3 ms·

If placebo’s didn’t have clinical effects we wouldn’t be controlling for them in every scientific study

• Antibabelic 8mo ago
  The entire premise of a placebo-controlled study is to see if a treatment works better than something that produces no effect.
  • Nevermark 8mo ago
    Both the placebo and treatment have placebo effects. By comparing the treatment to a placebo, the placebo effect is cancelled out. Whereas, comparing a treatment straight to non-treatment, leaves it unclear how much of any perceived benefit the treatment has was due to placebo, or the specific treatment. You may have been saying that, I wasn't sure what "no effect" was emphasizing. An alternate means of getting the same comparison is to have treatment and non-treatment applied without any patient knowledge of either, when that can be done. Which works, and is more straight forward from a measurement standpoint, but is ethically unacceptable.
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  • Otterly99 8mo ago
    They do work to some extent. If doctors wanted to be thorough*, they would use two control groups. A placebo and a "don't do anything" group. Since the placebo effect is known to reduce pain, it is not ethical to not at least administer the minimum of care (which is still like a magic band-aid, but it helps alleviate pain and in some rare circumstances, symptoms) . edit: through->thorough
• deleted 8mo ago
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