Survey: Half of US doctors use placebo treatments

But would that not then defeat the purpose of them?

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Originally Posted by SadisticNature

I like this solution. Allows individual choice, those who want placebo's can sign up for them, and those of us who actually want the truth don't have lies forced down our throats.

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No not nessesarally, all patients would sign a wavier giving the physician the freedom to choose if and when a placebo was used. The patient would never need know until the treatment was over. Just like they do in medical trials.

I still suspect that if the patient knew they signed this the knowledge gleaned from use of placebo outside of trials will be compromised.

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Originally Posted by denuseri

No not nessesarally, all patients would sign a wavier giving the physician the freedom to choose if and when a placebo was used. The patient would never need know until the treatment was over. Just like they do in medical trials.

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Why would it?

The way I heard it was "What do you call three trombones at the bottom of the ocean?" and the answer was "A good start."

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Originally Posted by DuncanONeil

What do you call three lawyers, or solicitors as the case may be, at the bottom of the ocean?

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When you sign up for your physician you sign one of two statements that they attach to the record.

1. When the physician feels the best course of action is a placebo they can prescribe it without telling me.

2. I do not want the physician to prescribe me placebo's regardless of circumstances.

If you sign 1. it is still the case that the vast majority of the time you get real medicine not placebo's, so you would not need to be suspicious of placebo's.

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Originally Posted by DuncanONeil

I still suspect that if the patient knew they signed this the knowledge gleaned from use of placebo outside of trials will be compromised.

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Originally Posted by denuseri

Why would it?

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Since they know the doctor may have given them a "sugar pill" they will never expect it to help. The knowledge learned by the doctor in giving a "sugar pill" no longer exists. They can no longer rule out a set of symptoms being not medically relevant.

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Originally Posted by SadisticNature

The way I heard it was "What do you call three trombones at the bottom of the ocean?" and the answer was "A good start."

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How about three Congressmen??

It still remains that if you know of the possibility the Placebo effect is is attenuated. Then the doctor can not rule out anything.
Besides if the language you propose is the language, I envision no one picking item 1

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Originally Posted by SadisticNature

When you sign up for your physician you sign one of two statements that they attach to the record.

1. When the physician feels the best course of action is a placebo they can prescribe it without telling me.

2. I do not want the physician to prescribe me placebo's regardless of circumstances.

If you sign 1. it is still the case that the vast majority of the time you get real medicine not placebo's, so you would not need to be suspicious of placebo's.

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