Medications

Is the placebo effect just a myth?

Many people have accepted the idea that taking a placebo—for example, a pill with no active medicine in it—can have powerful effects on the body. The reality is quite different, according to the authors of a Perspective ...

Medical research

Harmful placebos

How could a sugar pill placebo cause harm? A new review of data from 250,726 trial participants has found that 1 in 20 people who took placebos in trials dropped out because of serious adverse events (side effects). Almost ...

Medications

Sugar pills relieve pain for chronic pain patients

Someday doctors may prescribe sugar pills for certain chronic pain patients based on their brain anatomy and psychology. And the pills will reduce their pain as effectively as any powerful drug on the market, according to ...

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