Understanding and Harnessing Placebo Effects: Clearing Away the Underbrush

Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 36 (1):69-78 (2011)
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Abstract

Despite strong growth in scientific investigation of the placebo effect, understanding of this phenomenon remains deeply confused. We investigate critically seven common conceptual distinctions that impede clear understanding of the placebo effect: (1) verum/placebo, (2) active/inactive, (3) signal/noise, (4) specific/nonspecific, (5) objective/subjective, (6) disease/illness, and (7) intervention/context. We argue that some of these should be eliminated entirely, whereas others must be used with caution to avoid bias. Clearing away the conceptual underbrush is needed to lay down a path to understanding and harnessing placebo effects in clinical medicine

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Franklin Miller
Columbia University

Citations of this work

Placebo Effects and Informed Consent.Mark Alfano - 2015 - American Journal of Bioethics 15 (10):3-12.
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On Drugs.Sam Baron, Sara Linton & Maureen A. O’Malley - 2023 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 48 (6):551-564.
Manufacturing the placebo effect.Doug Hardman - 2022 - Philosophical Investigations 45 (4):414-429.

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References found in this work

Placebo controls and epistemic control in orthodox medicine.Mark D. Sullivan - 1993 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 18 (2):213-231.

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