Placebo
hideA placebo is a sham medical intervention. In one common placebo procedure, a patient is given an inert sugar pill, told that it may improve his/her condition, but not told that it is in fact inert. Such an intervention may cause the patient to believe the treatment will change his/her condition; and this belief does indeed sometimes have a therapeutic effect, causing the patient's condition to improve. This phenomenon is known as the placebo effect.
Placebos are widely used in medicine, and the placebo effect is a pervasive phenomenon; in fact, it is part of the response to any active medication. However, the deceptive nature of the placebo creates tension between the Hippocratic Oath and the honesty of the doctor-patient relationship. The placebo effect points to the importance of perception and the brain's role in physical health.
Since the publication of Henry K. Beecher's The Powerful Placebo in 1955 the phenomenon has been considered to have clinically important effects. This view was notably challenged when in 2001 a systematic review of clinical trials concluded that there was no evidence of clinically important effects, except perhaps in the treatment of pain and continuous subjective outcomes. The article received a flurry of criticism, but the authors later published a Cochrane review with similar conclusions. Most studies have attributed the difference from baseline till the end of the trial to a placebo effect, but the reviewers examined studies which had both placebo and untreated groups in order to distinguish the placebo effect from the natural progression of the disease.
For more information about Placebo, read the full article at
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News tagged with placebo
Study confirms that cannabis is beneficial for multiple sclerosis
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
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Cannabis can reduce spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. A systematic review, published in the open access journal BMC Neurology, found that five out six randomized controlled trials reported a reduction in spa ...
Vaccine being developed to help smokers quit
Medicine & Health / Medications
Nov 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Glaxo-SmithKline has joined forces with Nabi Pharmaceuticals to produce a vaccine to help smokers give up their addiction permanently.
Beetroot juice boosts stamina, new study shows
Aug 06, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Drinking beetroot juice boosts your stamina and could help you exercise for up to 16% longer. A University of Exeter led-study, published today, shows for the first time how the nitrate contained ...
Scientists present first genetic evidence for why placebos work
Jul 20, 2009 |
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usually mere sugar pills designed to represent "no treatment" in a clinical treatment study. The effectiveness of the actual medication is compared with the placebo to determine if the medication works.
Antioxidant ingredient proven to relieve stress
Sep 14, 2009 |
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A dietary ingredient derived from a melon rich in antioxidant superoxide dismutase enzymes has been shown to relieve stress. In a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, published in BioMed Central's open access ...
Whiter laundry and a surprising new treatment for kids' eczema
Apr 27, 2009 |
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It's best known for whitening a load of laundry. But now simple household bleach has a surprising new role: an effective treatment for kids' chronic eczema.
Personality traits contribute to 'placebo effect'
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Apr 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at McGill University have found for the first time that novelty seeking personality types enjoy a stronger “placebo response,” or pain relief caused by the administration of a sham treatment, ...
US doctors regularly prescribe real drugs as placebo treatments
Medicine & Health / Medications
Oct 24, 2008 |
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Many rheumatologists and general internal medicine physicians in the US say they regularly prescribe "placebo treatments" including active drugs such as sedatives and antibiotics, but rarely admit they are doing so to their ...
Premature ejaculation spray enables men to last six times longer after penetration
Apr 06, 2009 |
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Men with premature ejaculation who used a topical spray five minutes before intercourse were able to delay their orgasm six times longer than normal, according to a study in the April issue of BJU International.
Evidence that cognitive therapy is of no value in schizophrenia
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Jun 26, 2009 |
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Research co-led by an academic at the University of Hertfordshire, concludes that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is of no value in schizophrenia and has limited effect on depression.
Baking soda: For cooking, cleaning, and kidney health?
Jul 16, 2009 |
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A daily dose of sodium bicarbonate -- baking soda, already used for baking, cleaning, acid indigestion, sunburn, and more -- slows the decline of kidney function in some patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), ...
Medication does not appear to reduce progression of atherosclerosis
Medicine & Health / Medications
Mar 17, 2009 |
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Compared to placebo, the drug pactimibe did not effect certain measures of atherosclerosis for patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol levels), but these patients did have an increased incidence of cardiovascular ...
Drinkers not only zone out -- but also are unaware that they do
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
May 05, 2009 |
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A new study out of the University of Pittsburgh suggests that a moderate dose of alcohol increases a person's mind wandering, while at the same time reducing the likelihood of noticing that one's mind has wandered.
Over-the-counter eye drops raise concern over antibiotic resistance
Medicine & Health / Medications
Nov 27, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The use of antibiotic eye drops for conjunctivitis has increased by almost half since they became available over the counter at chemists in 2005, data obtained by Oxford University researchers ...
Pharmaceuticals Look to Adaptive Trials
Aug 14, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- For years, trials of pharmaceuticals have revolved around the double-blind test, controlled with a placebo, in which not even those conducting the investigation knew who was receiving what ...
