Research Shows Placebos May Have A Place In Everyday Treatments

A placebo is an inactive treatment or substance, such as a sugar pill or sham procedure, that looks and feels just like a regular medical treatment.

Patients receiving a placebo generally believe it is the same as the typical standard of care, and many experience what’s known as the “placebo effect” – an improvement in symptoms – even though they received no actual “active” treatment.

Whether or not these inactive “treatments” have a place in real medicine has been debated, because placebos typically have far fewer side effects (if they have any at all) than prescription drugs, injections or actual surgeries – and they often work just as well as the standard of care.

And as research from numerous experts, including those from Harvard Medical School, has revealed, the placebo effect is not only real. it appears to be stronger than was once believed.