6 Surprising things about placebos everyone should know
Placebos have a dark cousin: nocebos
A 29-year-old builder experienced pain after jumping onto a 15cm nail, leading to sedated drugs. The builder's pain was due to the wrong belief that the nail had penetrated his foot.
Placebos work even if people know they are placebos
A woman with irritable bowel syndrome found relief with open-label placebos, which have been proven effective in treating depression, back pain, and ADHD. These placebos activate the body's inner pharmacy.
Honest placebos are ethically acceptable
Doctors are experimenting with a mix of real painkillers and honest placebos, aiming to reduce dependence on painkillers after surgery.
Placebo effects are part of most treatment effects
Doctors' communication, pill size, and color influence ibuprofen's effects on back pain. Ethical duty to maximize placebo effects suggests benefiting patients.
You don’t need placebos to have placebo effects
A trial showed that 50% of patients who received morphine after surgery experienced 50% more pain relief, demonstrating a placebo effect without a placebo.