The placebo effect
   effective, it is often compared to a placebo.
WHAT IS A PLACEBO?
   Placebos are usually thought of as “sugar pills.” They are important
   it is generally tested against a placebo: a “dummy” medication that
   Placebos are not only drugs. Sometimes patients get sham or phony
   placebo!
WHY ARE PLACEBOS IMPORTANT IN RESEARCH?
   receives placebo is often decided by a “coin toss” or a process called
   to the change with the placebo. The patient and doctors are not told
   placebo.
   Some people wonder whether it is fair or ethical to give a placebo
   Studies are carefully reviewed to be sure that use of a placebo
   placebo, so that the true effect of the treatment can be fully
HOW DO PLACEBOS WORK?
   How placebos work is still a mystery. It is important to understand
   that not all placebo effects are good. Just as some patients improve
   research studies because of the side effects caused by the placebo. In
   (PD), it was discovered that the patients who improved with placebo had
   brain dopamine, and the placebo should not. However, the patients who
   got better with placebo had a similar increase in dopamine, identical
   the benefit was far less than when they were given placebo and they
WHAT DID THE AUTHORS OF THIS STUDY DISCOVER ABOUT PLACEBOS?
   Diederich and Goetz^2 brought together some placebo studies in the
   as to why the placebo effect is so large, and how it occurs. They
   reviewed studies designed to investigate how a placebo produces
   real treatment but who really received a placebo had the same changes
   response in the placebo group. Similar chemical changes on brain
   imaging tests were seen with placebo in studies of pain and in studies
   likely the subjects were to experience benefit with placebo treatment.
   The authors point out that placebo effects make the study of new
   treatment has to be much greater than the placebo effect, which can be
   If the placebo effect is strong, it is harder to prove that a drug or
   use many more people than they would if the placebo effect was very
   take longer to accomplish. Better understanding of the placebo effect
   positive parts of the placebo effect to use as part of medical therapy.
       dopamine release: mechanism of the placebo effect in Parkinson's
       Diederich NJ, Goetz CG. The placebo treatments in neurosciences:
    3. WHAT IS A PLACEBO?
    4. WHY ARE PLACEBOS IMPORTANT IN RESEARCH?
    5. HOW DO PLACEBOS WORK?
    6. WHAT DID THE AUTHORS OF THIS STUDY DISCOVER ABOUT PLACEBOS?