Washington Post: "Five Myths About Placebos"

(Originally Published in the Washington Post on 2/19/16)

Excerpt:

"I once interviewed a woman who’d fractured her spine. For months, she was laid up, barely able to walk. Finally, her doctor recommended an experimental treatment. She agreed to try it; afterward her pain melted away. A decade later, she’s still playing golf.

In truth, she didn’t get the experimental spine treatment. She was given a placebo. The “placebo effect” is a phenomenon in medicine whereby patients feel better without the use of drugs. Although scientists have been studying placebos for decades, there are still a lot of misconceptions about how and why they work. Here are the most common..."

Click Here for Full Article.