Comment by canadiantim
1 day ago
If placebo’s didn’t have clinical effects we wouldn’t be controlling for them in every scientific study
1 day ago
If placebo’s didn’t have clinical effects we wouldn’t be controlling for them in every scientific study
The entire premise of a placebo-controlled study is to see if a treatment works better than something that produces no effect.
Both the placebo and treatment have placebo effects. By comparing the treatment to a placebo, the placebo effect is cancelled out.
Whereas, comparing a treatment straight to non-treatment, leaves it unclear how much of any perceived benefit the treatment has was due to placebo, or the specific treatment.
You may have been saying that, I wasn't sure what "no effect" was emphasizing.
An alternate means of getting the same comparison is to have treatment and non-treatment applied without any patient knowledge of either, when that can be done. Which works, and is more straight forward from a measurement standpoint, but is ethically unacceptable.
They do work to some extent. If doctors wanted to be thorough*, they would use two control groups. A placebo and a "don't do anything" group. Since the placebo effect is known to reduce pain, it is not ethical to not at least administer the minimum of care (which is still like a magic band-aid, but it helps alleviate pain and in some rare circumstances, symptoms) .
edit: through->thorough