We often hear about the placebo effect, but what is it? How does it work? What does it mean when an experiment uses a placebo group? Today we discuss the power of the placebo, how scientists and doctors harness its effect, and how you can too. 

References: 
Kienle, G. S., & Kiene, H. (1997). The powerful placebo effect: fact or fiction?. Journal of clinical epidemiology, 50(12), 1311-1318.
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/placebo-effect
Rief, W., Nestoriuc, Y., Weiss, S., Welzel, E., Barsky, A. J., & Hofmann, S. G. (2009). Meta-analysis of the placebo response in antidepressant trials. Journal of affective disorders, 118(1-3), 1-8.
Beecher, H. K. (1955). The powerful placebo. Journal of the American Medical Association, 159(17), 1602-1606.
Sihvonen, R., Paavola, M., Malmivaara, A., Itälä, A., Joukainen, A., Nurmi, H., ... & Järvinen, T. L. (2013). Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy versus sham surgery for a degenerative meniscal tear. N Engl J Med, 369, 2515-2524.


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