Placebo Effect

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Hi All...

 

There is so much hubbub regarding the placebo effect, and also so much naiveté

regarding scientific investigation, even by the investigating scientists

themselves, that I thought I'd have you all refer to this for a small dose of

The Opposing View:

 

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Abstract

 

 

In 1955, Henry K. Beecher published the classic work entitled “The Powerful

Placebo.†Since that time, 40 years ago, the placebo effect has been

considered a scientific fact. Beecher was the first scientist to quantify the

placebo effect. He claimed that in 15 trials with different diseases, 35% of

1082 patients were satisfactorily relieved by a placebo alone. This publication

is still the most frequently cited placebo reference.

 

Recently Beecher's article was reanalyzed with surprising results: In contrast

to his claim, no evidence was found of any placebo effect in any of the studies

cited by him. There were many other factors that could account for the reported

improvements in patients in these trials, but most likely there was no placebo

effect whatsoever.

 

False impressions of placebo effects can be produced in various ways.

Spontaneous improvement, fluctuation of symptoms, regression to the mean,

additional treatment, conditional switching of placebo treatment, scaling bias,

irrelevant response variables, answers of politeness, experimental

subordination, conditioned answers, neurotic or psychotic misjudgment,

psychosomatic phenomena, misquotation, etc.

 

These factors are still prevalent in modern placebo literature. The placebo

topic seems to invite sloppy methodological thinking. Therefore awareness of

Beecher's mistakes and misinterpretations is essential for an appropriate

interpretation of current placebo literature.

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Hugo Ramiro

http://middlemedicine.wordpress.com

http://www.chinesemedicaltherapies.org