I think you understate the value of the placebo effect in medical treatment, especially for certain types of treatments, i.e. pain and psychological treatment.

I think you understate the value of the placebo effect in medical treatment, especially for certain types of treatments, i.e. pain and psychological treatment. I'm not saying we should treat infectious diseases that way, but the placebo affect is probably most of the power of many of "real" treatments. If the goal is to feel better, it seems a lot safer than using addictive opiods and other drugs. It may also be ultimately more efficacious: For anti-depressants, "a 2009 meta-analysis of anti-depressant trials concluded: The placebo effect accounted for 68% of the effect in the drug groups. Whereas clinical trials need to control the placebo effect, clinical practice should attempt to use its full power." https://theconversation.com/are-over-the-counter-painkillers-a-waste-of-money-71433#:~:text=An%20evidence%2Dbased%20approach%20to,work%20no%20better%20than%20placebo https://theconversation.com/are-over-the-counter-painkillers....