The placebo effect isn't really confined to subjective measures, at least not according to the results of modern neurophysiological investigation. The reason is that lots of the chemical activities involved with consciousness/thought have effects that extend beyond individual subjectivity, into immune and endocrine function, for instance (the field of psychoneuroimmunology is starting to identify some compelling examples).
Ignoring the painfully vague inclusion criteria for "alternative" treatments, it's just plain wrong to lump every non-pharmaceutical/medical treatment in with a sham like homeopathy. There's solid biochemical/clinical research to support a number of therapeutically active plant compounds and conservative treatment strategies that would probably be considered alternatives to conventional medical protocols. This sort of arrogant badmouthing keeps patients from getting decent information about their treatment options.
It's pretty fantastic when it's the average combined mpg for your city and highway driving. In my '07 civic, I managed ~42mpg on my last road trip (90% highway, 65-75mph) without excessive attention to my accelerating habits. Although I'm still pulling about 30 mpg in the city, the improvement is enough to recommend it to new car buyers who'd balk at paying more than $17.5k.
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The placebo effect isn't really confined to subjective measures, at least not according to the results of modern neurophysiological investigation. The reason is that lots of the chemical activities involved with consciousness/thought have effects that extend beyond individual subjectivity, into immune and endocrine function, for instance (the field of psychoneuroimmunology is starting to identify some compelling examples).
Ignoring the painfully vague inclusion criteria for "alternative" treatments, it's just plain wrong to lump every non-pharmaceutical/medical treatment in with a sham like homeopathy. There's solid biochemical/clinical research to support a number of therapeutically active plant compounds and conservative treatment strategies that would probably be considered alternatives to conventional medical protocols. This sort of arrogant badmouthing keeps patients from getting decent information about their treatment options.
It's pretty fantastic when it's the average combined mpg for your city and highway driving. In my '07 civic, I managed ~42mpg on my last road trip (90% highway, 65-75mph) without excessive attention to my accelerating habits. Although I'm still pulling about 30 mpg in the city, the improvement is enough to recommend it to new car buyers who'd balk at paying more than $17.5k.