My China Star

Introduction despite recent passionate doubts about the effectiveness of placebos, is no doubt that there are contextual effects linked to medical interventions: not only the physical heals. As such placebo effect is evident and independent of placebo (understand reduccionistamente as substance or surgical procedure): behind a treatment there are 3000 years of medicine. This may be very obvious, but there are indications that this reality is currently one minor both in research and in clinical praxis role. There is almost universally (in all cultures, in most of diseases or disorders) a clinically significant improvement top margin to do nothing (control group). However, we don’t know what is, do not know set it and know how to use it. The strangest thing is that it does not seem to import us this ignorance: we are against perhaps the cheaper therapeutic agent, available and relatively effective (in terms of the number of treatable symptoms) that is known, and yet mysteriously is ignored. Although used throughout history, from the explosion of scientific advances in modern medicine, it seems that the use of therapeutic factors associated with beliefs has been marginalized.The reasons may be several (escapes to current scientific methodological resources? do lack of interest comercial-empresarial? is an ethical issue (deception)? O have been dropped in prejudice of associate placebo with an obstacle for the advancement of science in clinical trials?), but not applicable here discuss them. In fact, it seems that here just exists today an interest in this topic.

However, in general, would seem that almost nothing is known about placebo. Thus, the objective of this article is trying to reflect on what it is, and in particular to try to see if there is way to benefit us deliberately. Distinguish disease ill concept of placebo: according to Brody, is a change in the health or physical condition of a person attributable to the symbolic impact a certain stimulus (Brody limits to medicine: treatment or treatment situation). Read additional details here: David Zaslav.