Doctors often prescribe placebos: study

[KittyWampus]

Doctors often prescribe placebos: study
Last Updated: Monday, January 14, 2008 | 12:12 PM ET
CBC News
A significant number of doctors in the United States prescribe placebos to their patients, a new study suggests.

A study of 200 doctors in the Chicago area found that nearly half had, at some point, written prescriptions for interventions they did not expect would have a physical effect. The findings are reported in the January issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Rachel Sherman, a medical student at the University of Chicago, sent questionnaires to 466 internists at three Chicago-area academic medical centres. About half of them responded. And 45 per cent of those who filled out the forms said they had prescribed a placebo at some time. Of those:

34 per cent said they presented a placebo as "a substance that may help and will not hurt."
19 per cent told their patients "it is medication."
Nine per cent said "it is medicine with no specific effect."
Only four per cent of doctors admitted to their patients that they had prescribed a placebo.

About 12 per cent of the doctors surveyed said they felt the prescription of placebos should be prohibited.

Placebo means "to please somebody" in Latin, Dr. Peter Lin, a Toronto-based general practitioner told CBC's Metro Morning on Monday. "If I give you a pill and I say that you're going to get better, people get better," he said.

[TahitiNut]

1. There's a significant placebo-effect to virtually all medications.

That's why "double blind" studies are required. D'oh! :eyes:

[dipsydoodle]

2. Maybe one day there will be placebo

cigarettes.