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A fascinating new article in knowable magazine https://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/mind/2017/rebranding-placebos
Indicates that a group of savvy scientists are looking at the potential for placebo as a front line therapy for a host of illnesses and conditions.
The article is rather long, but to summarize, placebo and its related effects are powerful. So powerful in fact that most medical therapies are only slightly more effective, while running the risk of serious side effects. Therefore the scientists pose the questions. Why not use placebo as a front line therapy, a first line of defense in most cases?
But for this to work, placebo would need a rebrand.
The problem with the placebo effect is that it stops working once a person knows that they are receiving the placebo.
So here is a thought. What if instead of using the word "placebo", we make it ok for doctors to write initial prescriptions for monosaccharide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosaccharide and Dihydrogen Monoxide DHMO therapy https://www.lockhaven.edu/~dsimanek/dhmo.htm and / or other fancy chemical names for the ingredients actually in these placebos. Then a simple updating of wikipedia pages showing their efficacy in treatment of various ailments along with their relative safety. In otherwords, since we are a society that places our faith in chemicals, why not just give the chemicals in the placebos their due and forget the word "placebo" all together?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Wednesday February 27 2019, @07:30PM (6 children)
With proper branding, I can charge $1674.79 per daily dose of placebo.
I know it used to cost ten cents per pill, but hey, I have to protect my status as a Job Creator.
I'll be nice and allow a special discount down to $259.84 for the people who install my placebo-tracking app on their phone.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday February 27 2019, @08:36PM (5 children)
To help fix the branding problem start calling it: PLACE-boo 5G!
Don't forget the 5G part! It worked for AT&T. And I already suggested on SN that the next USB connector should be called USB 5G.
Homeopathy 5G!
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 27 2019, @09:14PM (4 children)
I'll undersell you by a small percent with my 5G Blockchain Synergizer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 27 2019, @10:43PM (3 children)
With Environmentally Friendly Homeopathic Micro-Blockchain Technology for Maximum Cloudiness.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday February 27 2019, @11:40PM (2 children)
Meh. Your puny marketing tricks will not work against me. My plAIcebo will win it all.
(Score: 2) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Thursday February 28 2019, @08:50AM (1 child)
Only to lose it all to my iPlacebo.
It's NOT a conspiracy... it's a plot.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday February 28 2019, @09:05AM
Well, I have at least two generations before you copy my features.