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posted by martyb on Wednesday February 27 2019, @06:29PM   Printer-friendly
from the dhmo dept.

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?


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  • (Score: -1, Troll) by EJ on Wednesday February 27 2019, @08:09PM (3 children)

    by EJ (2452) on Wednesday February 27 2019, @08:09PM (#807789)

    Anti-vaxxers.
    Flat-Earthers.
    Democrats.
    etc.

    Starting Score:    1  point
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  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday February 27 2019, @08:42PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday February 27 2019, @08:42PM (#807804) Journal

    Anti-vaxxers.
    Flat-Earthers.
    Climate Change Deniers.
    Sex Education and How Your Body Works, How To Avoid Pregnancy deniers.
    Republicans.
    etc.

    It is the government's and everyone else's duty to guarantee my happiness. Doesn't the constitution guarantee my happiness? I shouldn't have to "pursue" happiness. That would require some effort and sounds too much like something called "work". I've got it! I'll become a "Social Media Influencer"! That's it! I can get free stuff for doing no actual work except posting excessively long and content free YouTube videos.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 4, Touché) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday February 27 2019, @09:35PM

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Wednesday February 27 2019, @09:35PM (#807820) Journal

    One of these things is
    Not like the others
    Which of these things
    Just doesn't be-long~?

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 28 2019, @03:02AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 28 2019, @03:02AM (#807954)

    Heh, someone is sure taking the GOP's self-created implosion a bit hard.