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Article: PLACEBOS: Fooling the Body to Heal Itself.
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- July 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Even though they do not contain active pharmaceutical ingredients, placebos often are beneficial in alleviating stress-induced ailments.
CENTURIES of clinical experience show that placebos benefit a wide range of afflictions. Indeed, research over the past few decades has identified some of the mechanisms behind the placebo effect. Yet. the placebo response--or. more descriptively, a response to the treatment situation--continues to be disparaged by the health care community and patients.
How did placebos come by their dubious reputation? The centuries-old term "placebo" comes with historical baggage. Latin for "I shall please." the word had by the 14th ...