Placebos Work Even if You Know They’re Placebos!

Placebos, despite lacking active ingredients, can alleviate symptoms due to belief and conditioning. Even when patients know they're taking placebos, they can still experience relief. Open-label placebos, where patients are informed, have shown effectiveness in various conditions. The mechanisms involve conditioning and expectancy effects. Placebos work best for symptoms controlled by brain activity, like pain and fatigue. They could potentially replace drugs with side effects, highlighting the brain's power.

In what ways have clinical trials demonstrated the effectiveness of open-label placebos?

What is the significance of the expectancy effect in the context of placebos?

How might open-label placebos change the future of medical treatments?