21 articles from SATURDAY 8.10.2022

Placebos expert Kathryn T Hall: ‘The effect can rival painkillers like ibuprofen or even morphine’

The Harvard professor says we need to stop seeing dummy medicines as a novelty and instead make strides to understand them better and harness their powerThe placebo effect occurs when an inert treatment such as a dummy pill, fake injection or sham surgery leads to a real clinical improvement in symptoms. So strong is the effect it can be the bane of clinical trials, which must prove a drug’s...