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Research Casts Doubt On Placebo Effect

Posted by timothy on from the take-139-of-these-and-call-me-in-the-a.m. dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes: "The NY Times reports the work of two Danish researchers who, after analysing 114 previous medical studies, claim that placebos appear to have no significant effect on people's objective symptoms, despite the prevailing view to the contrary." This is refreshing news -- nice to see conventional wisdom challenged and found lacking. (Hmmm. I wonder if I got the placebo at Pharmaco a few years ago ...)

7 of 19 comments (clear)

  1. placebos are horrible by po_boy · · Score: 2

    I'm addicted to placebos.

  2. ya know... by jbridge21 · · Score: 2

    Even if the placebo effect isn't a real thing, it still works for me, because I think it's helping somehow!
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  3. Re:Rubbish by supruzr · · Score: 2

    I agree. Anybody versed even slightly in applied psychology will tell you that anticipation of effect sensitizes the person to that effect. I'm sure that there are MORE than hundreds of studies that validate psychosomatic effects, of which placebo is one.

    But the article isn't saying that the above is not true. The article, to me, and "I Am Not An Expert," suggests that people will be equally sensitive to psychosomatic effects whether they get a sugar pill or not. This says, to me, that you can't study such a thing using placebo data, because there can't be a control group. Inherently, everyone is affected by this phenomenon, even the people that get the real medicine.

    I'm not against new ideas, but I believe that when one single study contests uncountable numbers of previous ones, there should be abnormally careful attention paid to the procedure, and abnormal amounts of skepticism as to it's validity. This is the same line of thinking that got polygraph tests admitted without skepticism as substantial evidence in a court of law. If you look into that, you will learn that the "99% accurate" slogan is a far cry from true.

  4. A friend in need by spankfish · · Score: 2

    Perhaps placebos are becoming less effective over time as more people start to become aware of them. Faith healing is a placebo too.

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    NO TOUCH MONKEY!
  5. Re:Placebo effect * 2? by Dancin_Santa · · Score: 2

    No, the patients really thought they were getting better. It's that doctors thought the patients got better because they thought the medications were what they thought.

    Now it's clear that what the doctors thought turns out to not have been what they thought they thought.

    Dancin Santa

  6. Placebo effect * 2? by anon757 · · Score: 3

    So, they're saying the placebo effect is actually a placebo effect? That people didnt think they were getting better, they only thought that they thought they were getting better?

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    The (Hopefully) Great Slashdot Blackout Apr 21-27
  7. Placebos often work... by kypper · · Score: 2
    when people are hypochondriacs.
    Since something like cancer is definately NOT the product of the mind, sugar pills sure as heck aren't going to help.

    The mind and body can only do so much. That's why we have medicine. (and diseases, for that matter)