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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that comments on the comments on an article in Wired Magazine that indicates that placebos are becoming more effective. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KL9_khplacebo.doc
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
soldier and told him that he was receiving a shot of morphine, rather than the saline solution that the injection actually contained, the placebo effect succeeded at relieving the soldiers
pain and preventing shock. In other words, the shot, while a placebo, worked and effectively eased the agony of a wounded soldier. After the war, Dr. Beecher campaigned to
make placebos an intrinsic part of the research process, as he pointed out that comparing the effects of a new medication in an intervention group against the effects achieved using
placebos would provide the pharmaceutical industry with a reliable means of vetting new medications and proving their effectiveness. The protocol developed by Beecher, that is, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) using
a double-blind design with placebos administered to a control group, soon became the gold standard for the nascent pharmaceutical industry (Silberman). In 1962, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act was
amended by Congress, making the RCTs mandatory for all new medications. This requirement remains in force today and every medication receiving FDA approval must result in benefits that exceed those
of a placebo a minimum of two RCTs. As this indicates, the effect of placebos was quickly cast as the "villain in RCTs," which completely overlooked the fact that these
fake medications frequently exhibit their power to bring about beneficial effects (Silberman). Psychiatrist William Potter began researching the placebo effect when he realized in the late 1990s that the effect
of placebos was strengthening, as numerous anti-depressants under development were failing placebo-controlled trials. It has been assumed that the placebo effect is a psychological response that stems from "neurosis
and gullibility" (Silberman). However, with the aid of the Fabrizio Benedettis clinic at the University of Turin, it was realized that what placebos do is activate the bodys own healing
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