Placebo and non-active controls in animal science?

May 19, 2006

Hi Alon & All,

> Phil Do they use the " placebo " (in animal research) in the same sense

> as in people? Or is it a kind of comparison to natural history of

> disease?

The word " Placebo " literallly means " I shall (will, want) to placate or please " .

Its root is the Latin verb " placere " - to placate or please. See

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/placere

The word is misused and abused in English, especially in its scientific use.

Most scientists, IMO, use the term " placebo " to mean a non-active agent, or

an agent / experimental treatment that is expected to have no significant

effect.

For example, when researching a new prospective compound X (to be

given orally as a tablet) they may compare the effects of two treatments:

(a) Compound X

and

(b) an identical-looking tablet, with the same VEHICLE as (a) but WITHOUT

Compound X.

Treatment (a) would be expected to (and usually does) give significantly

better results than treatment (b).

However, treatment (b) is NOT a placebo, because the MENTAL

INTENTION of the researchers was NOT to imbue it with therapeutic

results.

I could see the possibility of several different clinical outcomes from the

following trial:

(a) Vaccine (Antigen) X in injectable solution, with adjuvant

(b) Same solution as (a), but WITHOUT the antigen

(d) Sterile water

(e) No treatment

(f) Positive Placebo, in which a trained group of shamanistic healers will /

pray for a beneficial result.

Don is correct when he says that ALL therapists exert some placebo effect,

if only to get the client " off their backs " . But there is much more to placebo

than that.

Some of us have bad days - our minds are not fully on the healing, or we

are just " going through the motions " . But some of us also have days when

the results are simply amazing.

IMO, there IS " Magic " in real a real " Placebo " (whether given with a drug,

needles, Qigong, or whatever) when the AWARE therapist really WANTS

(and focuses on the wanting, as a kind of prayer / act of love) to help the

patient to the maximum possible.

Attilio does not want religious discussion on the List, but I cannot finish

without a final comment. IMO, we are only the " human hands " of the

Creator, and the days when we are most in tune with the Creator (and

seeking His/Her Will) are the days when " our " clinical results jolt us!

Best regards,

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doing it "

May 19, 2006

Phil

In animal med how do they see the placebo? in humans its usually thought of as

the healing effects due to pt belief vs the med. A patient taking a pill at home

as no therapeutic YY (practitioner intension) its basically the patient's

beliefs. An animal eating one meal with a drug and another without a drug (as

long as it is blind) should also have no intension effects and certainly no

belief effects. So how do they view the placebo in vet med?

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