Placebo effect

The perfect pill for whingers – the placebo | Barbara Ellen | Comment is free | The Observer: "Researchers at the universities of Oxford and Southampton have revealed that 97% of doctors in a study have prescribed placebos to patients at least once. These were impure placebos (that is, treatments unproven for the condition), including antibiotics for viral infections, non-essential scans and blood tests, and complementary or alternative medicine that was not evidence-based. Also, 12% of the doctors had prescribed pure placebos, such as sugar pills or saline injections.

It's interesting that some doctors prescribe actual sugar pills. Come to think of it, I believe I might have been sold a few at acid-house events. Joking apart, there seems to be a difference between placebos being administered in clinical trials, and ordinary patients being duped. However, according to this study, it's not perceived as deception because placebos sometimes work, even if the patients are told that that's what they're getting. Moreover, used wisely, doctors believe that they help people."

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