Mind over matter: nondeceptive placebos can still reduce emotional distress in patients

Researchers have demonstrated that even when patients are aware they are taking a placebo drug, known as a nondeceptive placebo, emotional distress can be reduced. The placebo effect, in which patients feel better after taking a treatment with no active ingredients, has been well documented since it was first described in 1799, but several more recent studies have suggested that placebos administered without deception, nondeceptive placebos, can also be effective in helping patients manage a variety of highly distressing disorders and impairments. A collaborative research team made up of scientists from Michigan State University, University of Michigan (both MI, USA)...