I think you are underappreciating the placebo effect here. It is very strong, and it's likely one reason for the proliferation of "X solved my Y" anecdotes. It

I think you are underappreciating the placebo effect here. It is very strong, and it's likely one reason for the proliferation of "X solved my Y" anecdotes. It may well have -- but through the placebo effect, making it useless for others.