Placebo Effects

[James Brody]

"Jane D. was a regular visitor to our ER, usually showing up late at night demanding an injection of the narcotic Demerol, the only thing that worked for her severe headaches. One night the staff psychiatrist had the nurse give her an injection of saline instead. It worked! He told Jane she had responded to a placebo, discussed the implications, and thought he'd helped her understand that her problem was psychological. But as he was leaving the room, Jane asked, 'Can I get that new medicine again next time instead of the Demerol? It really worked great!'"

Http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/09-05-20#feature

[ToddStark]

That E-skeptic piece is an excellent article, which covers the topic very well including the evidence for placebo effects, a good analysis of the best criticisms of the placebo effect concept, and nice concise coverage of the underlying theoretical mechanisms. Highly recommended.

http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/09-05-20#feature