Comments on: How Doctors Can Ethically Harness the Placebo Effect

By: Plamen

Plamen — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 04:20:55 +0000

So, essentially, this is implying that religion does, in some cases, work. Taking holy communion in a supportive, caring, and pious church setting can have measurable medical effects. I’m an atheist, but I’ve seen doctors prescribe antibiotics enough times to know that they, in many ways, fulfill the function of holy people of previous eras.

By: Anonymous At Work

Anonymous At Work — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:56:30 +0000

Question: Why don’t physicians take a page from quack homeopaths and simply give out pills that contain 1 ug per gram or some ridiculously low amount of an active ingredient? Avoid the idea that you are just giving sugar but give too weak a dose to induce side effects. That, combined with furrowed brows and a physical examination and medical history, should induce the placebo effect because patients will feel appreciated.

By: George F

George F — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:32:04 +0000

There does seem to be some exaggeration as to the ‘real’ impact of placebos, and a failure to take account of patient’s desire to please practitioner whom they like by emphasising how helpful they have been.

Having a good ‘builder-client’ relationship will lead to clients reporting being more pleased with the building work done than is they found an equally competent builder personally unpleasant, but that does nothing to indicate a sophisticated interaction between mind and mortar.

Many claims about the value of the placebo effect rest upon subjective questionnaire scores, or short-term responses to suggestion. While the human mind can be manipulated in all manner of interesting ways, it is important that medical practitioners remember that they have a responsibility to speak as honestly and clearly to their patients as is possible.

In the UK, we are now seeing how biopsychosocial pragmatism, and a desire to manage the cognitions of the sick in order to pragmatically promote functionality, is being used to justify reforms to the disability benefits system which have pushed many seriously sick and disabled people into poverty. Any justification for paternalism or the imposition of power over the weak tends to end badly, and be looked back upon with a sense of shame.

By: Karen P

Karen P — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:51:19 +0000

This issue of placebos is central to the approval process for the pharmaceutical industry. Often when meds go through the process for FDA approval, the placebos (as is the case in psychotropic meds) are “active” meaning they produce some sort of physical response (dry mouth or something) to give the recipient the illusion that they are receiving the real thing. Funny thing is that drug companies often have a tough time proving efficacy, since the placebo recipients often feel better. That’s why many of our most widely prescribed drugs may have had test “failures” before they met the minimum threshold that the FDA requires. And then these drugs are prescribed on a much wider basis than the studies ever indicated (for example depression, the meds were developed and studied on people experiencing severe depression.)

By: Bob Roehr

Bob Roehr — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:39:46 +0000

The ritual of physically taking something can be an important part of the placebo effect — try to imagine religious communion without water and wafer but only words from the priest — and trying to disentangle that physical component runs the risk of diluting or even destroying the effect.

The search should be to identify a chemically inert placebo that is safe but still delivers the effect.

By: Svein Berge

Svein Berge — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 12:40:01 +0000

So, to sum up the article: The etical way to harness the placebo effect is to listen and talk to the patient, but not hand out placebo. Sure, there are no ethical problems there and sure you end up with an excellent patient-physician relationship. But does it harness the placebo effect?

By: Tony W

Tony W — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 11:47:33 +0000

You can buy “sugar pills” called “Obecalp” (placebo spelled backwards) on the internet. Hundreds of people swear by them.

I work in the medical/pharmaceutical research world. Don’t underestimate the complexity of the placebo effect and don’t laugh at it. The body’s ability to heal itself simply because it seems to think it is supposed to is a remarkable thing.

By: HeatherT

HeatherT — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 07:53:59 +0000

Back when I was 14, I started to get migraines. I had, as it turned out, a really smart doctor. He scanned me for tumors etc. Then, he sent my Mom out of the room (first time, ever! I remember that!) and said: “Look. We don’t know what causes these. But there is a trigger. It’s up to you to figure that out. It might be ice cream, or flashes of light. Track it.”.

I did that, for 30+ years. It turned out to be dairy. I still dunno why, but I avoid dairy, and no more migraines.

Point is … part of it is about suggestion. Part of it isn’t. We *do not know* what is going on, still, with our bodies. Placebo works to a degree, but the overall problem is that we don’t know how to raise or feed human beings.

By: James Tracy

James Tracy — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 22:54:09 +0000

I fear medication after going through 7 months of pure hell from Seroquel withdrawal (have 1+ years to go) and now have the exact opposite feeling about medication as the placebo effect.

I fear artificial chemicals. They terrify me now.

Perhaps I’m better off too.

By: Margaret Maxfield

Margaret Maxfield — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 17:18:01 +0000

Good solution, also available for parent-to-child.