Difference between revisions of "Placebo effect"
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A '''placebo''' is a [[substance]] or [[treatment]] that has no direct physical effect on [[human being]]s, but is used as a decoy in studies for the "control" part of the sample. In other words, part of the study group will receive a placebo, and the remainder the group will receive the new [[medication]] being studied, so that the differences in outcome may be compared. <ref>http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/about/terms/glossary.htm#p</ref> | A '''placebo''' is a [[substance]] or [[treatment]] that has no direct physical effect on [[human being]]s, but is used as a decoy in studies for the "control" part of the sample. In other words, part of the study group will receive a placebo, and the remainder the group will receive the new [[medication]] being studied, so that the differences in outcome may be compared. <ref>http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/about/terms/glossary.htm#p</ref> | ||
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| + | It is well known to medical researchers that merely assuring someone that a treatment will be successful, greatly increases the chance of the treatment actually working. For example, a tension headache will frequently disappear if the patient believes they are being given an analgesic. | ||
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| + | The effectiveness of a pain relief medicine is always contrasted with the effectiveness of a placebo. The question is not how well it relieves pain, but how much better is it than a placebo? | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 16:48, October 9, 2007
A placebo is a substance or treatment that has no direct physical effect on human beings, but is used as a decoy in studies for the "control" part of the sample. In other words, part of the study group will receive a placebo, and the remainder the group will receive the new medication being studied, so that the differences in outcome may be compared. [1]
It is well known to medical researchers that merely assuring someone that a treatment will be successful, greatly increases the chance of the treatment actually working. For example, a tension headache will frequently disappear if the patient believes they are being given an analgesic.
The effectiveness of a pain relief medicine is always contrasted with the effectiveness of a placebo. The question is not how well it relieves pain, but how much better is it than a placebo?
