PLACEBO EFFECT (UNSOLVED MYSTERY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE)
A placebo, as used in research, is an inactive substance or procedure used as a control in an experiment.
The placebo effect is the measurable, observable, or felt improvement in health not attributable to an actual treatment.
When a treatment is based on a known inactive substance like a sugar pill, distilled water, or saline solution rather than having real medical value, a patient may still improve merely because their expectation to do so is so strong.
To eliminate the effect of positive thinking on clinical trials, researchers often run double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.
The placebo effect has sometimes been defined as a physiological effect caused by the placebo, but Moerman and Jonas have pointed out that this seems illogical, as a placebo is an inert substance which does not directly cause anything.
Instead they introduced the word "meaning response" for the meaning the brain associates with the placebo, which causes a physiological placebo effect. They propose that the placebo, which may be unethical, could be avoided entirely if doctors comfort and encourage their patients' health.
Ernst and Resch also attempted to distinguish between the "true" and "perceived" placebo effect, as they argued that some of the effects attributed to the placebo effect could be due to other factors.
The placebo effect has been controversial throughout history.
Notable medical organizations have endorsed it, but in 1903 Richard Cabot concluded that it should be avoided because it is deceptive.
Newman points out the "placebo paradox", – it may be unethical to use a placebo, but also unethical "not to use something that heals".
He suggests to solve this dilemma by appropriating the meaning response in medicine, that is make use of the placebo effect, as long as the "one administering… is honest, open, and believes in its potential healing power".
Another possible resolution of the ethical dilemma might come from the "honest placebo" effect found in a 2010 study.
At Harvard Medical School, where patients with irritable bowel syndrome experienced a significant beneficial effect even though they were told the pills they were taking were placebos, as compared to a control group who received no pills.
A placebo, as used in research, is an inactive substance or procedure used as a control in an experiment.
The placebo effect is the measurable, observable, or felt improvement in health not attributable to an actual treatment.
When a treatment is based on a known inactive substance like a sugar pill, distilled water, or saline solution rather than having real medical value, a patient may still improve merely because their expectation to do so is so strong.
To eliminate the effect of positive thinking on clinical trials, researchers often run double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.
The placebo effect has sometimes been defined as a physiological effect caused by the placebo, but Moerman and Jonas have pointed out that this seems illogical, as a placebo is an inert substance which does not directly cause anything.
Instead they introduced the word "meaning response" for the meaning the brain associates with the placebo, which causes a physiological placebo effect. They propose that the placebo, which may be unethical, could be avoided entirely if doctors comfort and encourage their patients' health.
Ernst and Resch also attempted to distinguish between the "true" and "perceived" placebo effect, as they argued that some of the effects attributed to the placebo effect could be due to other factors.
The placebo effect has been controversial throughout history.
Notable medical organizations have endorsed it, but in 1903 Richard Cabot concluded that it should be avoided because it is deceptive.
Newman points out the "placebo paradox", – it may be unethical to use a placebo, but also unethical "not to use something that heals".
He suggests to solve this dilemma by appropriating the meaning response in medicine, that is make use of the placebo effect, as long as the "one administering… is honest, open, and believes in its potential healing power".
Another possible resolution of the ethical dilemma might come from the "honest placebo" effect found in a 2010 study.
At Harvard Medical School, where patients with irritable bowel syndrome experienced a significant beneficial effect even though they were told the pills they were taking were placebos, as compared to a control group who received no pills.
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