All placebo not created alike
This Week In The HSI Healthier Talk Community
“Why not just take a placebo?”
That tongue-in-cheek question is asked by HSI member Jim 13, posted in a Healthier Talk community forum along with a link to a Harvard Medical School press release titled “All Placebos Not Created Alike .”
Here’s Jim’s full posting: “The following article seemed very fascinating. Why not just take a placebo? They appear to be somewhat effective. If it works, that would be great. They might even be cheaper.”
The article details a Harvard study that tested a placebo pill against a placebo procedure (sham acupuncture). Based on pain reports from 270 subjects, the sham acupuncture provided greater relief, suggesting that the ritual of a medical procedure has a greater placebo effect than an inert pill.
And there were also placebo side effects. A quarter of those who received sham acupuncture and more than 30 percent of those who received the placebo pill reported side effects that had been suggested to them as possibilities.
After reading the Harvard article, a member named Howard agrees with Jim about harnessing placebo power: “Why don’t we package and market placebos to the masses for fun and profit? We could make millions! But thenHow do we know that this is not being done already?”
That may sound a far-fetched, but it’s not. In a 2004 survey of nearly 90 doctors and nurses in Israel, 60 percent admitted that they had given placebos to patients. According to a report on the survey, placebos were mostly prescribed for patients who firmly insisted on receiving medication when none was needed. But more than ten percent of physicians surveyed said they just wanted to get the patient to stop complaining.
A member named Mary recalls that pharmacies used to sell placebo pills. She writes: “And from what I remember, you even had to have a script to get them.”
You can find more comments from members about the use of placebos in the General Health Topics thread titled “Why not just take a placebo?” And for an eye-opening report on what clinical trial placebos are REALLY made of, see the e-Alert “The Importance of Being Inert” (2/2/05). It turns out that many of those “sugar pills” contain a lot more than simple sugar.
Other topics being discussed this week in the Healthier Talk community forums include:
Health eLiving:
- Toe nail fungus
- General Health Topics: High blood pressure
- Depression/Mood: Coenzyme Q10
- Diabetes: Dishes to add cinnamon to
- Allergies: Allergic reaction to drugs
- Dr. Wrights’ Nutrition & Healing: Deep vein thrombosis
Tap into the minds of other health-conscious readers like yourself at the new HSI health forum: http://www.healthiertalk.com
