. (2005) reported a stimulation of the longitudinal growth of wheat stalks through treatment of the seeds with high potencies of arsenic. On replicating the experiment however, Binder et al. (2005) found a significant decrease in longitudinal growth. Hamann et al. (2003) described biphasic effects of seed germination under high dilutions of gibberellic acid. Several independent researchers working at the Interuniversity College found significantly reduced longitudinal growth of wheat stalks in groups treated with gibberellic acid 30× (stepwise diluted and succussed, 10e–30: G 30×) as compared with groups treated with water 30× (W 30×) when experiments were performed in autumn or spring. However, replications of this experiment in winter produced higher values in the G 30× groups. Trial12345678ResearcherPfleger 1HofäckerPfleger 2ReichReischlThieves 1Thieves 2Pfleger 3Autumn 2007Autumn 2007Spring 2008Autumn 2008Winter 2009Winter 2009Winter 2009Winter 2009Decrease/increase (%)−6.7−11.2−6.2−3.8+7.5+9.7+0.4+10.0From this one could draw the global conclusion that the G 30× model is not reliably reproducible and that G 30× and W 30× do not differ for all data pooled. On the other hand, the data appear too well ordered to allow the conclusion that the tested substance(-s) have no effect. On the contrary, there does appear to be an effect, and it even proves to be statistically homogeneous within the individual trials. To date the results obtained with this model have been analysed by means of variance analyses comparing the growth rates under G 30× and W 30×. Variance analyses were also performed to compare growth within the individual trials and within the G 30× and the W 30× group. For future evaluations we propose using the relative difference between groups as an absolute value for the following calculations, regardless of which group showed more growth. This may permit a more meaningful interpretation of seemingly contradictory results as they are so often observed in homoeopathy research. Our interpretation of the botanical trials is that G 30× (and possibly also W 30×) gives a physiological stimulus which the organism may respond to in different directions.