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Article: Placebo's Effect on Pain May Equal a Dose of Morphine
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- January 19, 1987
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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A placebo given for pain may be as effective as 8 milligrams of
morphine, a modest dose, medical researchers have found.
A placebo is any pill, potion or procedure that has no direct
effect but which the patient believes is going to prove effective in
treating some illness. Placebo drugs are often merely sugar pills.
A mother's kiss on a skinned knee can also act as a placebo.
It is well known that most genuinely afflicted patients given a
placebo do begin to feel better. This is why new drugs are tested by
comparing their effects to those of a placebo. Only if the drug's
effects are better than those of the placebo do scientists believe
the drug to be doing something more than ...