Cure by Placebo?

A recent survey of roughly 675 doctors from around the country shows that nearly half the doctors in practice tend to prescribe placebos. The placebos they are said to use don’t adhere to the typical definition. A placebo is defined as “a substance having no pharmacological effect but given merely to satisfy a patient who supposes it to be a medicine” such as a sugar pill. The practicing doctors have been said to use vitamins, antibiotics and sedatives. These common pills do in fact have a pharmacological effect on the patient’s body, and if misused could have detrimental effects.

To make matters worse, most doctors surveyed describe these placebos to patients as” a medicine not typically used for your condition but might benefit you.” Only 5 percent of these doctors actually introduced the placebo “a placebo.”

For example, syndromes such as fibromyalgia are believed to be phsycosomatic, and patients with such treatments tend to be very difficult to deal with. Out of the doctors surveyed, 24% said that they would be very likely to prescribe a placebo, 34% said moderately likely, 31% said Unlikely and only 10% said not likely.

I find this rather disturbing, that doctors, people you trust with your health, would be likely to prescribe a placebo without your knowledge. I mean, yes, placebos are much more effective if the patient believes they are taking something that will help them, but that only encourages people to believe that they need to take a pill to get better. Personally, I would rather be told that there is nothing the doctor can prescribe, then be given a prescription for a drug that is just a fancy name for Aleve.