Placebo Effect Real 

The August 10, 2001 issue of Science reports on a study which suggests that the placebo effect is real. This, of course, may not seem to be news but for once researchers are saying that the placebo effect plays a larger part in healing than has been realized.

The study was performed at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and dealt with patients with Parkinson's disease. With Parkinson's, patient's brains don't produce enough of a chemical called dopamine.
When patients in the study didn't know if they were taking the Parkinson's drug apomorphine or a placebo, they experienced an increase in dopamine levels similar to those in patients who were taking the apomorphine.

"Some people have suggested that the placebo effect is not that important," says lead researcher Dr. A. Jon Stoessl. "There is a placebo effect and it could be a pretty big effect." In fact, he says, "this is not a small effect. This is a big effect."

We would agree. Many researchers question the ethics of using placebos to treat patients. But, considering the fact that upwards of 90,000 people die every year from proper use of prescription drugs, we question the ethics of not using them. After all, how many people have you heard about who died after using a placebo?

In Touch, Vol. 5 No. 10, October 2001