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Understanding — and using — the placebo response
Author(s) -
Fritz Gregory K.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the brown university child and adolescent behavior letter
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7575
pISSN - 1058-1073
DOI - 10.1002/cbl.30201
Subject(s) - placebo response , placebo , psychology , empiricism , psychotherapist , clinical trial , social psychology , epistemology , medicine , alternative medicine , philosophy , pathology
The placebo response fascinates me. Everyone agrees that it exists, but consensus stops there. People disagree as to whether it has a physiological basis or is purely psychological. They argue about whether to view it as a powerful clinical tool or the essence of clinical empiricism or a darn nuisance that confounds everything. There is also disagreement about whether it's ethical to intentionally encourage the placebo response with patients.