3 ms·
So are you advocating taking alternative therapies more seriously as advanced placebos or something? Do you question whether it’s important to distinguish betwe
by dsizzle 5y ago
So are you advocating taking alternative therapies more seriously as advanced placebos or something? Do you question whether it’s important to distinguish between the placebo and a “real” effect?
- aradox66 5y agoI do think the distinction is important, but I'd hope for a more precise terminology than "real" vs "fake" effects. "psychosomatic" is okay but has some similar baggage. There should be a thorough technical vocabulary for "placebo" effects. Currently the biological mechanisms aren't even understood for many of the effects.
- darkerside 5y agoYeah, I think it's a cultural and systemic issue, not a vocabulary issue. Similar to how words like crippled and retarded became slurs. The problem is not the word, it's that we have cultural connotations associated with these conditions, no matter what name we call it by.
- dsizzle 5y agoI'm all for more precise terminology, and yes "real" would not be that terminology. As far as distinguishing mechanisms, for any drug that doesn't have a perceptible side effect (drowsiness, euphoria, numbness, etc), it seems the only assumption required is that the effect is due to some chemical property. That doesn't require much understanding to make a meaningful distinction.