Do Placebos Have a Place in the Therapeutic Toolbox?

Placebos are substances and interventions that lack specific efficacy in treating a patient’s condition based on the inherent properties of the treatment. Placebo effects refer to neurobiological and clinical changes produced by a placebo administration or active treatment given in a certain context. Assuming that placebo effects can be harnessed to achieve better outcomes than usual medical care, whether and how doctors may recommend treatments that lack any specific efficacy remains controversial.

Modern Medicine – Issue 6 2019