I think the distinction is about *confirmation bias*?
If you assume that placebo effects are in some way *bad* and that we
need to seek ways to predict their effect waning or seek to determine
when and how to "burst the placebo bubble" most gently then that is what
we will find... examples of where placebo effects diminish and local
minima where bursting will do least harm. We won't find the cases where
placebo is sufficient for relief/recovery nor will we find ways to
*maximize* it's effects.
Of course, the opposite is true. If we seek *only* to maximize placebo
effects, we can easily fall into the trap of believing that placebo is
always a good thing, etc. and overlook the larger context where it might
not always be so (allowing gangrene to set in while rinsing the wound
with holy water).
There is no lack of work having been done clinically and scientifically
around the "placebo effect", though I'm sure it's application and
refinement in more esoteric circumstances has no limit.
I think the "woo" question is significantly about *human bias* in the
scientific community. We *know* there is bias in the "woo" community
but just repeatedly pointing that out is not the same as looking in a
mirror for where the scientific community has conspired with itself to
fashion and wear blinders.
- Steve
Ron Newman wrote at 04/04/2013 10:57 AM:
But you're missing the point.: *something* is working for them if they
believe it is, and is not for you or anyone who doesn't believe it is. The
question is how does it work? No, that's not good enough, because it too
easily leads back to premature assumptions. The question is: how can
placebo be improved. Not set aside but improved.
No, I'm not missing that point at all. The primary clinical problems
are if, when, and how to _intervene_. This is the first question you
should be asking. Even in a scientific context, the first question is
about how to manipulate the system so that cause and effect can be
teased out of the noise. The point is if, when, and how to manipulate.
The question of improvement only comes after addressing the question of
manipulation.
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