0 Menu * Home * Current Issue * All Issues * Online First * Collections 19 March 2002, Vol 136, No. 6 < Previous in this Issue | Next in this Issue > * PDF Ideas and Opinions Published online 19 March 2002 Deconstructing the Placebo Effect and Finding the Meaning Response Daniel E. Moerman, PhD; Wayne B. Jonas, MD [+-] Author Affiliations From University of Michigan, Dearborn, Michigan; and Samueli Institute and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. Grant Support: In part by a grant from the National Science Foundation to Dr. Moerman (NSF SBR-9421128). Requests for Single Reprints: Daniel E. Moerman, PhD, Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan–Dearborn, 6515 Cherry Hill Road, Ypsilanti, MI 48198; e-mail, dmoerman@umich.edu. Current Author Addresses: Dr. Moerman: Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan–Dearborn, 6515 Cherry Hill Road, Ypsilanti, MI 48198. Dr. Jonas: Department of Family Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda MD 20814. More Author Information Ann Intern Med. 19 March 2002,136(6):471-476 doi:10.7326/0003-4819-136-6-200203190-00011 [+-] More Article Comments (0) We provide a new perspective with which to understand what for a half century has been known as the “placebo effect.” We argue that, as currently used, the concept includes much that has nothing to do with placebos, confusing the most interesting and important aspects of the phenomenon. We propose a new way to understand those aspects of medical care, plus a broad range of additional human experiences, by focusing on the idea of “meaning,” to which people, when they are sick, often respond. We review several of the many areas in medicine in which meaning affects illness or healing and introduce the idea of the “meaning response.” We suggest that use of this formulation, rather than the fixation on inert placebos, will probably lead to far greater insight into how treatment works and perhaps to real improvements in human well-being. Topics placebo effect Your Session has timed out. Please sign back in to continue. Sign In to Access Full Content Sign In * Sign in as individual > * Sign in as institution > * Forgot your password? Forgot Your Password? Learn how to get mobile access Figures Tables Interactive Graphics Video Letter __________________________________________________________________ Loading... Loading Optional Evaluation for CME course: CME Course for: To understand the clinical management of acute heart failure syndromes. 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Ann Intern Med. 2002;136(11):817-825. The Doctor-Patient Relationship Revisited: An Analysis of the Placebo Effect Ann Intern Med. 1973;78(4):595-598. [+] View More Topic Collections * Cardiology * Gastroenterology/Hepatology * Hematology/Oncology * Neurology * Ethics * Headache * Peptic Disease * Peptic Ulcer * Coronary Heart Disease You do not have access to this content. You either do not have a subscription or your subscription has expired. Click here to Renew Now ____________________ * Home * Online First * Current Issue * Collections * All Issues Sign In © American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.