IGX

And the authors are the first to say that “another error of judgment is the lack of clarity of the concept of placebo itself.” They conclude bluntly “that the literature relative to the magnitude and frequency of the placebo effect is unfounded and grossly overestimated, if not entirely false.” Finally, they raise the question of whether the very existence of the so-called placebo effect “is not in fact largely or totally illusory.”

The authors of a recent study (Finiss et al., 2010) clarify this issue perfectly when they write, “For many years, placebos have been defined by their inert content and their use as controls in clinical trials and treatments in clinical practice. Recent research shows that placebo effects are genuine psychobiological events attributable to the overall therapeutic context, and that these effects can be robust in both laboratory and clinical settings. There is also evidence that placebo effects can exist in clinical practice, even if no placebo is given. Further promotion and integration of laboratory and clinical research will allow advances in the ethical use of placebo mechanisms that are inherent in routine clinical care, and encourage the use of treatments that stimulate placebo effects.”

Smet wrote:Nevertheless, the placebo object or contextual effect do exist, and there is a potential for its use, at least in some situations. Too bad they cling to the reductionist approach - for instance, it's endogenous opioids that reduce pain with placebo. While the whole field, mind-body interventional medicine, is opening right in front of our eyes. The potential is significant. Though I don't think it is feasible to study the latter with the traditional scientific methods.

buckethead wrote:

Smet wrote:Nevertheless, the placebo object or contextual effect do exist, and there is a potential for its use, at least in some situations. Too bad they cling to the reductionist approach - for instance, it's endogenous opioids that reduce pain with placebo. While the whole field, mind-body interventional medicine, is opening right in front of our eyes. The potential is significant. Though I don't think it is feasible to study the latter with the traditional scientific methods.

Nice job not reading the article. Or even this whole thread

Shafpocalypse Now wrote:This mirrors my own personal experience. I have never encountered the "placebo effect" in anything I've tried...i.e. snake oil supplements that I believed at the time would work.

T>1200 wrote:

Shafpocalypse Now wrote:This mirrors my own personal experience. I have never encountered the "placebo effect" in anything I've tried...i.e. snake oil supplements that I believed at the time would work.

All it's saying is, doctor's should consider manipulating people that are easily manipulated.