I think that it is stupid that you would have to tell your patients that they are taking a placebo because it defeats the purpose of a placebo. The actual placebo will not cause any harm to the patient and it will usually make them better, just like a regular drug. So why do they have to be told that the it will not work, then they know that it wont and there mind will not be tricked into thinking that the drug will help cure them. The whole point about placebos is tricking the mind into thinking something that wont do anything to the patient will cure them (or at least take some pain away for a little while).

The issue of payment for the product is an interesting one. The fraud not only involves the doctor, but potentially the private-sector health insurance company in the USA (or Provincial Medical Plan in Canada); the health-insurance formulary that may restrict brand names to generic anyway, the pharmacy, and the pharmacist. You change insurance companies, one health insurer ends up charging you $10, another $10, and another perhaps $200 for the same medication. Who pockets the margin on sugar pills, or are they going for $1?

The patient, no doubt, is chastised by their psychiatrist, for believing in conspiracy theories.

Use of placebos goes against the medical ethic code of beneficence as doctors clearly realize that a placebo is not the best available treatment.
This also goes against a patient's autonomy as a patient obviously would not agree to taking sugar pills if they were aware that a doctor prescribed them. Doctors should only use it in the meantime while the try to figure out someone's problem as this way the patient might feel more at ease if they believe a solution is available, plus this would truly be the best option. Placebos should not be used as the main form of treatment.
Finally, this paper failed to include the negative effects of placebos, as it cures just as well as it ails. Some will believe that the pill is working, some wont, it's not a one way street.

Some people think they need a pill for everything and don't want to leave their Drs office without one. I believe the mind plays a huge part in recovery , and if taking a placebo does the job, when you go looking for a cure in a pill. Who are you to now complain, if you feeling better, it proves the point!!!!

I probably would'nt be so upset if I didn't have to pay such a large 'fee' at the drugstore to fill the prescription. This just makes me sick.Duped by someone we should have trust in.Disquieting. norma

I think this is despicable ...how dare they mess with us that way..and yes what about the cost of those placebo drugs..those doctors and pharmacist and the drug companies should be sued . I agree with Kevin Wannnamaker and the others who pay out of their own pocket...this is so wrong.

This is great. The placebo effect is amazing; it's so much more than a baseline against which to measure the effectiveness of drugs. The next step would be to train the brain to remove the necessity of deception. There is a doctor in Spain (I can't recall his name) who operates on patients without anaesthetic. After a couple of weeks of mental training, patients can go under the knife without "going under." Then of course there are the positive effects of biofeedback, meditation, hypnosis, etc. The body and the brain are connected, and to some extent, our cells will do our will. We just need to be open-minded and patient.

I wish I could reconvene with all of the doubters in twenty years and have a laugh, because this is the future.

That's a very slippery ethical slope. Whatever happened to a patients right to information? If my doctor is allowed to be dishonest about a course of treatment, can I trust it will only extend as far as giving me sugar pills? If this is only for those chronic pill seekers, wouldn't a doctor have more of an obligation to get the person help rather than feed into it with placebos?

I agree with the premise not the methodology. Any form of treatment requires a basis of trust in the attending healer...when that trust is called into question, any additional authentic medication may have little or no effect. Hence, the support for healing by cognitive methods. If the placebo treatment has been proven effective for certain identified clients, why not request attendance to a research project whereby the patient is charged only a nominal fee or nothing at all? Doctors have the legal and moral right to treat their patients to the best of their ability....they do not have the right to treat without consent To administer a placebo instead of the normally prescribed medication, in my opinion, is a dereliction of duty by denying the most basic right of a patient, the right to refuse a method of treatment.

Its about time! The Placebo Effect has been dismissed as trivial and ignored by science but, since all illness and all healing are manifestations of the Placebo Effect, its about time its power was studied and used.

so how much are these expensive placebos costing the private health care system, plus, $10.00 plus dispensing fees, and We have to pay the balance for sugar pills???????????? no wonder health care costs are rising, one of my blood pressure pills are blue ones and cost over $300 for them??? Time to stop them! sugar pills wow.maybe you could publish brand names for these sugar pills????

The thing is the medical system is over charged with national health insurance. doctors take advantage of this bc patients are not told how much they charge per visit. many doctors overprescribe , esp to the senior (elderly) . also the system encourages those who abuse it ie smokers, sick for work ,etc.
I know of elderlies who have so many different kinds of pills that a drug addict would overdose if they actually take them. yet the doctors continue to give them pills bc they can charge the system and get rich-er.
i think the government should clamp down on doctors by seeing how many patients they see and how much they charge and what they prescribe.
if your doctor prescribes a placebo, the doctor is abusing your clientel, instead of telling you the truth.
the national health care is not as efficient as it once was set up to be.

This explains why "natural" medicines claim they may treat symptoms or disease. Its all placebo effect. And they willingly overcharge for their placebos.

I hope they are charging accordingly.

This is a tricky topic. Clearly there is a time and place for placebos (I personally had a very sick relative who got better to the point where they were suddenly able to leave the hospital after taking them, we knew what they were and had been consulted, but the relative hadn't. There was nothing else to give them, but mentally they wre convinced pills were the only way to get better.) On the other hand, as has been frequently mentioned, money is tight. I find it interesting that almost 50% of the surveyed doctors were psychiatrists.

This is so true! Your mind can heal your body (of any ailment!) pills can be a type of "psychological" fixation, for many people who do not understand that they are capable of healing themselves.

After reading this article, the first thing that came to mind is unsuspecting patients who are prescribed placebos are definitely paying full price for a drug they believe is real. Are you kidding me?
It's bad enough that the drug companies are taking us for a ride, and now I find out that they are ripping us off in another fashion. For a real drug that costs about $300.00 a month (example) is bad enough and now to find out that people are being given sugar pills and being told that it's the real deal and paying full price is criminal.
Anonymity is the key to a placebo, I realize that, but give the public a break, Don't we pay enough for the real drugs without having to pay full price for a pill that might cost a cent to make.
I have to pay out of pocket for my medication, and if I found out that I'm paying full price for something that costs pennies makes me believe that the drug companies have upped the anti when it comes to legal robbery.
Come on Guys! Work with us and not against us. Your money tree might be in full bloom, but I can honestly say that mine is dead, and you are throwing salt on the roots.
Thanks for helping us out in this time of plenty!???? Time to go and prune my $20.00 tree. There's just too much foliage on it.. LMAO

finally the cat is out of the bag. annoying part is pharmacy is still charging big bucks and the patients have no way of knowing what is given to them.where is the big brother in protecting the innocent victims of such outrageous ripoff?

I know 100% that a placebo will NOT work for hypothyroidism or any other thyroid problems. Without the proper or exact need meds dosage for hyper or hypothryoid. Hyperthyroidism is compllicated and it has to be monitored carefully and with hypothyroidism without treatment, your symptoms will get worse and you'll eventually end up in a coma and death.

Placebo effects used to be dismissed and it is encouraging that physicians are recognizing its importance. However the answer should not be feeding patients dummy pills but to educate them about the power of their mind in influencing their health. A referral to a psychologist working in this area is the way to go

Since being on a clinical trial also has a large placebo effect, and increases the quality of physician care, can't they start a trial, consent people openly, and randomize them? Might learn something and help the patients and maybe move medicine towards more acceptance of placebo.

Unbelievable! Although I can understand the reason for prescribing placebos -
especially to patients who can become addicted to long term medications, and those who are hypochondriacs, and let's not forget patients who suffer with psycho-somatic illness. I myself have been suffering most of my life with chronic illnesses that never go away, and also the more serious disorders - i.e. high blood pressure, thyroid disease, gastric disease, migraines, major neurological pain, soft tissue disease - disintegrating disks/cartilage/tendons, osteoarthritis in all joints and major lumbar back problems rendering me almost immobile, and I am prescribed a total of 12 medications for the past 30 years. I hate taking all the drugs and have tried many times to stop taking some of them, but to no avail. I need them to get through most days without thinking of hanging myself! :-)
I am well educated, intelligent and have done years of research on all my disorders and the drugs involved and have had many discussions with my doctors about the fact that I worry about becoming totally toxic, so I am aware of the problems over-medicating can do. (I've also researched alternative medicine of course, and do take many herbal/natural supplements as well.) As a matter of fact, my pain has increased immensely in the past 5 yrs. and my dr. will not prescribe the stronger narcotic pain relievers because he knows how I've learned to cope with so many illnesses and different types of pain related to all the disorders over the years. I am trying to save my liver & kidneys, therefore I suffer silently, taking O.T.C. pain relievers and try to make the best of each and every day. I am single and have never been married due to ongoing health problems, so I suffer ALONE, and trust me folks, that is no easy task. I am 62 years old and still waiting for my life to begin! I thank God every day for the sense of humour I was born with because without it, trust me, I would not have survived this long.
Now, my one important complaint about prescribing placebos - WE'RE GETTING RIPPED OFF!! Are we not paying the full, very expensive price of the drug we THINK we are taking, and instead consuming sugar pills, or whatever the placebos are made of (diabetics beware of the placebo!) I am on a strict, fixed, low disability pension and our gov't does not cover most of the drugs anymore for those of us who are not able to earn an income due to health reasons. Each year, another pill I'm prescribed is taken off the Ont. Drug Plan and I have to pay full price and wouldn't you know it? It's always the most expensive medication that is not covered. I understand the dilemma of the Ont. gov't health system going broke, it's no wonder - with all the incoming immigrants that move into our province that need health care, not to mention all the baby-boomers reaching retirement age with some medical problem arising.
That means the pharmaceutical companies are making a fortune on these placebos? I could be wrong, as I have not researched this subject yet. Once I read this headline, I immediately wanted to comment. I certainly hope I am wrong about this. It's the same, old story - the rich get richer and the poor get poorer! Have a nice day and don't forget to take your meds!!

Looking at the survey I wonder if people know what is a palcebo ...
FYI just sugar pill - does not treat anything - just makes you feel good because
you think you are getting help.
If my doctor would do that and I find out about it I would suit him and provincial medical board for giving him licence.
How do they dare to play with your life? What happen to hipocritical oath ?

Placebo's work often, without a question. The trouble comes down to either deception or a breach of trust between patient AND the doctor. There are those who think they need some sort of pill or whatever for them to get better and there are those who have also come to rely on said pills, whether they need them or not, and show signs up improvement.

The real trouble comes when a person realizes this and their trust with a believed to be qualified individual is suddenly shattered with them often feeling betrayed in the situation. The true irony is when said person was actually showing signs of improvement on said pill only to regress when learning the truth. The placebo is certainly the grey area of science; does one risk it only to find out too late a patient could have really used something or do they go ahead with their instincts to subtley prove to the person they really do not need said pill?

So, I take my automobile to my mechanic for an inspection. It needs a new air filter, change of radiator fluid, and a wheel alignment. The mechanic takes out the air filter, shakes it about, and puts it back into the car; removes the radiator fluid, sees that it cannot be seen to be different than replacement fluid, and pours it back in; instead of a wheel alignment, the mechanic tells me that one of my arms is shorter than the other one, self conscious, I drive leaning one way and the car drives straight and true. I get charged the full shop rate for labour and materials. I sue, I win, he goes out of business.

Hello Doctors!!!

Are the doctors send fake bills to healthcare for patients who recieve these placebos??....are people actually paying out-of-pocket money for these fakes??.... are private health care plans for drugs being billed for these fakes?? Since these placebos are not really drugs, but just sugar pills, can I start a company and sell them for $10 each with out any gov't intervention?? yeah, right....

This sounds perfectly reasonable. A doctor will take the time to examine you and prescribe what's best.
Contrast that with an industry built completely around placebos such as Homeopathy. Now that's unethical.

I believe that placebo therapy works. However, the patient should NOT know what they are being prescribed. If some one told me that there was a weight loss pill and it had worked for others, I would be more inclined to use the medication. This is assuming that the doctor prescribing me this would give me his/hers opinion.
Of course in the real world, there is no such wonder drug.
If my doctor gave me a placebo instead of an anti depressant, would I even notice?

Just my opinion,

I think it is all wrong doing that deceiving people is wrong it shoud be stopped if my Doc did that to me he would end up in the Hospital

I am not on any medication at the moment but now that I've read this article, I will be suspicious of any pill that I am prescribed in the future. Now maybe all pills will make me sick or have no affect because my subconscious will be telling me the pills might only be placebos .

Hello. Your article supports the concept that suggestion cures. It is also the main cause of disease [dis-ease] Most disease is not caused by something physical from the outside getting on or in the body- most people get sick from suggestions they allow in or moreso by autosuggestion. Fear, worry, resentment etc make one sick and of course a doctor can't/won't find these. So you get a pill to mask the symptons. Go to www.concept-therapy.org and work by Thurman Fleet.

When you are perscribed a placebo, you are in fact paying for a supposed medication that you don't recieve. the medical system in this country is in bad enough shape as it is, without being ripped off. nuff said.

I would be very cautious about giving people ineffective medicine. Why not make an effort to diagnose properly? Doctors own fears and mis understanding of diseases, affect the way cases are handled. I, myself have been pushed aside because the medical system cannot quantify my ailment. Finaly I have some support, however, If I were to be given placebos, intead of proper medicine. I would likely sue the doctor out of practice. I see most of these placebos are handed out by psychiatrists, and I suppose they would have a "psychological" effect. However I think they should keep placebos away from people with real complaints, like infections or DVT, etc.

For a doctor to prescribe placebos is disgusting. Fake pills and yet the patient still has to pay for them. That is theft, pure and simple.

This just proves that too many people are clogging up our healthcare system when there is really nothing medically wrong with them. I have tons of co-workers and friends that run to a doctor as soon as they get a sniffle or cough and then wonder why wait times are sooo long. Come on people toughen up and use your heads. Have we become so stupid that we don't know when to go the doctor and when to take a tylenol?

Yes, indeed.. My father's urologist put him on a 7-year prostate 'wonder drug' experiment - & kept him all to himself, even when he was in extreme pain.. NEVER sent him to an oncologist until it was too late.. Abbott Laboriories basically was the culpret, but so was this so-called doctor.. My dad died almost 6.8 years after thinking he was on this miraculous recovery program, but hey, he was a lawyer - he got the placebo! Don't think for a second it is a random selection & that the 'big' companies have no clue who's on what.. Furthermore, they pay-out bonuses to doctors who keep patients on (alive or dead) to the end of the programs.

Its called the medical INDUSTRY - not society. BIG PHARMACIES are a huge problem.. PLEASE LEGALIZE MARIJUANA for actual straight-forward, NON-ADDICTIVE & very little side-fxs if any.. GEEZE - go figure - it can grow for FREE in your own back yard & happens to be the MOST effective alternative in pain therapy as well as MANY, MANY other areas Go figure! Here's to you, Dad.

When I require medication don't dare insult me and deny my requirement - there would be hell to pay I assure you!

Do these doctors bill their provinces less for their questionable practice. I wonder if I can get a job giving bogus medication and duping patients? I wonder if it pays six figures? Good job Canada.

So-called placebo effects have long been known and dismissed. Now the sigificance is being recognized but I believe it is being misused and that doctors are going in a dangerous direction by prescribing pills. The new brain science fits in with this change in attitude towards placebo.What this should lead to is an increased referral to psychologists working in this area to help promote the effects of the mind on health. Unfortunately pill pushing is all that some physicians know about treatment!

Wow, mind boggling!! Not quite sure what to say, definitely deserves consideration, research, and patient knowledge as well as their participation in considering this issue.

What a dumb idea they would be better off prescribing a natural vitamin alternative. Agreed the majority of pills do not work as the body gets used to a drug but a natural alternative enhances what the body is lacking in a vitamin and is more beneficial than a placebo.

I would not knowingly continue to see a professional in any field if I had reason to believe he/she was not being honest with me.

I don't lie to my doctor: I expect my doctor to extend the same courtesy to me.

I wish someone would post articles about doctors prescribing and the use of addictive medication such as percocet. This is a serious issue and is destroying individuals and families.

Can we trust no one. And who is splitting the difference between the cost of authentic medication and fake. Is it a third to the doctor, a third to the pharmasist and a third to the drug manufacturer. This seems to be one of the best scams of all times. I would love to get in on it but, damn ethics. They still bother me unlike those involved in this game.

The doctors are the professionals, if the patient wants to check out the name of the medication they would be able to easily. I think if it works and gets the desired effects...How would this be any different than natural treatments? Rather then placebos why not a natural treatment?

In your daily survey you asked how I would feel if I found out my doctor had prescribed me a placebo.

I picked that I would be furious.... But just to elaborate a little more - I expect my doctor to be HONEST with me and if I don't need to have the meds, I expect him/her to have the testicular fortitud to tell me so.

I am retired but not a senior, nor a millionaire and I would not appreciate having to pay top dollar on something I am not getting!

If you have to do research, pls hire people that are willing to do it for money and don't use the innocent public as guineapigs!

This is why I don't trust doctors. I lost my trust when I didn't have my say when I was pregnant with my first child. I went into labour 21 into pregnancy and the labour stopped. I could have rmained on bedrest for the rest of the pregnancy and the baby would have been fine. Instead I was forced to have an abortion. Now I don't deal with doctors at all. I've learned that natural medicine is far better and has no side effects. I use Naturalpathy, Homeopathy and Tapping and I have over come huge illnesses like Lyme Disease, Obesity and Anxiety. I'm much happier and healthier then I was when I dealt with the medical system. Too bad I still have to pay OHIP. They waste a bunch of tax payers money.

Why would anyone in their right mind knowlingly take a placebo? The world is dumbing down very quickly.

It's not so much about it being a placebo - it's the fact that theses patients are being deceived - and having to pay for it. How much are these drugs costing individuals - not everyone has benefits

Wow. That's just wrong on so many levels. Placebos don't work at all. If they claim they do then they're lairs. Plain and simple.