Placebo Effect

Definition

A placebo is a medical term for a drug that has no active ingredient. Biologically, it doesn't do anything, but the patient might mistakenly believe it is a powerful medicine. In fact, in bygone eras, some people who took snake oil and other medically useless substances did get better, partly because they believed that these substances would cure them. The phrase placebo effect refers to a person's response to a substance only as the result of the expectation of such a response. The response is called a placebo effect when the substance is known not to induce any response, but a consistent response is found. Because of the placebo effect, people may experience or perceive the effects of medication, such as pain relief or ...

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