Not really apropos, but interesting (to me, anyway). Someone (I forgot who; I'm sorry) said once that "the entire history of medicine before 1900 is a history of the placebo effect." I think it's a bit of an exaggeration, but just a bit.
m -- Marc Carter, PhD Associate Professor and Chair Department of Psychology College of Arts & Sciences Baker University -- ________________________________ From: Frantz, Sue [mailto:sfra...@highline.edu] Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 12:22 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Placebos getting stronger? Through the Improbable Research blog comes this article from Wired, "Placebos Are Getting More Effective. Drugmakers Are Desperate to Know Why." http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/magazine/17-09/ff_placebo_effect?currentPage=all An excerpt: Some products that have been on the market for decades, like Prozac, are faltering in more recent follow-up tests. In many cases, these are the compounds that, in the late '90s, made Big Pharma more profitable than Big Oil. But if these same drugs were vetted now, the FDA might not approve some of them. Two comprehensive analyses of antidepressant trials have uncovered a dramatic increase in placebo response since the 1980s. One estimated that the so-called effect size (a measure of statistical significance) in placebo groups had nearly doubled over that time. It's not that the old meds are getting weaker, drug developers say. It's as if the placebo effect is somehow getting stronger. Additionally the article provides a nice history and overview of the modern placebo effect as well as some current applications, such as this (ethically suspect) one. One recent afternoon in [Fabrizio Benedetti's] lab [at the University of Turin], a young soccer player grimaced with exertion while doing leg curls on a weight machine. Benedetti and his colleagues were exploring the potential of using Pavlovian conditioning to give athletes a competitive edge undetectable by anti-doping authorities. A player would receive doses of a performance-enhancing drug for weeks and then a jolt of placebo just before competition. -- Sue Frantz <http://flightline.highline.edu/sfrantz/> Highline Community College Psychology, Coordinator Des Moines, WA 206.878.3710 x3404 sfra...@highline.edu <mailto:sfra...@highline.edu> Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology, Associate Director Project Syllabus <http://teachpsych.org/otrp/syllabi/syllabi.php> APA Division 2: Society for the Teaching of Psychology <http://teachpsych.org/otrp/syllabi/syllabi.php> APA's p...@cc Committee <http://www.apa.org/ed/pcue/ptatcchome.html> --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments thereto ("e-mail") is sent by Baker University ("BU") and is intended to be confidential and for the use of only the individual or entity named above. The information may be protected by federal and state privacy and disclosures acts or other legal rules. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that retention, dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error please immediately notify Baker University by email reply and immediately and permanently delete this e-mail message and any attachments thereto. Thank you. --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)