|
|
Article: Placebos might hold promise in drug treatment.(The Dallas Morning News)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- June 10, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. 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)
|
There's no denying the power of the mind over the body. Ask any drug addict.
As St. Augustine said in his ``Confessions,'' "The mind commands the body, and it obeys."
But you could find a few scientists who would deny one prominent medical example of mind over matter _ the effectiveness of placebos, "medicines" with no active ingredients.
When a study published last year questioned the reality of the placebo effect, most doctors shrugged. They knew that placebos often work. If a study suggested otherwise, there must be something wrong with the study.
On the other hand, nobody can say with any certainty how placebos work their magic. ...