Introductory Definitions
Listed below are some introductory definitions that will help enhance your knowledge about placebos and the placebo effect.
Placebo: "a substance containing no medication and prescribed or given to reinforce a patient's expectation get get well"
However, a placebo does not have to be a pill. For example, it can be in the form of a syringe or a sham surgery.
Placebo Effect: "any effect that seems to be a consequence of administering a placebo; and is an assumed result from the person's faith in the treatment or preconceptions about what the experimental drug was supposed to do"
Pure Placebo: "interventions such as sugar pills or saline injections without direct pharmacologically active ingredients for the condition being treated"
i.e. a pure sugar pill
Impure Placebo: "interventions with clear efficacy for certain conditions but are prescribed for ailments where their efficacy is unknown"
i.e. an antibiotic to treat a viral infection
Nocebo Effect: "a negative placebo effect as, for example, when patients taking medications experience adverse side effects unrelated to the specific pharmacological action of the drug"
Listed below are some introductory definitions that will help enhance your knowledge about placebos and the placebo effect.
Placebo: "a substance containing no medication and prescribed or given to reinforce a patient's expectation get get well"
However, a placebo does not have to be a pill. For example, it can be in the form of a syringe or a sham surgery.
Placebo Effect: "any effect that seems to be a consequence of administering a placebo; and is an assumed result from the person's faith in the treatment or preconceptions about what the experimental drug was supposed to do"
Pure Placebo: "interventions such as sugar pills or saline injections without direct pharmacologically active ingredients for the condition being treated"
i.e. a pure sugar pill
Impure Placebo: "interventions with clear efficacy for certain conditions but are prescribed for ailments where their efficacy is unknown"
i.e. an antibiotic to treat a viral infection
Nocebo Effect: "a negative placebo effect as, for example, when patients taking medications experience adverse side effects unrelated to the specific pharmacological action of the drug"
Common Uses of Placebos
Placebos have been used in medicine since the 18th century and since then their role has evolved to meet the needs of patients, healthcare providers and researchers. Some common uses of placebos today are listed below:
1) Clinical Trials
Before placebos, medications were evaluated on physiological concepts which were contributed by experts in their field. Now it is common to see placebo controlled trials in which drugs are often compared to a placebo to prove that they provide enhanced benefit over the inert substance or treatment.
2) To Help Time Administration of Certain Medications
One of the most common examples of the use of placebos to help with the timing of taking medications is the incorporation of inert pills into 28 days packs of birth control. The last seven pills in each pack are placebos which help the patient remember to take a pill each day.
3) Treatment Option for Patients
More often than one would probably guess, physicians prescribe placebos to patients as therapeutic treatment for a variety of diseases. In one survey done in the UK, 97% of physicians admitted to prescribing impure placebos throughout their time practicing and 12% admitted to prescribing pure placebos.
Placebos have been used in medicine since the 18th century and since then their role has evolved to meet the needs of patients, healthcare providers and researchers. Some common uses of placebos today are listed below:
1) Clinical Trials
Before placebos, medications were evaluated on physiological concepts which were contributed by experts in their field. Now it is common to see placebo controlled trials in which drugs are often compared to a placebo to prove that they provide enhanced benefit over the inert substance or treatment.
2) To Help Time Administration of Certain Medications
One of the most common examples of the use of placebos to help with the timing of taking medications is the incorporation of inert pills into 28 days packs of birth control. The last seven pills in each pack are placebos which help the patient remember to take a pill each day.
3) Treatment Option for Patients
More often than one would probably guess, physicians prescribe placebos to patients as therapeutic treatment for a variety of diseases. In one survey done in the UK, 97% of physicians admitted to prescribing impure placebos throughout their time practicing and 12% admitted to prescribing pure placebos.
The following video, produced by NHS Choices in the UK provides further information on the placebo effect including efficacy of placebos based on their characteristics as well as some ethical concerns.
References:
1. The American Heritage Medical Dictionary. Placebo. The Free Dictionary. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/placebo. Published 2007. Accessed May 21, 2013.
2. Princeton University. Placebo Effect. The Free Dictionary. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/placebo+effect. Published 2012. Accessed May 21, 2013.
3. Howick J, Bishop FL, Heneghan C, Wolstenholme J, Stevens S, Hobbs FDR et al. Placebo Use in the United Kingdom: Results from a National Survey of Primary Care Practitioners. PLoS One. 2013;8(3):e582474.
4. Definition of Nocebo. MedicineNet. http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=31482. Updated September 20, 2012. Accessed May 28, 2013.5. 5. Rajagopal S. The placebo effect. Psychiatric Bulletin. 2006;30:185-188.
6. de Craen AJM, Kaptchuk TJ, Tijssen JGP, Kleijnen J. Placebos and placebo effects in medicine: historical overview. J R Soc Med. 1999; 92(10): 511–515.
7. Elliott S. What is a placebo used for? eHow Health. http://www.ehow.com/about_5074675_placebo-used.html. Accessed May 24, 2013.
8. The placebo effect. Video by NHS Choices. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsFTgirKXHk. Updated January 29, 2010. Accessed May 28, 2013.
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