A reader comments on placebos:
A sample size of one — so it appears — seems like a weak case. How can the placebo affect be an affect since by definition it results from you believing you are being treated when you are not?
I see being the soul of brevity can lead one down the path to hell. One more quote from that NewScientist article:
Even when the results go your way, it’s hard to understand why. In the small trial Buonanno participated in, 59 per cent of the honest-placebo group felt better. It wasn’t much better than… placebo?
And I agree that they shouldn’t have used the word placebo. However, talking about the sugar-pill effect isn’t nearly as sexy. Although the Authority Figure in Treating Patients study might make for a better title.
