Question

If a doctor gives 100 patients who complain of pain a simple sugar pill, he can be sure that 33 of them will feel better. Pain experts have known for a long time that people who respond to placebos also get more relief from narcotics than do those who don't show the 'placebo effect'. Now research is being done to determine whether the placebo response is all in the head or whether the inert pills have physical effects after all.

a. True
b. False

Answer 1

The placebo effect is a psychologically based reaction to treatment that occurs due to patient expectations and beliefs rather than the properties of the treatment itself. Research is being conducted to understand if the placebo response has physiological effects. It is important to consider the placebo effect in medical studies and the role of meaning-centered responses to health outcomes.

Step-by-step explanation:

The placebo effect is a psychologically based reaction to a treatment that occurs because the subject is treated, even if the treatment is a placebo with no physiological effect on the patient. It is the result of the patient's expectations and beliefs about the treatment rather than the actual properties of the treatment itself.

Research is being done to determine whether the placebo response is all in the head or whether the inert pills have physical effects after all. The goal is to understand whether the placebo effect is solely psychological or if there are underlying physiological mechanisms at play.

In medical trials, people who believe they are receiving a treatment but are actually receiving a placebo can demonstrate physiological responses similar to those receiving an active substance. This highlights the importance of considering the placebo effect in medical studies and the role of meaning-centered responses to health outcomes.